Osaka!

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 19

I was up at 9am, having slept soundly. Clad in my pajamas, I stumbled out of my room toward the bathroom, where I met Adam, in a black t-shirt and black boxers, who yelped, and scrambled out of sight. Silly, sweet kid. I have a brother... I've seen far worse.

Breakfast was french toast, made by Kiki and soaked in egg long enough for even my mother to be happy. There was also salad and fruit.

I washed up after breakfast. Kiki provided me with a towel and I headed toward the bathroom. The bathroom has two rooms: the first, containing a sink and towel rack. The second is separated off by what looks like a stand-up shower door. Inside, there is a tile floor and a sunken bathtub. Kiki had said something about showering and I wasn't going to run up the water bill of filling a while tub for a quick scrub. This is where it got tricky. The faucet for the shower and the holder for the shower head (hand-held) were in the tile area. I investigated around and, upon spotting a drain, finally concluded (correctly) that the whole tile floor (a pretty blue, incidentally) was actually a giant shower area. Kiki also pointed out which of the various bottles were shampoo and conditioner. My hair was finally treated to something valued at more than $2.

I got a tour of the old house next-door next. This seventy year old house was built by Walker's family toward the end of World War II. It was in the countryside outside Osaka then, so it wasn't a target for bombs. The house itself has a beautiful traditional gate, and heavy clay roof. Clay roofs are good as they keep the house from actually blowing away during typhoons. Unfortunately, the paper and wood house has a tendency to collapse under the weight of the heavy roof during earthquakes, which is why the family no longer lives there.

The inside was filled with artifacts from Walker's mother's travels all around the world. All of the floors were covered with aged tatami mats. The kitchen table was sunken into the floor, so you could either kneel at a low table or sit with your legs dangling below the table. The bathroom had a bathtub that was heated by a small chimney, fed by wood and old paper advertisements. The house itself was simply stunning, but it unnerved me how calmly Walker talked about how this part or that would fall in sometime. The house itself is not considered old enough to merit recognition by authorities or preservation, unfortunately. I did get some pictures by the gate.

It was dusty enough that Mia had to go back to the new house and take allergy meds.

Back in the house, I did some reading on Osaka before lunch. Lunch was noodles with cucumber pieces and slices of scrambled egg. The noodles are eaten with chopsticks by picking up a clump, dropping them into a small cup of cold, flavored liquid, then slurping them into your mouth. I was quite a slow eater. Although I've eaten with chopsticks for years, my skill with slick, traditional Japanese ones isn't fantastic, so Kiki always insisted on giving me disposable wooden ones, which have better grip.

We then headed out to the trains: Kiki, Walker, Mia and me. Before we left, I dug out the gifts I'd brought for them: autumn leaves towels, candy sticks, and maple sugar lollies, all from Wisconsin.

As we headed to the station, I asked Mia about the frownie faces on my mobile. She identified one as a missed voicemail call and showed me how to access them. Who knew?! This also stopped the very annoying bright blue blinking light on the bottom. I'd taken to covering my mobile with laundry or whatever might be around to stop from being awakened or kept awake by the neon blue light.

(Speaking of neon blue lights, there's a flashing neon blue light at the end of my street near the drink bars and I always think it's a cop.)

We headed to southern Osaka (Minami area) on the train. On the way, Mia pointed out her college to me and taught me a little Japanese. Her parents sat back looking quite satisfied with our conversations.

We visited Dotombori, Osaka's liveliest nightlife area, although it was mid-afternoon. My tour book compared it at night to a scene from Blade Runner, which makes me really want to return! I took some pictures near a kabuki theatre, then we made our way over to Hozen-ji, a tiny Buddhist temple in a little alleyway. Here, I finally got to pester Kiki with all of the temple questions I've been dying to ask an expert. I asked her about the tall marble pillars with formal looking kanji that surrounded the temple. I'd said they looked rather like graves and she informed me they merely stated the businesses that had donated money toward the temple's construction. She later joked that, with my lack of kanji, I could easily find myself praying to a marker directing toward the bathrooms.

