Nara Apartment

So sweet. And I am sort of over the Hilton and Hyatt but hey, free rooms are free rooms.

I don't really plan to cook in this kitchen but there is a nice little fridge and a tea kettle. I am ready to go minimalist for a few days.

Not sure how that shower fed from the bathroom sink is going to work tomorrow, but we'll see!

Not Saying Our AirBnB Apartment In Nara Is Small

Just saying we feel like we are in the Being John Malkovich movie. It's actually very cute, immaculately clean, really nice host, and 10 minute walk to the train station.

Endo Sushi, Osaka

Reputed to be the best sushi in Osaka (which is a total foodie-proud city) this was a delicious lunch. The Japanese really don't mind waiting in long lines for great food (well I guess who does?) and we waited about an hour to get into this restaurant by the fish market. There are only 20 seats and once you get in and order, I think many people go ahead and order even more. We did! The Japanese couple next to us ordered literally 25 more pieces after their initial order. Yes, it was that good! We ate most of ours so fast we didn't even have time for a quick photo. I know, I know. Who even wants to see food photos?! Delicious top quality toro (fatty tuna) pictured here, and the best uni (sea urchin) we've ever had. Miso soup with tiny clams also a big hit but it was all great!

Not Every Meal Is A Work Of Art

Koyasan lunch today. Some type of beef curry (John says it was good), and a salad with shaved cabbage, a few cucumber slices, slice of orange, slice of apple and, inexplicably, the addition of cold spaghetti with tomato sauce. Oh, then throw in a slice of boiled deli ham.

John was starved, so we looked for a place in Koyasan that offered something beyond vegan fare. There are very few restaurants in Koyasan, and it's not like you can consult TripAdvisor really.

Kongobu-ji Koyasan

Largest rock garden in Japan, theme is two dragons rising from the water. The stones were brought from Shikoku Islands and the sand from Kyoto. The garden wraps around the various buildings within the temple grounds.

Gorgeous Screens Everywhere in Our Temple (Sojiin)

Can't Figure How There Are Chubby Monks

Breakfast was a piece of bread, 3 slices of cucumber, 2 slices tomato, 12 kernels of corn, 1 broccoli floret, 3 matchsticks of carrot. 2 slices Asian pear, a banana, and some hot corn broth.

Okunion Cemetery, Koyasan

Beautiful and haunting cemetery at the top of Mt. Koya. The train ride to get here is something. Creeping along a very steep slope way up above the river, then a funicular (cable car) straight up for about 20 minutes. But once you arrive one of the best sights is this cemetery which is in an ancient forest of huge cedar trees, some almost 200 feet tall and maybe 30-40 feet around. You've got to see this to believe it.

7th Inning Stretch

Thousands of huge balloons are released into the air by one team's fans at the top of the 7th inning, then by the other team's fans in the middle of the 7th. The balloons have some type of combo noisemaker/propulsion system so it's noisy and the fly around.

If you see a few errant balloons, it was probably just dorks like us who knew we needed to let the balloons go with everyone else, but let ours go with the wrong team. The row of Japanese salarymen behind us found it hysterical.

Secret Revealed: the Super Long Japanese French Fry

Very popular here. I thought they were from a mutant massive potato variety. Turns out the take mashed potatoes and extrude them directly into the oil. Makes a pretty good fry.

Hipster Haircut in Osaka

Average age under 35, check. Plenty of wool caps, check. Vintage clothing and junk shops, check. Coffee shops on every block, check. Everyone on the street copied their look from one of 9 pictures in the Hipster Guide for Japan, 2017 edition. What better place for a haircut on a Friday night. We used a translation app for communication, and had some good laughs. To John's credit, you had to be a bit brave once you saw the hairdos on the stylists.

All The Comforts Of Home

Well, everything you need, anyway! Staying the night at a temple run by Shingon Buddhist monks in Koyasan. About 3 hrs from Osaka by cab, train, funicular, bus, then walk. You disappear for dinner and they put away your table and chairs, and the monks set out your futons and buckwheat pillows. We have a 10 tatami mat sized room plus our own bathroom (with the excellent Japanese toilet) foyer and small balcony. Perfect. We donned our yakuta and headed for the his and hers public onsen before dinner. They know hot baths around here.

6am Chanting With the Monks

Dinner Made and Served By Monks

Temple style, which is vegan. Works of art and pretty tasty!

Buying Beer at Hanshin Koshien Stadium

Cute young women walk around with about 1/2 keg in a backpack, and they pour from taps right at your seat. They are up and down the stairs literally every 10 minutes, so you won't leave thirsty!

Hiroshima Carps vs Osaka Tigers

Perfect late spring Friday night in Osaka. They have their own way of doing baseball here!

Fugu

This sign is for a restaurant specializing in Fugu - poisonous puffer fish. As long as the chef knows how to prepare it you're ok but every year a few people die because they think they can do it at home. No, we didn't try it.

Bike Tour: 72 Degrees and Sunny!

Instant Ramen Museum

Or ... what to do in Osaka on a cool, cloudy morning?

A fun museum where we learned about the invention of the Cup of Noodles. The innovations that made this place museum-worthy were actually interesting.
1. In order to get the noodles to properly cooked, then able to be rehydrated well with just boiling water, they are first deep fried.
2. First use of freeze drying to create the toppings for the soup.
3. The genius was the packaging! Not just the fact that the cup acts as package, cooking and serving utensil, but the machines invented to get the dried noodles into the cup (they put the cup on top of the noodles, then flip it over to fill with toppings.

At the end of the tour, you get to make your own Cup Of Noodles, right down to decorating the cup, picking your flavorings and shrink wrapping the package. Most people take them home as souvenirs but we plan to eat ours.

Full Bloom in Osaka

Things were just getting started in Seoul but here in Osaka the cherry blossoms are in full bloom. These were taken near Osaka Castle.
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