Akemi: Wow. You really like to sleep in.
Me: it’s 7:00 am!!! pic.twitter.com/s70NOvIkJf
— Joseph Mallozzi 🏴☠️ (@BaronDestructo) December 9, 2023
By the time I had dragged myself out of bed, brushed my teeth, and changed, it was 7:30 a.m. and Akemi had already worked out, gone for a walk, and researched and booked our day’s outing. We walked around for a couple of hours, checking out the local Family Mart convenience stores (There seems to be one on every block) and the surrounding architecture…
Interesting mail box
The library looks closed.
The smoking fishbowl
Buy your curry here
I grab breakfast at venerable salary man-haunt Yoshinaya –
Then sample some of those sake chocolates…
Every one of them a delight.
Akemi was hankering for coffee so, after some research, found this place called Glitch in the Conrad Hotel. A refined but relaxed space. They take their coffee seriously. Unlike me who was looking for a mocha or a latte. They instead suggested one of their dozens of coffee selections, an Ethiopian brew. It was excellent, probably the best coffee I’ve had in recent memory.
Pricey though. The two coffees came out to a grand total of $25.
Akemi in her new dress and boots.
After that, still buzzed, we made a brief stop at the hotel to recharge my phone, then headed back out for lunch. Today, it was sushi at the Osaka outpost of Yamashiro…
We walked off lunch with some more strolling (averaging about 20k steps/day on this trip).
Cat-themed teas (Ocha-chat?)
On Akemi’s insistence, we check out Mister Donut for the regular mochi donut and the double chocolate mochi donut. The former was excellent and slightly less sweet than the version I’m used to back home. The chocolate version was quite a bit less sweet. Maybe a little too less sweet.
Of course it wouldn’t be a two week vacation without emails notifying me of immediate actions that need to be taken in relation to my finances, like sorting out the overpayment to my utility company, paying my tax installment prior to year end, and filling out the complex paperwork related to the delisting of one of my stocks owned on the LSE.
We had time to kill before dinner, so we did a lot of walking…
I checked out the uniquely customized Osaka manhole covers –
Akemi stops off at the local Life grocery shop to stock up on essentials.
While I am drafted into basket duty.
Then, it was soba dinner with the in-laws…
I went with the roast duck broth despite this picture adorning the restaurant window…
Interesting choice.
By the time we got back to our hotel, night had fallen and the Christmas illuminations were on full display.
Akemi and I ended our night with a couple of Dassai chocolates. My favorites!
A great final day in Osaka, marred somewhat by the fact our pocket device abruptly stopped working. Sent off an inquiry to the company to find out what’s up. In the past, they’ve been great at responding quickly and general troubleshooting, so we’ll see how this goes…
Well, no sooner do I finish writing that sentence than an email pops into my inbox with instructions for a work-around. GlocalMe has never let us down.
Discover more from Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
l’esthétique japonnaise wow!
Thank you so much for sharing your daily adventures in Japan. The pictures are beautiful and informative of the beauty of the cities you are visiting.
Akemi looks great in her new dress and boots. Hope those new boots were comfortable with all the walking you do. Are there fewer people out and about? Notice any changes since your last visit? Maybe Covid caused some lasting changes…
@Drea – I think I am about recovered. Thanks for asking.
While in the midst of an annoying and tight book deadline, I’m grateful for the delightful daily breaks provided by the delectable and fun posts of your Japan trip! (p.s. I LOVE Akemi’s new outfit!)
Akemi looking gorgeous and sophisticated with her new dress, boots and handbag.
But, then again, she is always beautiful no matter what she wears. xo
Love the artistically sculpted public benches.
Can’t really imagine why any restaurant should want a poster like that in their display window to advertise duck unless they are intentionally trying to get you
to choose more vegan or Pescatarian options on their menu??
Pics look amazing! Gotta get there one day soon.
By “pocket device”, do you mean a remote internet connector thingy? I can’t remember what it’s called!
I find it hard to disagree with the duck broth.
Pocket device?
Love the “Smoking Fishbowl”! I wish they would do the samehere. Once, we were in a non smoking section and the smoking section was only separated by a lattice wall.
What’s with the raw egg? 😬
Love all the pictures!
👋🏼to Akemi’s family!
Hey Joe? How much time do you and Akemi have left in Japan??
Maybe? the two of you could stop in for coffee or drinks
at a couple of these Henn na hotel locations.
The entire hotel staff is made up of various bi-ped robot characters.
A dinosuar robot bell hop greets you and escorts you and your bags.
A lovely humanoid equipped with AI checks you in at the front desk.
And numerous different smart bipeds wait on you and tend to your needs.
According to the ads and the Henn Na site
these playful mobile ‘smart’ robots have become such a bit hit
this hotel franchise has them running things in Nagasaki, Ginza, Akasaka,
Haneda, Tokyo bay, and a handful other locations in and near Tokyo.
If you move your mouse over each character on their website
it tells you at which locations that particular robot can be found.
It looks like a great deal of fun.
https://group.hennnahotel.com/