Leaving osaka

Osaka was an unexpected surprise. Every stop has been nice but osaka was familiar and welcoming in a way when I needed it. 

I always say three weeks is too long for me, the difference between twenty one days and eighteen days is negligible.

It's too bad my last memories of this play will be stumbling around the streets hacking phlegm and looking for ramen. 

My train is here. I'll be at the airport in an hour. Kansai was built on a man made island and it's sinking. Gotta see it while it's there.

See you on the other side.

The game

I've been going to dodger games for more than thirty years. Love it. A passion and everyone needs passions.

I saw a baseball game in Korea but it was more like a high school setup. 

My curiousty about the Japanese league had been there but now having the means I wanted to knock it off the list. 

I picked up a general admission, top deck ticket when I got to osaka. I got yo the stadium two hours before game time to see the season opener. 

Doors opened at 4pm and boom, we were in. Crazy. I don't recall so many people going though security and promo handouts with such efficiency. 

Found a good seat on the third base side. Got a chili dog and coke and waited. 

The oregano was a lit different than the LA season opener. In a dome, no fly over obviously. The announcers came on and instructed the ground on how to follow the cheers.

Game started and the music started. A band played in a single section of the outfield for the drsgons. Everyone singing Za song for each player. 

Three outs and the home team Tigers were up and four sections of the outfittild sang waved banners and I shut you not a brass band. Every player, every out. 

I'm not a big fan of all the extraneous shot at dodgrr stadium right now but here I have to admit I starred to get into it. I didn't wave my flsg but I did cheer for a couple of base hits and when the riggers tied the game in the eighth and won it in the tenth on a walk off base hit.

http://youtu.be/gkTJ3r4oh5c

The game was good but the vibe was a little prefab but electric. People were nice and no one left until the end of the post game, it was a show snd so gladI did it. 

During the seventh inning stretch balloons appeared and after the hanshin Tigers home team song they all flew into the air.

http://youtu.be/k-C878_Bzh0

I did catch a cold and I feel like shit now but fuck it, live till you die ...

A full day

It's too long. 

Three weeks is too long for me, for this. I feel a little disoriented. I don't know what the date is or what day it is. I'm moving on because the phone tells me to. 

It will be nice to get home but when I get back to work I'll be back in the grinder so I want to make these days count. 

 Yesterday was one of those days when it all happened. 

I started at Starbucks where a younger guy watched me put together a couple of pages in my journal. We chatted for a bit. I finished my coffee and went on with my day.

First stop was the National Buntaku Museum. Traditional puppetry, but the show today was trsdionsl dance. I sat in on five or six individual performances. Fantastic. The show lasted all day but I wanted to keep moving.

 Started wandering and down a small street I found a shop where a guy was working a noodle machine. Fresh noodles. I'm in!

http://youtu.be/1wWyu4VC7XI

I had a somewhat disappointing ramen experience the other day but I this was too much too pass up.

Lunch.

I stimbled into the toy district where there were tons of people milling in and out of stores selling video games, cards and some toys. Nothing I thought was interesting but they seemed to like it.  So good for them. 

followed

I headed back to the hotel and I find a Jazz club. I took note and kept walking.

Out of nowhere a Buddhist monk and I startled each other walking in the space between two buildings. We smiled and bedded to each other and he disappear behind a door. 

It seemed a bit strange so I  him. It turns out the storefront was actually a small temple. This temple was dedicated to fire. It was about five o'clock and he invitede to stay for the evening fire ritual.

How can you say no when a monk invites you for a fire ritual. 

All told it took about 45 minutes with lots of chanting and waving and banking of things against other things. It was me and a lady sat down to watch the ceremony to the end. It was nice, getting a bit tedious near minute 31 but unique .

Hotel for a nap then dinner. 

I decided to find the jazz club after my nap. Have dinner and listen to some music.

I retraced my steps and found the club so next, dinner. 

As is my habit I find a small alley or street and find a store with little or no English. Hopefully a picture or a menu with numbered options. 

I found a small restaurant with plastic sushi on display and my belly pointed me to the door. 

There was an old man and younger apprentice behind the counter and an older lady and her younger counterpart working the crowd, if there was one. 

When I walked it everyone jumped like they just got caught sleeping. I'm the only one there. It might not be a good sign that the place is empty but wrf. 

I pointed to the plastic food I wanted and the apprentice went to work with thee older man bird dogging the entire process. If anything the quality control on my plate would be excellent and I have to say it was very very good. 

