Score two more for O-town

Okay maybe two-and-a-half. The Starbucks in Shinsaibashi's subterranean shopping town pulled one from the tranportation industry's book and, much like all Japanese cities do to their subways, heated my sammich to an even five-zillion degrees. But I am prepared to forgive it and give it half-credit because my chai latte was so very exceptional.

That was the end of my day in Osaka - the middle portion involved a little reconnaissance and just the right amount of wandering around like a tourist except I am getting to know this city quite well now so my inner compass will actually kick in and prevent me from having to wander too much.

The first evidence of this came about during the start of my day. After escaping the limited express train that just went to show Kintetsu does not, in fact, lag behind JR in torturing me through the clever and precise mismanagement of small details, I hopped the local subway to the aquarium. Now it being Children's Day, and fishies and otters and penguins generally being attractive to small children, there were thick hordes of people swarming about Osaka Port. This was actually surprising to me for all of 10 seconds, whereupon I mentally smacked myself upside the head for believing I could go to a landmark attraction on a long-weekend holiday and AVOID crowds. Sometimes I have a problem with my brain not working.

So back down the main road I go, thinking alright, at least I can get a good lunch down here by the port, and I'll use the 70 minutes I would have spent just standing in line outside to wander about a bit. Surprise me, Osaka. Two blocks later, there's a cute little curry shop on the corner with the most magical name: 星の森 ~ Forest of Stars. I love that image. I loved the interior even more than I loved the name. I loved the seasonal-vegetable curry, too, and the soy-milk hot chocolate, and the photo albums brimming with pictures of the shop teddybear Loreley all the hell over the world, and the way the proprietress unabashedly took a lunch-break on the corner bar stool next to me and let me chat her up about the bear, the music, stuff.

Her husband, who takes the orders and refills the water glasses, has a kind face. He reminds me of Steve Tomasula somehow. I think it's the beard-glasses-smile combination, but mostly the smile. If I lived in Osaka, this place would be one of my haunts. A little pocket of calm and warmth in the midst of all the bustle and hurry and dodging that goes on right outside the door.

It occurs to me that I never found a place like that in Nagoya, despite having lived there for a semster. It also occurs to me that I was 20, which is one up from 19, which was a stupid age, and that my life as an exchange student was quite insular and extremely repetitive from week to week, and only some of that was Japan's doing. It was still a good semester away from Notre Dame. It's just what worked for me then would make me crazy now, and does sometimes, when I catch myself falling into routines. Ironically, it was a Japanese Zen master who once said, "To become accustomed to anything is a terrible thing."

Oh shi--

WHUT IT'S FRIDAY THE 13TH AGAIN??!? Wow, bonus round this year.

Today is actually a lot better than last Friday. Despite the fact that it is raining again, this time I have my new Tokidoki rainboots to keep my feet both dry and superfantastic. (Don't worry, I got them on Amazon for substantially cheaper than their October 2008 retail price. I think I can count on one hand the amount of times I've actually paid full-price for designer stuff...and I'm pretty sure that number is zero. I like having nice things, but I also like having more money left over when I get said nice things.)

AND I got chocolate and cookies for "White Day," an even sillier holiday than Valemtard's. The sole purpose of it is for Japanese guys to repay their chocolate-debt to the Japanese gals upon whose frail shoulders rest all of V-Day's gift-giving obligations in this country. But enough of my snark - free chocolate :D

Also, tomorrow I embark on another magical mystical journey to O-town. There are many, many good reasons why it is Chi-town's sister city and why I love it so, and this is just one among them. They have taken the concept of "baseball curse" and made it bizarre and amusing in ways that only Japan can really.

Oh, and in other news, Kim Jong Il has decided not to try and resume the Korean War until AFTER I get back from Seoul. I appreciate his consideration in this matter, but I still wish he would stop being a crazy mofo. Same goes for South Korea's president, too, honestly. Maybe if he and his buddies weren't such stingy bastards with the economic aid Kimmy would at least play nicer.

...I'm pretty sure the dood next to me just ate an entire bag of grape-jelly-filled rolls. For his lunch. Wow, Japan, you need an intervention for your bread problem.

Ooooooosaka!

'Kay, so this is a tad belated, but I blame the typhoon for my tardiness. Essentially I blame the weather in Japan for everything.

