Lasse Hall Kobe

... be doing so but I've decided not to other than to state that I'm simply not impressed by this type of upscale product. I just don't see the value. I was more impressed with the Apple store that was in the same district. I guess that I'm simply a provincial 'otaku' (geek)...

For our two days here in Osaka it seems like all that we've done is
eat, walk around, and sleep. In a city like Osaka with such great food,
life doesn't get much better.

Seconds please. I had to go back to Osaka, one way or another (my return flight was leaving from here). Ate just as well if not better than the first go around. Went to the Takoyaki museum at Universal city walk but it was more tako vendors than museum, not such a bad thing. Had simply amazing Kobe ...

Meaning to ruin oneself by extravagance in food. Heard another translation - "Eat, eat until you fall down." Why Osaka is my entry point to Japan. It also translates to eating as much Takoyaki and Okonomiyaki as possible. BTW Takoyaki - Octopus balls. Okonomiyaki - Pancake-ish dealies. Oh Osaka.

... coming *s gr*ndm* toiled *w*y in the kitchen (not to e*t till *ll were done). They continu*lly "invited" me to e*t, ensuring th*t their guest would be well t*ken c*re of. The only thing I didn't e*t w*s the s*l*d with wh*t I w*s pretty sure w*s r*w b*con.

I re*lly liked the n*shi, though. This is * delicious fruit, * bit like *n over-sized *pple with * lighter, less dense inside of * different texture.

"Oyshii:)" I commented, *lw*ys quick to pr*ctice my J*p ...

... all over Japan by heading down all the small side streets. It seems that this is where many of the locals head for cheaper but great little places. Usually cheaper than the main street joints as well. Nonetheless, we finished up and decided to head to a bar that the waiter had recommended down the street and have a few more before heading back to the train station for the 1000th time that day. All we had was the Japanese characters for this ...

... just with different toys, etc. From there we went to Kiyomizu Temple. It was founded in 788 AD, and is a UNESCO world heritage site. There is a famous balcony called the "kiyomizu no butai." When the Japanese are facing a big decision, they say they are about to jump off this balcony, similar to Americans saying take the plunge. One of the amazing things about this temple is that it's situated on a mountainside so you have to walk to it. It's paved, but a very steep incline and then ...

... of money this week either - so it's a justifiable purchase. Dispite us clearly being foreign, the guy behind the still still tried to ask if we wanted to pay in installments (this took about 10 minutes to realise)! Apparently, it's not uncommon to have customer service nightmare in Japan. So that's enough for now. Next time you hear from me I will probably be in Thailand. All is going well, the people are very friendly and incredibly polite. There are a few odd things - for ...

Ah, the joys of Golden Week. The one day in the year when the Japanese have three holidays in a row in the same week. For the notoriously long-working, endlessly suffering Japanese, these few days of respite are really nothing less than golden; hence the name. Interestingly enough, there is no Japanese language equivalent for this name and it is simply written in katakana; sounding like "goruden weeku". I hadn't put a whole lot of thought into what I was planning on ...

... 12 or so reconstructions of the earthquake. It showed what happened in the main shopping district, the suburbs and on the motorways. It was Horrific and a little more graphic that we had perhaps expected. We then went thought a series of exhibits and hands on experiments. A unique and enjoyable experience...if not a little information overload. We returned to Osaka to th'¦ Camera store, where Chris looked for an MP3 player ...

... them, but I did see a modern, Western style play performed by what may be the most famous troupe in Japan: Takarazuka. The play was a tragic romance in the frenzied setting of the Spanish revolution. Neither my knowledge of history nor my plot summery written in English did anything to curb my profound confusion. The most interesting thing about the Takarazuka is that all the players are female. Those who specialize in the male roles are most famous, and have a huge following of ...