So yesterday was pretty exciting for a number of reasons. I went to the city with Keiko, and always going to the city is an exciting thing...not to mention slightly stressful. In the the morning we ate the left over Nabe from last night with rice mixed in. We have done that everyday after we eat Nabe for dinner. This time was kimchi Nabe so it was slightly spicy - still delicious.
After that we took baths (on days I go out, I take baths in the morning to make sure my hair looks OK). Then at a little before 10 Seibun drove Keiko and I to Togamikita station and from there we took a train to Osaka city. We found the Osaka Market.
The Osaka Market was not as crowded or crazy as Kyoto's, but there was just as amazing spreads of interesting food. They did mention that Kyoto's is more famous, therefore it is more aimed toward tourists, while Osaka's is for normal people who come shopping for the day's dinner ingredients. The street was lined with older ladies and pushy men as they were crowding around different vegetable and fish stands. We walked up and down the street. We decided we were hungry so we were looking for a good snack. We settled on this one fish store that sold sushi in boxes and had tables if you wanted to sit down and eat there. So, we did, and also got miso soup and tea because of it! Great snack.
After that we waited in line in the cold for 20 minutes for a bus to take us to Osaka's Aquarium. We had bought passes for $28 that let us get into the Aquarium and train and bus day passes. Before that, though, we had lunch in the plaza next door where there was also a giant ferris wheel. They are everywhere! We went to a Katsu Restaurant (fried pork cutlet) and got a combination of fried food with rice and soup. Everything is always delicious.
Then we head for the Aquarium. I great red and blue building with a mosaic on the front of the sea. We went in and the first bit and there was a tank that was built as a tunnel. How awesome is that? We walked through with small sharks and sting rays and differen fish swimming beside and over us in this blue tunnel. We went on. The building had large tanks I think around the building and on in the middle and there was a hall that wound around it so that you could see all depths of each tank. There was a giant shark, sting rays, manta rays, sea turtle, tropical fish, squied, otters, dolphins, seals - you get the picture. There was one tank that was for the Amazon fish, a GIANT fish was in there...it was completely freaky.
I LOVED the otters. I stood and watched them for a long time. First of all, they were a lot bigger than I thought they were. The flipped around in the water and settled on their backs chewing at and bashing their food item on their belly. It was so adorable.
The manta rays when they swam past the window blocked out the light it was big. The eerie blue and black silhouted people just made the place magical. So silent too.
I just kept thinking, what would happen if the glass broke? All the water would come rushing out, slipping into the halls, rushing down the slant of the hall to the bottom floor. The different creatures would go too, pulling down people with them and everyone would be washed up together in a sea creature human soup in the hall...maybe turning into a chunky tomato soup with the color of bloooooood.
But then Keiko showed me a display of how thick the glass was. Well in fact, it wasn't glass but some kind of plastic. And it was like a foot thick. I decided we were safe.
The jelly fish were pretty great too. The ones with long delicate strings floating around beneath, behind, beside and above them - I wondered if they ever got tangled and imagined brushing it out...
There was one window with the cutest little jellyfish ever. Fat, with tiny little legs (or tenticles...) and they didn't move at a normal jellyfish pace, but twice as fast! putputputput it went. But then this older man got in the window and was trying to take the PERFECT pciture for about 5 minutes...finally when he left I went back to film the thing.
Overall, great! Very different atmostphere than a zoo...
Then, it was back out into the cold winds of the Osaka bay area. The thing is, I've gotten so used to this mild high 30s and low 40s weather that I've forgotten what REAL cold is like. Though everyone tells me that Ohio has been pretty mild this winter...I still think of that one day when it was -15 degrees with wind chill one day or when the snow came up to mid thigh or knees...
so, grin and bear a strong 40 degree wind I think.
On the train ride home I mostly slept. I was really tired. I haven't been sleeping too well.
Then it was the supermarket to get salad supplies before Seibun came to pick us up. Dinner. Kanji practice. And LAW & ORDER!
Then stretching. Bed time.
Tomorrow, Ryo and Kanako are taking me to Universal Studios Japan...they are toooooooooooooooo NICE!!!:D
Got to talk to Elijah, Mom and Dad and see Michael too:) Like being at two places at once...kind of...not really... missing home, but am so lucky to have Skype.
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