OH SNAP CHUNICHI DRAGONS JUST SCORED A DOUBLE!!
...sorry, my favorite baseball team is playing tonight, and they're trailing by 2 in the bottom of the 9th. They really need this. I'm tired of watching Nagoya's home team lose. I should really be rooting for the Hanshin Tigers, since they're Osaka's team and everyone around these parts feels more loyalty towards them than the Dragons, but Chunichi was my home team while I was studying at Nanzan. Also I just like being contrary.

Anywaaay, last weekend was extended to 3 days on account of Japan having the coolest old people in the world. No, seriously, they get their own holiday - Respect for the Aged Day - and their holiday gets me a day off of work. Everybody wins! Nicoli and I thought it was a pretty good idea to take off to Osaka for the long weekend, since neither of us had ever been before and we've both heard such great things about it. Plus, it's one of Chicago's sister cities, so that automatically makes it cool.

We made reservations at a place called Capsule Hotel Asahi Plaza Shinsaibashi. That's right, "capsule hotel" - they're usually geared towards businessmen who want cheap lodgings, but this one has some space for women as well, and is quite popular with foreigners. It's located in Shinsaibashi, very close to Amerika-mura ("America Town," center of amazing shopping and general hang-out zone for the hip youngsters, the young hipsters, and the freaks & geeks of the city) and just a hop-skip away from the most famous takoyaki (fried squid ball) stand in all of Osaka.

I should probably mention right now that Osaka is reknowned for takoyaki and okonomiyaki (there is no accurate way for me to explain what this is. Not quite a pancake, not quite a pizza, it is the most delicious thing that will ever clog your arteries and probably take 4 months off your life). It's also famous for producing hilarious comedians, being the first city in Japan to display neon signs, and as a key stronghold to 16th-century warlord Oda Nobunaga in his endeavours to unify Japan under his rule and end the Civil War Period. He didn't succeed, but his successor, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, did. Hideyoshi built Osaka Castle, which unfortunately doesn't survive in its original structure, but is stunning nonetheless:Nicole and I visited on Sunday, with one of our old friends from Nanzan, Fig, in tow. Turns out Fig is doing JET in Kyoto, so she is very close to Osaka (envy! >:O) She met us in the city after we arrived on Saturday, and many adventures ensued, including buddying up with a random German girl. We were browsing through an Elegant Gothic Lolita outlet shop called Body Line when we noticed another person of European descent eyeing up the dresses. Her name was Julia, and she was on a several-weeks vacation, gallavanting about the entire country on her own. Apparently this is the thing to do in Europe, because my Swedish friend has done it at least twice in the past couple years. So we all wandered about together for the remainder of the night, eventually settling on a place for dinner on Dotombori (THEE food tourism street in Japan. If you visit Japan and try Japanese food only once in your life, let it be at a restaurant on this street. You will thank me and yourself after you have come out of the food-coma). We thence stuffed ourselves stupid. Here is but a meager fraction of what all we four consumed:

And this is me with Julia. None of us exchanged any contact information with her, so most likely we'll never see or hear from her again, but she was a fun lady nevertheless and made our stay that much more interesting.

On Sunday we met up with Eli ("Elly," she just spells it differently), a fellow Mie JET I met at Tokyo Orientation who swiftly became Nicole & my partner in weekend-in-the-city crime. It was on Sunday night that we tucked in for some famous Osakan okonomiyaki. Best. Dinner. Abroad. EVER. Afterwards, we met up with Allison, a lady Eli knew working for JET in Osaka. She'd been here a year already, so she knew all the good places to visit for shopping, supping, and shenanigans. Unfortunately my camera died Sunday night, so I didn't get a lot of pictures from the rest of our trip (;___;) LAME. But Nicoli has quite a few on her camera, so hopefully she'll get around the e-mailing them to me soonish.

Nicole said something on Sunday night that I think sums up Osaka pretty well - "The amazing shopping, the crazy-awesome-friendly people, the delicious food that will probably kill you, the crazy drivers that make up their own rules - no wonder it's Chicago's sister-city!" Also there is an art supplies store that Eli found called Kawachi which sells, among other things, oil painting supplies, specialty papers, and a sh*t-ton of Copic Markers. Eli and I will definitely be heading back to O-Town before the year is out. It's officially my favorite city in Japan.

Oh yeah, and Chunichi lost to Yakult 2 - 4 ( > . < ) Get it together, Dragons, or I'll dump you for Hanshin!