I went slow and mixed the flavors to enjoy the ride and I loved it.

I left full but not sloshing in my shoes.

Down the road was the B-Roxy night club in the basement of an old building. It looked like a forgotten storage area these guys decided they would play music in.

I did a lot today but this,this was the best. Drums, guitar, standup bass and a trumpet. C'mon ...

http://youtu.be/Xqc0Kkfx4JI

Later in the set one of the audience guys opened his case and joined with a sax.

It's those days when I'm ass deep in a speadsheet or under a heater looking for gas leaks or in some fucked up meeting I'll remember that Jazz club or that mink or those old ladies dancing and it will take the edge off.

A full day

It's too long. 

Three weeks is too long for me, for this. I feel a little disoriented. I don't know what the date is or what day it is. I'm moving on because the phone tells me to. 

It will be nice to get home but when I get back to work I'll be back in the grinder so I want to make these days count. 

 Yesterday was one of those days when it all happened. 

I started at Starbucks where a younger guy watched me put together a couple of pages in my journal. We chatted for a bit. I finished my coffee and went on with my day.

First stop was the National Buntaku Museum. Traditional puppetry, but the show today was trsdionsl dance. I sat in on five or six individual performances. Fantastic. The show lasted all day but I wanted to keep moving.

 Started wandering and down a small street I found a shop where a guy was working a noodle machine. Fresh noodles. I'm in!

http://youtu.be/1wWyu4VC7XI

I had a somewhat disappointing ramen experience the other day but I this was too much too pass up.

Lunch.

I stimbled into the toy district where there were tons of people milling in and out of stores selling video games, cards and some toys. Nothing I thought was interesting but they seemed to like it.  So good for them. 

followed

I headed back to the hotel and I find a Jazz club. I took note and kept walking.

Out of nowhere a Buddhist monk and I startled each other walking in the space between two buildings. We smiled and bedded to each other and he disappear behind a door. 

It seemed a bit strange so I  him. It turns out the storefront was actually a small temple. This temple was dedicated to fire. It was about five o'clock and he invitede to stay for the evening fire ritual.

How can you say no when a monk invites you for a fire ritual. 

All told it took about 45 minutes with lots of chanting and waving and banking of things against other things. It was me and a lady sat down to watch the ceremony to the end. It was nice, getting a bit tedious near minute 31 but unique .

Hotel for a nap then dinner. 

I decided to find the jazz club after my nap. Have dinner and listen to some music.

I retraced my steps and found the club so next, dinner. 

As is my habit I find a small alley or street and find a store with little or no English. Hopefully a picture or a menu with numbered options. 

I found a small restaurant with plastic sushi on display and my belly pointed me to the door. 

There was an old man and younger apprentice behind the counter and an older lady and her younger counterpart working the crowd, if there was one. 

When I walked it everyone jumped like they just got caught sleeping. I'm the only one there. It might not be a good sign that the place is empty but wrf. 

I pointed to the plastic food I wanted and the apprentice went to work with thee older man bird dogging the entire process. If anything the quality control on my plate would be excellent and I have to say it was very very good. 

I went slow and mixed the flavors to enjoy the ride and I loved it.

I left full but not sloshing in my shoes.

Down the road was the B-Roxy night club in the basement of an old building. It looked like a forgotten storage area these guys decided they would play music in.

I did a lot today but this,this was the best. Drums, guitar, standup bass and a trumpet. C'mon ...

http://youtu.be/Xqc0Kkfx4JI

Later in the set one of the audience guys opened his case and joined with a sax.

It's those days when I'm ass deep in a speadsheet or under a heater looking for gas leaks or in some fucked up meeting I'll remember that Jazz club or that mink or those old ladies dancing and it will take the edge off.

Moving

The last hotel was great but I'm getting a little soft so two nights in another capsule. I thought I was done with the capsule but something's going on in town and rooms were hard to find so I found a capsule in a different part of town. 

Checked out this morning, dropped my bag at the new place and off to see a temple but the apple I had for breakfast is about exhausted so looking for a little joint. Ramen? Udon? Sushi?

WhoA, coco ichiban! My old supervisor took me to this place near our office. All they do is knock you on your ass curry. I'm in.

And it's as I remember. The spicy scale goes from 1-10. I got a three and I'm going to feel it tonight but I don't care. Almost done

I pick  up my laundry later and check into the capsule.

Cleaning

It's about that time. I'm out of clean clothes and I have to have a good set for the plane ride home. You don't want to stink on a plane trapped for twelve hours so I picked about eight pieces and yelped a cleaners down the street . 

