Arrived late this afternoon into Kansai International in Osaka. Weather is HOT and humid. Ugh. Was seriously hoping that the weather was going to cool down by now - usual high around now is 78 and we're running around 88 degrees with humidity so obviously the weather gods won't smile upon us until Ngaire gets to Osaka. :)

Took a quick express train ride to the Nanba station and checked into our hotel. Very comfortable room though the bathroom is smallish. Certainly bigger than the average Japanese hotel room. We've got some beautiful night time scenery views from our room of the Osaka city lights. My parents flew with us to Osaka since they're doing their own Japan visit with my sister and her husband and they dragged us out to a funky old neighborhood a few subway stations away where we had kushikatsu - skewered deep fried items (pork, beef, seafood, vegetables, etc.). Bad for your cholesterol but oh so good when washed down with cold beer!

I'm off to look for my prepaid cell phone tomorrow after having breakfast at the hotel (including in my hotel rate). It turns out that I'm a moron and forgot my glasses at home so I'll be blind as a bat after I take off my contacts tonight. Luckily, Amanda's parents who are meeting us in Shanghai are staying at our house right now so I'll call them tomorrow to see if they can bring them up to me.

Hope the rest of the PANDEES are having a great time and are having safe travels getting here!

Masaki

Masaki, I am glad that you made it safe and sound! Your dinner with your parents sounds yummy! Hopefully when Ngaire arrives, the weather will get better ;)

It sounds wonderful so far Masaki. So happy you have a way to retrieve your glasses. Stupid question - but does Osaka have a Lenscrafter type place where you could get a new pair in a few hours. Maybe not a good idea with Japanese prices being so high.

Thanks Karen and Betty. Betty - you know, that same exact thought had crossed my mind earlier this morning so I'm off to find a quick eyeglass place after I find my cell phone store. I'll keep you posted!

Masaki

Masaki - great minds think alike. Has Amanda been giving you one of "those" looks? 1st your glasses, now your cell? :D

Where is Marika?

Have fun!

Success! Found an eyeglass store who took some quick measurements and after a 1/2 hour, voila! I have glasses again. Quite reasonable too, especially considering that I'm buying without my insurance (about $105 including the exam, frame, and lenses and I chose thin lenses too).

However, not so much success with finding a prepaid cell phone ... I need a Japanese cell phone because Japan's cell network isn't compatible with ours. Unfortunately, every place I've gone to so far has been sold out - apparently, it's quite the hot item. So I may not have much luck with this ...

Pam - Marika is with Amanda's folks. They are going to fly up with her to Shanghai and meet us there when PANDA gets there. So everybody on PANDA will get a chance to meet her either in Shanghai or Hong Kong. We were going to take her with us on PANDA but since Regent was going to charge her 1/2 the cruise fare, we decided that it didn't make much sense financially. :( We miss her terribly though.

I've been taking pictures ... the running joke so far is that I remember to take the picture 1/2 way through the meal so all my pictures are of half eaten food, LOL

Masaki

So enjoying your posts, Masaki!! Take care & have fun. So precious that Marika will be in Shanghai & Hong Kong. So glad you can SEE now!! Can't wait for your photos!!

As promised, pictures!

the view from our room - a little bit of the old, but mostly the new (the traditional building you see in the bottom center is a famous theater in Osaka which is still actively used today)


our room information and where we are in Osaka


more city shots with an office/residential building with a funky garden in the back:


And a close up of the gardens:


A close up of one of the dishes in our breakfast this morning at the Japanese restaurant in the hotel (included in room rate). We got lucky because they usually only offer breakfast here on Sat and Sun but because today's a holiday in Japan, they were open as well


And a view of the whole tray (mostly gone, I'm afraid by the time I remembered to take photos)


The entranceway to the Japanese restaurant (sorry it's a little blurry - didn't notice it at the time)


(to be continued)

Masaki

After breakfast, we decided to walk around to 1) work off breakfast and 2) see what sights could be seen. Also, as mentioned in my above posts, needed to find my glasses and a cell phone. We also walked around the basement of the Takashimaya department store which is next door to our hotel. The basement of all Japanese department stores is devoted to food - usually prepared foods that are ready to take home to serve. This picture doesn't quite capture how large this area was - we spent a good 15-20 minutes walking around and thinking everything looked really good.