This particular temple is built around a moss-covered Fudo-myoo statue and is a favorite of people employed by the water trade (mizu shobai) who may pause before work to throw a ladel of water upon the statue.

We walked down toward a famous mechanical crab that moves slowly above a shop. We got some pictures there and, I will grant, it must be famous as it was in the postcards I bought later. We also took pictures next to a famous doll. Once upon a time, it was in the window of a restaurant. The restaurant closed, but the doll, famous throughout Japan, was rested out by other businesses. It was in Osaka as we passed and Japanese tourists were snapping pictures like mad. You could even pay to have professionals take your picture with it. We also took a picture with a famous mural for a candy.

Walking around there were some interesting fashions, or lack there of. High heals (even by Japanese standards) fish nets, huge bows in hair, French maid outfits. I was unfortunately not able to get my camera out fast enough for the best.

We backtracked through Doguya-Suji arcade, which sells anything related to cooking, most notably tako-yaki (octopus piece) friers. It was incredible to see dishes in mass on sale and even the plastic models of food that usually adorn the outside of restaurants. (They were, however, expensive, although I had considered it as a souvenir idea.)

We wandered our way back to where we'd come from and stopped at a newly opened frozen yogurt shop. This popular place had people out manning a line with wait times listed and fancy gates. We managed to get in quickly though, as we returned later when the line was better. As you walk in, you're handed a huge paper dish. You can then fill it from any of the frozen yogurt dispensers (all labeled “No fat!”) with any flavors you want. I chose cookies and cream, dutch chocolate, New York Cheesecake, and Coconut. Then you can add whatever toppings you want and they weight it and you pay. Or, rather, I didn't, as I was kicked out before that part, so I don't know if it was reasonably priced or not. It sure was tasty, though. I was quite happy.

Kiki's favorite ice cream is Mint Chip, which Japan doesn't really have (her friends ask her why she likes that “toothpaste” flavored stuff...”) but Baskin Robin's has it. Kiki calls that shop “31 flavors.” She says her liking for it dates back to when she studied in California at age 20 or so.

We wandered around a bit looking for post cards. We went into a large bookstore, which didn't have any, but Kiki did pick up both “The Giving Tree” and “The Polar Express” on my recommendation. Oh, we also swung through Bic Camera, which is apparently a multi-story camera store designed as one-stop shopping for computers, electronics and cameras.

We headed to a little Italian place for dinner. I had some quite tasty fettuccine and was surprised to see a huge (easily removed) hunk of meat on my salad. After this, the group dispersed. Walker headed home to care for Adam, who would be returning from hanging out with his friends, and Mia headed out shopping and would head home with her mother after her mother brought me to the station.

Kiki and I made our way through various trains back to Osaka station, where I had to buy a full-price ticket because I was foolish and hadn't gotten a return back home. Then it was hugs and lots and lots of waving and I was on a waiting and ready to depart train in moments. Kiki waved the whole time we pulled away.

On the train, I listened to Jack London's “White Fang.” The train only went as far as Yasu, so I had to transfer to a (happily waiting) local for the rest of the trip. I double-checked with a kindly looking woman that the train was indeed stopping at my town and was assured it was. It's a good thing I did. I was so engrossed in my audio-book that when we slowed to a stop sometime later, I looked up to see the English script scrolling “next stop” before my town's name and wouldn't have gotten off is the kindly lady hadn't gently touched my knee. I say it was poorly marked, but I would have figured it out, no problem and been fine. It was nice to save the time, though.

Kiki and Walker worried about me walking home after dark, alone from the train station (yes, they are my Japanese parents in both the good and the bad ways...) so I promised I'd be extra careful. I was. There were still students coming back from school, though, so the route wasn't deserted.

Back at home, I settled back in and spent some time working out how I'd watch the Packer game. As it eventually worked out, Louis, in Eau Claire, pointed his webcam at his TV and I watched it over Skype. Louis, you're getting Power Rangers for Christmas! I was tired, so I barely made it, but I did watch until the Packers awesome victory at 5am. Then, I crawled into bed and collapsed.