I found a very sweet old lady. She nodded and said " cleaning , cleaning..." When I asked. 

She held up one of the shirts and I imagined she said " do you want this dry cleaned ?" Im guessing, you had to be there but that was my guess. 

In fact it was an old shirt so the machine would be ok. Do you say this with no japanese? I pointed to the shirt and moved my hands like a washing machine and made a whoosh whoosh whoosh sound. She laughed and laughed and so did I. It was great.

I pick up my clothes tomorrow. 

Got lunch. A guy had Takoyaki grill outside his house so boom! Lunch .

Slow today . Getting ready to move tomorrow . Going to try something new for dinner. Have not decided what.

Walk

Nothing to do. No plans so I walk .

The symbol of the city is the castle so I put that in the agenda. A mile and a half and I'm there. 

The castles I've seen on this trip have been different than I expected. The main tower in osaka, while not being really a castle was very impressive and beautiful.

Walking to the top was a killer but worth it. Fantastic view and artful metalwork and architecture.

Very crowded and loaded with kids I bail.

The strap on my backpack has been broken for months so walking around I've been swinging it around to keep it steady. Last time I fixed it was in Copenhagen. The lady was nice but here I am again

Walking back to the hotel I found a shoe repair shop that I knew could do the job but after about five minutes the kid behind the counter pointed me to a bag repair shop. 

Done the street at the bag repair shop the lady tells me it will take a week and cost $20. I tell her I can't wait that long so she gets flustered and we get to a simple repair in 40 minutes for about $9. 

It's probably going to bust in another year but for the next few days I'll be good. 

So for fourty minutes I'm waiting. There is a food stall with a line of people. I don't know what it is but I'm getting in line.

Ended up being fried tempura mashed potatoe. Not bad.

Bag is fixed. Back at the hotel but I'm beat. Waiting for s bit before going back for ramen.

Don't eat late

I'm in for the night but I didn't have dinner. I've been good. Eating light, walking, no sodas. But I'm hungry.

I have to eat japanese. What sense does it make if I'm here and I don't. Anyway. It's cold , windy.....soup...ramen! Fuck yea!

Normally I would just wander aimlessly like a hobo until I found somewhere but technology has made me lazy, Google says there is a ramen joint around the corner. Off I go into the night. 

Right where they said it was, was a wooden facade with a name I can't pronounce. About twelve seats and they're packed but I go in. 

The guys behind the bar scream welcome and one sees I'm not a local comes over to help me out. I say ramen and he shows me which button to pushing the order machine and he points me to a n open stool on the bar in the back.

http://youtu.be/WrQT2G95jsU

I watch these guys work and the smells are starting to make me hungry and angry that I waited to eat but the bowl hits the table and I'm in.

Wow!

Flavor. Deep and rich. Tender pork and noodles with just enought give

I have to slow down so I go up top to the ginger bowls but it's not just ginger. One has ginger, one has a pickled root and one has kimchi onions that are spicy, I want to punch the chef in the back of the head they are so good.

I pace myself and finish.

I slosh back to the hotel and wait for this to work through me.

I'm going back tomorrow 

Imari

Last full day in Kyoto so I'm trying to make it count. 

Sat downstairs in the hotel and picked up the comp breakfast. I've been eating portions a more reasonable person should eat so breakfast was fairly light finishing with a huge orange. 

Thumbing through the lonely planet the nijo palace and the Inari temple seemed to be good bets. Both on the subway and both pretty historical and culturally important.

The palace. Nice enough but didn't blow me away. Maybe I'm jaded. 

Looking at the map I plot a course for the temple. 

I get a fair shake from the subway attendant who points me on the right direction and I walk for about a mile. 

About half way I start to run out of gas so I walk into a little beef bowl joint. It's like yoshinoya but it's another name. I get Addison bowl of beef and kimchi. It's good but it's about twice what I've been eathong so I feel big. This might have been a bad idea.

Good thing I still have half a mile to walk so that will settle it a bit.

It does and I get to the temple. In a forest of brown bark and green leaves dozens and dozens of oats colors bright orange, they say vermillion, but the contrast is fantastic. 

The is a small shrine up a path and part that shrine is another walkway lined with the Orange gates as far as you can see. So I follow it. The path snakes through the woods and I'm surrounded by people following the path.

The site is fantastic.