And amongst all of the items for sale, we also found a meat shop that specialized in Japanese beef (wagyuu) or what most people in the States call Kobe beef (Kobe is only one of the places that make Japanese beef and some say that there are better places)


Last but not least, a picture of our lunch (partially eaten, I'm afraid). We found a store that specialized in okonomiyaki which is a favorite food of Osaka people. It's like a pancake that's cooked in front of you on a iron griddle. It consists of flour, water, egg, cabbage and assorted meats that you pick (we picked pork since it's the traditional choice). A thickened Worchestire and mayonaise sauce is placed on top along with bonito (type of tuna) shavings and green laver (nori) flakes. You cut it apart with your spatula and place it on your plate where you eat it with chopsticks. It was REALLY good - highly recommended for people to try when they come to Osaka. We happened to pick a branch store of a famous okonomiyaki chain called Tsuruhashi Fuugetsu.


Tonight we're headed to a Kobe steak place that my cousin is recommending. We'll let you know how that goes!

Masaki

Hi Masaki - great photos and information! We're looking forward to seeing you on Wednesday. Thanks for the menu recommendations. It's always a relief when you get the chance for home style cooking on a trip.

Cheers, Anne

Masaki, I should have warned you that you can't (legally) get a prepaid cell phone anymore. You would need to be a citizen or resident alien. Your only option is a friend with a spare phone or a rental phone. I can't even go and get a prepaid phone as I don't have a resident alien card.

Looking forward to meeting up with you in a couple of days!

Masaki, you da man! Thanks for the great pictures so early in the game!!!

Looks like your trip is off to a great start Masaki. Hope you have a wonderful cruise, you've waited long enough. Best to Amanda.

Love the pictures, Masaki. I'm looking forward to the ones of Marika. Have a great time. Glad you can see again!

Masaki,
Thanks for posting the report and great photos. I too, am looking forward to those Marika pics!

Ah, Marc - but you forget that I'm a Japanese citizen and that I'm in the States on a green card. :) I could legally buy one ... if I could find one to buy. We visited 4-5 Softbank shops (I think the only cell phone company that offers prepaid plans) and finally, at the last one, they explained that the manufacturers don't seem to be supplying the stores with them any more. The last ones that they recall seeing in stock were a few months ago. Maybe a push from the police departments to curtail sales of prepaid cell phones since they've often been linked to crimes in Japan?

Thanks for the good wishes all! I've still got another day of reporting before we get onboard on Wednesday! Looking forward to seeing all the PANDAs. :)

Masaki

Loving the reports and pix, Masaki!

Wishing all the PANDAs lots of great times!

Aaahhhhh, Masaki...you sure know how to get to me!! Pictures of all that gorgeous FOOD!! Only thing I want to see more is a picture of Marika! I'll be patient!

Masaki, so happy to "see" what a good time you and Amanda are having. Your pictures sure bring seamail to life. PANDA is really a trip Tom and I would love to be on with you.

It's so great that Marika will coming and the PANDAs get to meet her!

Thanks, Masaki, for the photo tour! This is GREAT !! :)

Morning all! Fell asleep last night while trying to edit down the pictures from last night so here I am uploading the photos this morning instead. :D

First off, the mechanical/electrical wonder which is the toilet in our hotel room:



We took about a 45 minute train ride to Kobe to meet my cousin for dinner. She and her family used to live in the States at one point but they moved back to Japan when she was starting junior high. We've always been close so for me, it's kind of like seeing a mirror for how my life might have gone if I had moved back to Japan as well. She's doing quite well for herself since she's a busy exec for Proctor & Gamble Japan. It just so happens that she'll be taking a business trip to Hong Kong exactly at the same time we'll be getting off from PANDA so she's thrilled to get a chance to see Marika and we're hoping to have dinner together one night.

Of course, with the curse of taking pictures that I'm having this trip so far, I forgot to get a picture of her ...

