My mother and sister came to visit me in Japan, and per japan-guide and travel spots in Japan, I took them round the usual line-up of famous places and an infinite sea of faces. These were all places I had also wanted to see (including the Sky Building in Osaka, which I had tried to find twice previously and only finally encountered on this trip). So everybody's happy, albeit somewhat jet-lagged.
Diary entries as follows for first two days...
Apologize in advance for funny fonts chosen at random by website program.
Begin Friday
Enjoy ride in car to Osaka with Moralistic Fictionalist philosopher (I think that's what he said). Recall that for only about 5000 yen more, I could have taken the train and assumed mask of anonymity among other unknowns with nothing to say about atheism, ethics, and evolution. (At one point, break into hysterical giggles and voice previous revelation to driver. Endure brief backlash including obscenity.) Ride uneventful and mostly lovely. Enjoy last remnants of a very early spring, but rejoice in prolonged cherry blossoms on Honshu proper.
Saturday Morning
Run recon in Osaka. Scope out Umeda Sky Building and ascertain from which tower one can most easily access Sky Garden. Have coffee downstairs and perplex salary man who clearly can't figure out what I'm doing there. Head back out. Curse weather as it perpetually drizzles. Buy soon-to-be-doomed umbrella. Enjoy last meal of sushi and frozen sake before non-raw-fish-eating family members make their Asian debut. Head to airport on train.
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| Frozen sake!!! |
Arrive Saturday
Pick up mother and sister. Cancel plans to visit Sky Building at night since quite possibly it will blow down in the TYPHOON-like weather. Dinner at
izakaya. Udon tonkatsu, katsu set, tempura, karage (fried chicken). Beer. Bewilder and entertain locals who are surprised at blond and blue-eyed foreigners. (Not me. Those genes skipped me...)
Sunday – Stay Osaka
Light rain in the morning – breakfast at travel café. Yogurt, salad, french toast, coffee. Head over to Osaka Aquarium, with all the kids. Potter around. Stop at little café for coffee. Head up to Osaka station. Walk to Umeda Sky Building. Lunch at little basement ramen joint. Tonkatsu ramen. Head upstairs to the floating observatory. Take elevator up obscene distance, then transfer to horrid skinny escalator of death. Contemplate life as not fully-lived while on spindly suspended moving staircase. Get to top. Windy! Freeze to death and irreparably displace hair. Get a fresh view of Osaka and become mesmerized by size and scope of urban environment. Head back down. Make it over to Osaka castle. Wander grounds and see cherry blossoms. Buy little pancake things. Eat little pancake things. Talk to nice woman with miniature Schnauzer. Show her picture of our miniature schnauzer.
Hers is much better behaved.
See castle.
Go up to the top. See all the fancy exhibit things. Reflect on great fortune at birth and life during comparatively more civilized era (especially re: soap, toilets, and lack of feudal wars). Head back home. Dinner at california wine place: pizza, salad, pasta, wine. Head back to hotel and up to bath. Irritate lone Japanese lady bather who clearly wanted bath to herself. Heartlessly enjoy ourselves as she soggily stalks off.
2 comments:
Well, I would have willingly watched YOU eat more sashimi! Your insights are always a treat. And it was definitely fun- including the coffee shop with Hawaiian music and American flags!
Maybe we should have taught him commands in Japanese??
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