The path turns and forks. One way main temple the other mount Inari. Well fuck I'm here, it's mt Inari. I feel good. Last few days I've walked miles my feet are under me and I'm okay most of the day. However half and hour in the term mount starts to cycle in my brain and I think they have not used the term carelessly.

It was beautiful. There was a stop at a small lake and small graveyards and memorials but the climb wouldn't stop. 

I got to an overlook which was nice but the sign said I was a little more than half way.fuuucccckkkkkk.

I'm glad I had that fucking beef bowl before I got there or I would be passed out at the foot of one of these fucking gates.

I decided to push on to one more stop. So at sammonine rubbed the foot of one of the fixes rubbed the head of the dragon. Tipped the shrine and rang the bell and made my way down.

At the hotel I'm beat but I made the most of the day

Have my ticket for tomorrow. I'm moving on.

Kyoto

It rained all night. My hotel has one English Channel, cnn. Horrible 

With the rain coming down I took the time to rest. Repack, read a little and get after it the next day .

Today, it's still raining. Not hard but after a fifteen minute walk I was wet halfway deep. 

This side of Kyoto, near the train station is fairly quiet. I hit two big temples today. I'm not religious but a Buddhist temple is a thing of beauty. I was there for a prayer by the monks. The chant filled the room with sound. Dark up to the rafters and four monks singing near an alter. 

Amazing

A tour came in so I bailed.

Hungry I found a little hole in the wall where two grandmothers made me a bowl of udon with a citrus flavor. I haven't gotten sick so I'm assuming it was intentional. It was decent and the ladies were very sweet so I called it a win.

On the way to third temple I went to the shoren en garden. In the rain, in those surroundings an unbeatable experience.

Dinner is a touristy "Kyoto" style restaurant. I'm getting a lot of little dishes with some really intersting flavors and presentation. I think I would be missing something if I didn't go this way at least once.

Settling down

Bought my ticket for tomorrow.

Back from Yokohama uneventfully.

Relaxing with some coffee waiting for my stomach to start demanding dinner. 

http://youtu.be/aocW2YV5kIw

All I had today was cold soba noodles and some coffee .

Tempura is the local specialty and I hear it's light so it could be s nice lead in to a restful night.

Music

Here's the music. from the restaurant. He had cd's but he was sold out. I was disappointed 

http://youtu.be/Yc451ESMYu8

The best

After the train from Yokohama I wandered around the temple and I found this restaurant. 

The sign described authentic food and cultural show . My expectations were muted.

However this has been the best part of my trip so far.

The man and woman running the restaurant serve delicately crafted dishes but the best part was the husband playing his Japanese string lute I guess it was.

I didn't think video of his performance would have been cool so I just made s voice tape,

This has been the best part of my trip so far. 

Working

Finally getting some drawing in...

Coffee

The other day when I was wandering I came across a McDonald's . 

McDonald's has the best and used to be cheapest coffee and has been a safe bet when I travel to stop and recalibrate .

The window is on the street and I get coffee, small and apple pie.

The coffee is the size of my fist. The large is the size of a small back home. Hmmm.

Anyway there is no park. There are no benches. Nothing. So being resourceful I pulled out a plastic beer crate from between two buildings and set it next to a power box on the sidewalk so I wasn't in anyone's way. 

I settled down. Are my snack and was on my way. I replaced the crate from whence it came and continued on.

I was reading some tourist brochure later on that said Tokyo has wonderful restaurants because it is impolite to eat on the street or in public. 

Meanwhile, I stop in Yokohama for the day and people are lounging in the sun. Siting and picnicking. 

I felt like a badass for about 29 hours. 

Jacked

The last night in the capsule then moved to asakusa. Near a very cool temple and gate but in my birthday I had sushi from merry go round and at the robot restaurant and my stomach is messed up. 

I slept all of yesterday waiting for it to pass. It was pretty sketchy last night. Feel better today but not 100%.

It will just take time. I'll feel better tonight 

50

I woke up in a plastic hole. Sweaty, coughing and achy. Fifty is no walk in the park but...

I got my shit together, went the the basement, brushed my teeth and sauna. 

I remember the sauna from Korea but it wasn't as welcome as it was today. 

I shared a big stone pool of hot water with a old dude and from the look on his face we both needed it. 

A loooonnngggg soak and I was in the sauna. The heat cleared up my cough and in keeping with tradition I exited the sauna and took the cold dip. 

Fuck

I only dipped for about nine seconds but that is a long fucking seconds. It does bring you back clear and alert but it's a bitch.

