Rest and Ramen

After sleeping for nearly 12 hours last night, I decided to take a rest from walking around and being outside in the hot sun.

The culinary highlight of the day was authentic ramen for dinner.  You actually pick how firm you want the noodles to be!  Just gaze upon the deliciousness in that photo.  Now I understand why it is Naruto's favorite food.  If I could easily get ramen like this, I would be inclined to eat it everyday too.  It is nothing like the packaged stuff.  Tomorrow (or actually today since I'm writing this at 6:40 AM) Emily and I are going to Kyoto!  Look for tons of pictures soon!

Osaka it to me

Before a full day of walking and exploration, it is vital to have a good breakfast.  However, time is also of the essence so something quick was needed.  Fast food fit the bill!  Let's have ourselves a quick Japanese breakfast:

And we wonder why Americans are unhealthy.  Also notice the use of real dishes and not pictured is the complimentary green tea.

The first order of business was traveling to Osaka.  This was easily done by using intercity rail which was relatively quick, smooth, and extremely clean.  It was also comparatively inexpensive.  Imagine taking the MARC train from DC to BWI at just over half the price and where it reliably leaves every 15 minutes or so.  Yeah, hard to picture in the US.

We first went to see the Osaka-jo, or Osaka Castle.  It was rebuilt, so it isn't ancient, but it is still a pretty impressive sight.

 

Inside was 7 stories of museum and an observation deck on top.  The museum was okay, although only about 1/2 of it was in English.  It was pretty cool to see some authentic samurai gear.

Next, we went to the Shitennoji temple.  It was very nice and quite peaceful.

 

Most of the temple was rebuilt after WW2, but that didn't detract from its beauty.  It also had a small garden with multiple tea houses.  Emily and I stopped in and had some cake and tea.

 

After enjoying a peaceful morning looking at old Japan (or representations of it) we headed off to look at new Japan, in particular Shinsaibashi--the main shopping district.

 

We walked around for a few hours and then decided to have Osaka's well known Okonomiyaki and some Yakisoba for dinner.  Yum!  The okonomiyaki is like an omelet made from cabbage and other vegetables with good stuff inside.  I got mine with pork.  It is then fried into deliciousness.

 

The food is definitely one of the highlights!  There is an Osakan maxim: kuidaore which means, "eat yourself into ruin."  Indeed.

Sushi Exploration

After truly sleeping in for the first time in a few days, Emily and I headed out to Kitano.  Kitano is where foreign traders and diplomats built their houses, so there are a number of western style homes located here.  It also has a good view of the harbor.

 

We went to the Old Chinese Consulate.

  

The old consulate had a lot of neat porcelain and artwork inside.  We headed around to a number of different homes in the area, such as this one:

I'm not sure if the Santa is a period piece, but at least he's happy to be in Japan.

While walking around, we came upon a small shrine.  I ended up getting a very lucky fortune and did not have to rely on the spirits to take my bad fortune away.

 

Although with this much sake, I think the spirits have better things to do...

 

Later in the evening we went out for sushi.  It was delicious!  I then decided to be an extreme adventurer...

Natto sushi?  Well, I figured it was as good of a time as any to try it.

Scary, isn't it?  The only reason I ordered it was because Emily promised she would eat 2 of the pieces.  So I gave it a try and . . .

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I discovered there is indeed a way to make sushi inedible.  I managed to get it down, but only with the help of copious amounts of pickled ginger.  Emily said it took her 3 years before she liked natto, so I told her I would give it another try in 2014.  I may have to make sure I find an excuse to stay far away from natto that entire year.

Well, that's all from Kobe!  Goodnight!

The Best Part of Waking Up

I have successfully made it to Japan!  It was actually the best international flight I think I've ever had, especially because it didn't seem like it was too long.  That either means I am becoming desensitized to long flights or I'm getting older so I don't notice the time flying by as much!  Right now it is 3 AM, and what better time to work on my first post from Japan?  Might as well put jet lag to good use!

My friend Emily met me at the airport and helped me to navigate my way to Kobe.  My regular camera was tucked away in my luggage, so I didn't take a lot of pictures after I arrived.  This photo is outside Kansai International Airport at the bus stop to go to Sannomiya Station 三宫 in Kobe 神戸.

After making it to the hotel, Emily and I went out for dinner.  I had actually eaten a fair amount on the plane, so we decided to get a light meal:

Just kidding!

What did I have for my first meal in Japan?  Why authentic Chinese food of course!  You can see 麻婆豆腐 (spicy tofu) over on the right.  Everything else was for the hotpot in the center.

Now that I'm rested (somewhat) today should yield more pictures!

Packing part 2

I prepare to leave California, well fed and well rested, and even though my Grandmother is no longer with us her spirit lives on though the hospitality of my family.

This morning I got some help repacking.  See you in Japan!

Off for Adventure

As I dust off my trusty travel blog, I am preparing for another trip of a lifetime.  Japan!  I've always wanted to go, and how could I resist with someone I know there waiting for me to give me a grand tour?  Sure, I just spent the last 20 weeks studying Chinese, so it is a bit counter-intuitive to be heading off to Japan, but it won't be un-helpful to be able to recognize about 600 basic Chinese characters.

Now, since every person I've spoken with has asked I figure I'd get these questions out of the way:
Yes, you may have heard recently in the news about the disaster.  No, I'm not going anywhere near there. 

Alrighty then, glad we got that straightened out!

Prepare to leave at 0-dark hundred tomorrow for a layover in California!

Mission: Japan is underway!