Dearest Rachel -
It probably shouldn't come as any surprise that I'm wearing my "America-jin" shirt yet again – it's my last chance to do so and have it mean anything to anybody. I have to admit to being somewhat dismayed by the effect of a couple of laundries on it already; I think they use a harsher soup than we do at home. It explains why their towels aren't as fluffy as those we have at home, either; one of those odd things that leave me considering how I'm looking forward to returning, even as I marvel about how "this is what I'm looking forward to?"
I should make it clear that it's by no means the only reason I'm looking forward to getting home; it's not even at the top of the list. But the fact that it's on the list at all gets my attention; who would have guessed that having (and doing) my own laundry would be a cause for homesickness?
But let's set all that aside; it's silly to worry about home when I'm about to head onto another adventure. Besides, as the last day in Japan, I have to pay special attention to what's going on. Who knows when I'm going to be back here again? I mean, sure, I was making jokes yesterday along the lines of "see you next April" as we were leaving Shimizu, but come on. I've no compelling reason to return here – especially not to Shimizu. Oh, it's lovely enough, don't get me wrong, but it has made me think I haven't paid enough attention to the things in my own backyard. I need to do more of that, I think, before heading out halfway across the world like this for a while – unless someone asks me to.
Having said that, this means I've got to take in what I can while I'm here, which won't be all that long. I'd heard we were pulling out at six, despite only getting in by eleven this morning. And while that's turned out to not be quite true – we actually have until eight, but how much more can you do in two more hours? – it still leaves us with a very limited window through which to see Osaka today.
But we're going to do our level best.
***
Our first stop has us wandering the grounds around Osaka Castle, including ascending the main keep, before returning to earth and filming a few comments…
…including a quick snack from the lone vendor by the old watchtower, offering "jyu-en pan"; pancakes in the shape of ten-yen coins, filled with cheese, custard or, in my case, chocolate.
Although I realize I'll need to go easy on such foodstuffs, as our next stop, Dotonburi, is essentially the restaurant row of Osaka; I need to save my appetite for when we get there.
However, I do find a scenic spot for one more bit of footage before we leave the castle…
***
I'm not going to lie, honey; the restaurants in Dotonburi look like they would be at home in a Richard Scarry book, with their outlandish sculptures and other decor vying with all the other establishments for the attention of passersby:
Junko-san escorts us down the strip for a while, talking about various Osakan culinary specialties, most of which I'm not only familiar with, but able to find at home in one place or another. Except for one…
It's a bit of a wait at first – for fifteen minutes, the relatively small line in front of the restaurant doesn't move at all, despite the departure of one patron or another. It turns out that in front of myself and another couple from the ship is an entire family (who may or may not also be part of one of the ship's tours, but I don't recall seeing an excursion tag on them) of at least a half-dozen people, who speak neither Japanese nor English; finding a table for them (or even understand what they want) may be slowing the process down considerably.
But once they're escorted in, the couple ahead of me asks me to accompany them – while I'm insistent that I pay my own way (and they agree to that), I realize my familiarity with the dish and the language is something they find useful, and I'm more than happy to help. Ironically, once we take the elevator to the third floor and find seats in front of the grill, our waiter turns out to be exceptionally proficient in English, and helps us all through deciding what to order (not that I needed much help, but it was undoubtedly easier this way).
It is every bit as good – and somewhat even more filling – than I remember it being, although the fact that mine not only contained pork belly, but shrimp and squid in the batter as well may have contributed to that. The couple (who I'd actually met on a previous excursion in Ishigaki, as I recall) and I talked about what brought us to being on this trip; specifically, how it came to be that we were able to travel like this. It would seem that the husband both inherited some wealth and also made some canny investments along the way, which I basically acknowledged wasn't far removed from my own situation. In any event, they seemed quite grateful for having been talked into staying in line for this meal, as it was so much better than they'd expected of it. Hey, it's more substantial than takoyaki.
We're out of there with but half an hour to finish shopping – while Dotonburi proper is mainly for restaurants, there are adjacent alleyways that contain plenty of actual shops, as well. I find a place selling pop culture items, and get a couple of things for Daniel, thinking I've found the perfect use for my cash – only for the tally to exceed what I thought I had (which was more than I actually had, having spent a bill or two on something else earlier and not mentally recorded it). Well, these things happen; it isn't as if I'm breaking the bank.
We get back to the port by four, but have to wait in our seats as an official comes onto the bus to check that we all have our passports and SeaPass cards. Which is weird because, after we leave the bus, we have to go through customs and show our passports there, too – to say nothing of the fact that, obviously, we have to present our SeaPass cards to get on the ship. So, it seems to me like there's a bit of duplication of effort involved here.
In theory, we're given the option to double back and walk around the mall right here at the docks, but since one has to go through most of the security checks in either event, I figure I might as well drop off the purchases I've already made first before doing so. Yes, it's an additional seven flights up and back to do so, but I'm hardly in a position to say I don't need the exercise. Besides, I still have three hours and three thousand yen to burn.
Perhaps I shouldn't be after several days straight of one port after another, but I'm actually surprised as to how tired I am at this point. The disappointment of not finding a place offering soda-flavored ice cream (after passing it up in Nagasaki) probably doesn't help matters. I do find a thing or two to bring back such that I'm down to just a large handful of coins, but today's dénouement seems anticlimactic.
Which makes my last, impulsive stop all the more fitting, I suppose. Just a few steps from the gate where I'd need to present my SeaPass card to get in, there is a hair salon, offering walk-in service. If you've been watching my videos, you can see that, while that bald spot on the back of my head is glaring, what I do have is getting long enough to be unmanageable, especially in a stiff breeze. I've been meaning to get it cut while onboard the ship, but I'm told the prices in the spa are alarming.
To be fair, the salon, run by a husband and wife team who, quite frankly, speak better English than I think any of the tour guides we've had while here in Japan, also charges considerably more than the place I go to at home – a little more than twice, in fact – but it's still less than half what it would run me on the ship. Besides, there's something charming about this place; a relaxing moment for a weary traveler to care of this necessary matter as the sun slowly sets outside. I know you'd be the only one to get it, honey, but it rather felt like being a customer at Café Alpha, if it were a hair salon rather than a coffee shop.
And this image leads to my final video; as I was putting everything together from the day, I caught the glimpse of a flash of light out of the corner of my eye, followed by another, and another. I turned my attention outside, and saw this going on as we were pulling out of the harbor:
Quite the send-off as we leave Japan, don't you think? Oh, it's absolutely apropos of nothing, but I suppose it isn't as if things have to be connected to each other all the time, do they? It was just a moment that caught my attention, and I had to record it for posterity before it passed. I've lost far too many moments (especially with you) because I hadn't thought to (or been able to) do this.
And now we head off to Vietnam, which I'm back to not having the first clue as to what to expect about. At least, I get a few days of down time to recover and collect myself before then. In any event, I'll still ask you to keep an eye on me, honey, and wish me luck, as I'm still going to need it.
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