Tuesday, July 8, 2025 - Travel Day to Osaka

 Kenji arranged an Uber to bring us from the hotel to the Tokuo train station.  Once there it was a great challenge for Kenji to guide us to the correct bullet train (Shinkansen) line platform after purchasing our Bento boxes of good gor lunch on the train. On the lower level we found the choices challenging; there were so many. Karin selectedsalmon and tuna sushi, and I selected chicken in a variety of of shapes and sauces.

We made it to the correct train and car sn reserved seats, all of which Kenji had reserved on line. Additionally, he had somehow, also on line, placed out ticket reservation on the Suica card, the card we use to swipe and out of metro stations and convenience stores. Amazing when knows how to make use of the internet!

The ride on the Shinkansen was two and a half hours with four stops. We departed on the dot of 11 am and experienced a very very smooth ride. Noticeable were bush trees, gardens in tursl area as well as some apartment buildings and very many very small houses that were tightly squeezes into residential areas.  In fact,  the city and town skylines were of the roofs of these small, one storey houses.  I trust that this may make for a strong sense of community.

It was raining when we exited the metro station in Osaka.  Yes, Karin had determined how we would get from the station to the hotel and it went smoothly and perfectly. She was confident and that was mosr reassuring. She led us a few steps from the exit to the hotel with only a few drops of rain which actually felt welcome in the day 's heat.

Our rooms are spacious and next to one another, a welcome change from our first hotel where we were on different floors. After a break to cool we four met to walk in an area with small shops,  i.e. cafes, accessories, jewelry, pharmacies, massage, and even one location selling items left on trains. Ibwas tempted to buy a personal fan which common on the streets in  Tokyo in this heat.  According to what we have learned from Japanese TV there is a high pressure weather system hovering over Japan. I expected high temps along with high humidity, so I don't know if this current weather is unusual.

We found a person making okonomiyaki, a dish  to which the Luster family introduced me in LA's Little Tokyo. It consists of a pancake batter poured into a heated pan and the covered with cabbage and spices and sauce and whatever else one desires. We ordered three to take back to our hotel rooms. On the way back we stopped at a 7-Eleven for beverages. Kenjibfound a bag of popcorn which I purchased and enjoyed as we watched a Japanese cooking program on TV: fried rice, dumplings, an scrambled egg and seaweed roll. Now I am ending the day thoroughly enjoying a soccer, i.e. football match between Japan and Hong Kong. I am getting accustomed to the sounds of the Japanese language. I am enjoying them.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sunday, July 13, 2025 - Travel Day to Kyoto

 We selected breakfast items and picked up some requested items for Kenji rom the grocery store across the street. Karin had already started a load of laundry while I was still asleep. In our room we ate our purchases. I had a banana, a small bag of shelled edamame,and half a ham,cheese and llettuce. It was p,enty to hold me over four our 1130 reservation at a shabu ahabu restaurant.  Karin had researched inexpensive shabu shabu restaurants and found this one out of the main  touristy areas and in a metro mall. This meal had many parts: a choice of broth which is simmered on a burner at the table. On c houses a meat and how much  eat. One chooses  two dipping sauces and what kind of rice,  oh yes. The. There was a large bowl of fresh vegetables some of which I didn't recognize. I put them and the meat into the simmering broth.  With spoons to stir the ingredients there were lots of things on the table. The  meal was delicious,  super deliciou...
Read more

Sunday at the Dome and sore feet

Although it was cool the sun was out, and it was dry. We had breakfast in a neighborhood Cafe which we like. Along with coffee milk I had a lentil and couscous and vegetable salad, and Karin had a Spiegelei and muesli. This is a great way to begin the day. The food and environment, and company were perfect. We walked to the Senenfelder U Bahn station to Alexanderplatz, and we had difficulty locating the bus stop for bus #100 to bring us to the Dom for the 10 AM service.  Road work as well as construction continues in this city.  After asking directions and few times we found the correct stop and bus and made it to the Dom on time. We stated we were international visitors and were ushered a special seating area slightly above the congregation where we were given headphones and an audio device to receive live translation.  The choir was the Swiss chorus which we heard last evening. Throughout the service they sang the Bach Lutheran mass which we enjoyed last evening. It was...
Read more

A New Week Begins in Wermelskirchen

With the homemade muesli breakfast the week began happily. Fresh oatmeal flakes, sunflower seeds, another teaspoon of seeds, one banana, dried prune and apricot pieces, walnuts, almonds, and other nuts, homemade yogurt, and a little milk, Anja let the mixture sit for ten minutes before we began eating.  It was delicious. We then went outside. Anja cut back dead flowers from bushes in the front.  I picked up the material and placed it into a large plastic container.  When the battery hand shears needed recharging we left for Remscheid to do a little shopping. Herbert did his daily physical therapy exercises. He then went grocery shopping which he enjoys and Anja doesn't enjoy. She wrote the list on her cell phone, i.e. Handy, he saw the list on his Handy because the two devices are linked somehow. When he had completed the shopping he wrote on that list page that he had purchased everything. Slick.  Shopping at the Allee Center Anja point out the number of mall shops ...
Read more