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.