Off to Ueno. I remembered Ueno as a tiny town with nothing there. Now it has as large park, museums and a temple I found. 

I like Buddhist temples . The colors, architectrure and even the smells are pleasing.

I got my fortune told by a robot dragon.

I watched the shinjuku high school baseball team face the Chou high baseball team. 

Then the Tokyo national museu of Art. 

Things definitely have turned my way. 

Hungry but pacing myself for dinner I found a sushi go round and I'm picking up plates and killing it.

Art, baseball, sushi. If you don't look forward to your birthday you're doing it wrong. 

I'm holding until dinner in shinjuku. You may know where I'm going. I hope it lives up to the hype

Small spaces

It's my birthday.

Sleeping in a capsule is an experience.   It feels like a train sleeper. With the shade at the end of the tube down you are in but you aren't.   I could hear conversations, shuffling, farting and tv from the other residents. 

The mat I'm sleeping in is thin so my shoulders and hips hurt.

I could hear snoring but I'm sure I did my share as well.

It's hot and I'm achy but I'm glad I'm doing it. I don't like to wonder about these things.  I much rather do them.

Tokyo

It turned into a day of nostalgia. I hit three of the sites I saw in Tokyo when I was here in 1997.

Hard Rock Cafe, Tokyo tower and the temple at asakusa.

The nostalgia was a little light because the sites barely flashed any memories. I was a little disappointed but I remembered a lot of shit can and should change in eighteen years. 

Having removed my head from my rectum I enjoyed the city a little more.

Another thing that killed the nostalgia was the fact that in 1997 I was not bloated old fart. I had run a half marathon that year and was three years out of a full one. The walking I did yesterday still has my feet throbbing like they were drums. 

I'm back at the hotel and it's coming up on 7pm. Pitiful 

Coffee and a chocolate could help me rally but the outcome is in doubt. 

Tomorrow I'm fifty. Today I feel it. 

Nah 

I feel forty but fucking fifty is something.

I'm seeing a lot of the city. It's nice. Clean. 

Holy fuck. I had curry for dinner after the temple. I picked one of the small cafes. A horseshoe bar with the server in the middle. Food came quickly and I was about half way through when I realized of the eight or so of us in there no one was talking. No one was pissed off or anything but no one had anything to say do we were all just enjoying the food in our own space. It's weird. It doesn't happen in America. If there is a silence people feel like it has to be filled, 

Wow. I enjoyed the shit out of my coffee. I'm headed to my cubicle and relax. 

More later

Breakfast

It's cold. Not bad cold. Good cold. Get your attention cold. 

The line up outside the hotel breakfast was ten deep with business types and women in full makeup. I checked, breakfast is not included in my room charge so out the door I go.

Streets are clean and sparsely populated. Looking for a soup joint I find a little place with students and a few ... I want to say old timers but these fuckers were about my age so that's all I have to say...

I grab a stool and wait a minute to order and I remembered you buy a ticket then they take the ticket with your order.

I'm feeling pretty pleased that I remembered this so I ticket and open my journal to start writing.

About five fucking minutes later miso, bowl of salty bacon with rice and tea. 

I'm not a morning person but this puts me in a good mood.

I though I ordered beef but the bacon is good. I'm tearing through it and the salt is getting to me. To my right is a bowl with ginger pickled to a neon pink . The sharp taste of the ginger and the salt is turning out to be an unexpected pleasure.

Done. 

I want coffee but what I really want is to take a shit. I'm off my game because I'm a little backed up with the flight and being just a little sick. The morning movement gets me on schedule and let's me go on with my day. 

But I also want coffee. There is a seven eleven next to the hotel. 

I pop in and they have hot coffee but I see the boss coffee can. How can I pass up " boss is the boss of them all"

I have to move.

I get the room and my hands are a little chilly from the wind and I sit down on a invitingly warm toilet seat.

Holy fuck

I don't think I could justify the expense but on a cold day and unexpectedly warm toilet seat can feel like finding a  twenty in an old pair of jeans.

Done. Phone charged and you are updated. 

More later fuckers

Breakfast

Checked in

Passed security and waiting

My flight is delayed and delayed again. I could get bent but going out is easy. No plans, one reservation and everything in front of me.

But with the wait I have to charge my phone. It's like crack. If I get low I need a fix. Laptop people have the charging posts staked out and have bivouacked every one.

I found a plug between a ficus and a best  buy kiosk. I'm squatting until my plane gets here, 

Coffee and a belvita. Life is good