The outside of the steak restaurant in Kobe where we ate:



And after ordering, the chef and our server busy at work. I was tempted to order that Guiness that they had sitting on the counter but wanted to make sure that I could safely take the train home afterwards.



Our first course - don't have a picture. I told you, the curse continues. It was shredded Kobe beef simmered with red wine, soy sauce, sugar, and ginger. Great flavor. It came with a small aperitif, compliments of the chef.

Our second course - a salmon/Chinese cabbage millefeuille with avocado sauce and Kobe beef tartar with salmon roe and monkfish roe sauce. Quite yummy.



Our 3rd course was a pumpkin/potato soup with some heavy cream swirled in. Once again, forgot to take a picture of it. Vegetables in Japan taste better than in the States for some reason.

And of course, our 4th course was the steak itself. This, I DID remember to take a picture of. The beef had amazing texture - buttery soft. While there was a lot of fat on the meat even after it had been cooked (cooked rare to enjoy the most of the flavor of the beef) but for some reason, the fat doesn't feel heavy. The flavor also permeated the rest of the vegetables and a small quantity of grilled garlic chips added an additional dimension to the meat's flavor.



And finally, dessert. This was an apple sherbet with slices of apple on top. Once again, not your regular apple - much sweeter than your typical red delicious.



(to be continued)

(continued)

So after the dinner, this is the picture of me and Amanda. Amanda looking really happy and me looking somewhat drunk and jet lagged. What's wrong with this picture???



My cousin drove us up to the top of the hills that surround Kobe so we could get a view of the lights in Kobe and the harbor area. On a clear day, you should be able to see all the way across the bay to Kansai International Airport but unfortunately, it was drizzling so couldn't see much.



We said our goodbyes at the train station and Amanda and I reversed our course to get back to our hotel. I decided to take a picture of the scenery outside our window at night.



Hope to have more from today. We're actually stepping outdoors today if it doesn't rain on us. :)

Masaki

Love all the great photos, Masaki. The food pics and descriptions are wonderful. Do tell about all the buttons on the toilet. Is there a seat warmer involved??!!?? <img border="0" alt="[naughty]" title="" src="graemlins/naughty.gif" />

Beth - actually the seat IS warmed. Great for those cold winter nights. :p There's even a "pulse mode" for the spray! :eek:

Masaki

Masaki,
You and Amanda both look wonderful.
You give us the very best reports!!!! Almost as good as being there myself. Well, not quite, but ALMOST!!! Thanks, and keep them coming, PLEASE!!

Masaki, thanks for the wonderful photos!! I told Jerel I shouldn't have canceled PANDA just so I could have experienced the toilets!!

Your dinner looked delicious, and you both look wonderful.

WOW! Those are the only words that I can come up with right now. WOW WOW WOW! When we go to Japan I want it to be with you, so we can eat all that great food and you can converse in Japaneese for us.

Keep the reports and pictures comeing.

Masaki, your pictures are absolutely fantastic. Keep 'em coming!

Thanks so much for the wonderful reports and pictures. Its a great way for us to be able to travel along with you....

Thanks sooo much Masaki for the wonderful pixs - you have no idea how thrilled we are to read your news and see your pixs!!!!! MORE!!! :app: :app:

Masaki: Great pictures and thanks for sharing all the great information about modern Japanese culture--keep it coming!!

It might be interesting to take comparative toilet pictures in the rest of the countries that you guys visit.

That is such a great idea!!!!! Toilets of the Far East... I can see it as a coffee table book, too. :D

We're almost in Osaka --sailing there as we speak. We arrive there around 6:30 PM tonight. We also encountered one of the high tech pottys yesterday in Tokyo. It certainly was a vast improvement over the one we had to use in Russia. It was simply a hole in the ground (really!!!!) surrounded by a rickety wooden lean-to. So now we've gone from the riduculous to the sublime on this trip in terms of toilets. :eek:

Great report and pix Masaki! Thanks! A comparative toilet report sounds very interesting. You and Amanda look great!

So another day in Osaka. The sun has come out and it's clearer today than it was before. Weather is still hot though.

After breakfast at the buffet downstairs (surprisingly good buffet too), we headed out. Our first exterior shot of the hotel.



We headed about 3-4 blocks to the east to a famous area called the Kuromon (Black Gate) Marketplace - it's a covered street filled with various small stores - they sell everything from surprisingly high class fish to recycled goods.



Other things for sale.





And this is the infamous fugu or pufferfish that people also associate with Japan - the poisonous fish that kills people in Japan each year from improper preparation. It takes a brave person to eat it.



But it's not just food items for sale. You can find other things ... like this flower shop



or this Shih Tzu for sale in a pet shop we came across (looks like a guinea pig in this picture, according to Amanda)



(to be continued)

After this, we headed up north for another 2-3 blocks to the Dotonbori area. This is another famous area in Osaka - known for its eateries, drinking, and night life. Of course, we're going there at 11 AM at this time so it's not going to look its best.

Imagine this at night with all of the neon lit up.



And a view along the Dotonbori river which runs along the backside of the Dotonbori night area - some construction is taking place here - maybe to expand stores?



Pachinko parlors in the area (a form of Japanese gambling)





And a famous restaurant in the Dotonbori area - called Kani Doraku. It's a restaurant devoted to crab - everything to do with crab - which might explain the decoration on the outside.



And another famous restaurant called Kuidaore. Its name means "Eat Until You Drop", LOL. Sounds like a good name for a restaurant that I'd go to. This clown in front of the restaurant is one of the easily identifiable symbols of the Dotonbori area in Japan.



And more funky architecture/decorations in the area.





(to be continued)

Of course, not all of this area is all shiny and modern.

There are some quiet alleyways if you look.



And some small temples that are parked on the corners of streets



And we found this manhole cover which depicts Osaka Castle and cherry blossoms on it.



Remember that theater I mentioned earlier that you could see from our hotel room window? This is a close up of it from street level - Shinkabuki-za.



And among more curious things that we saw, this is a parking garage - no space to put ramps to let cars drive up and down so they put them on a vertical elevator/conveyor belt system to load them in and out.



For lunch, we planned on visiting a restaurant I had come across in one of my guidebooks that specialized in unagi or broiled eel. In Japan, unagi is considered a delicacy and Osaka is one of the places known for it. It's a white meat with a lot of fat content - it's broiled over charcoal and dipped in a special sauce usually passed down for generations. Kuromon Kawahiro is a very small restaurant - only 8 seats - and the outside is nothing to look at. You could easily walk past it and never notice that it was there.



Inside, they only serve one thing - the mamushi which is their unagi set. It comes with the unagi sliced and layered on top and inside the rice in a bowl, a clear soup made with the liver of the unagi, and a side of cucumber pickles with freshly shaved bonito shavings on top. As usual, I've already partially eaten this before taking the picture but you can imagine how stuffed this bowl was if this is what it looks like after I've already been eating it. The unagi was crispy on the outside, fluffy and juicy inside, and in short, was unbelievable. Beats any unagi that I've eaten anywhere before in my life. I almost cried. :D



Now, some of you may wonder, "Masaki, didn't you say it was hot? That looks hot. Why would you eat something that was hot on a day when it's hot?" The Japanese believe in opposites. They actually recommend eating hot things when it's hot to help stimulate sweating to help cool you down (they also recommend eating spicy foods for the same reason). Plus, because of the fat content of the unagi, unagi is considered a classic food in Japan for summer to beat the summer heat ("natsu-bate") because it gives you energy. Plus, I really like it.

Tonight - sushi! Plus I go back to Dotonbori at night time to see the difference and to experience its craziness in full form. The follow up pictures should be interesting ...

Masaki

Masaki, Your virtual tour of Osaka is just delightful. All the buildings, food and your commentary are definitely a learning experience. Looking forward to tonight's sushi and the Dotonbori bar scene views.

Hello Masaki: Thanks so much for the great travelogue and photos. We are enjoying them so much. Your trip sounds fabulous! We are "flush" with excitement at the great pictures.
John and Kathy