Blustery day in Osaka had us seeking out the underground passage to the Conrad Hotel and Glitch Coffee. Spoiler alert: One does not exist.
We were back at our favorite coffee shop for a Columbian duo – the X.O. rum barrel-washed Hula La Loma, and Cauca El Paraiso (Lychee).
Also, a brownie. All were excellent, but that strawberry-fermented Columbian is the one to beat on this trip. So we ended up ordering it as well.
Then headed back to the hotel lobby for a little internet updating before heading off to lunch.
Fortunately, Akemi discovered an underground passage that takes us all the way to Osaka Station and beyond, so this walk was much more pleasant.
The passage is lined with restaurants and their plastic faux food window displays. This one was my favorite, a dish called: Katsu Mountain.
Although three of my four bouts with food poisoning over my life followed ramen meals, I decided to throw caution to the wind and join Akemi for lunch at Ramen Ichiran. We placed our orders with the machine at the front…
Then took our seats at our assigned booths where we filled out a crucial questionnaire.
We received our bowl, along with our various sides which I assembled accordingly.
Good eatin’ with my gal.
On the way out, Akemi purchased two of the Ichiran red pepper spices. Bringing a taste of Osaka home with us.
With time to kill, we journeyed down into the bowels of Mandarake, your one-stop-shop for manga and anime-related goodies including this Vanilla Ice action figure.
Decisions, decisions
.
Oh, damn. Cremia! My favorite Japanese soft ice cream. I must’ve had like five of these the last time I was in Japan!
Visited the Ultraman shop
Akemi just barely clears the high limit for access to the Chiikawa shop
This fire samurai took 10 hours and 30,000 lego pieces to complete.
Sea urchin and cod roe spaghetti? Count me in!
Mister Donut, home to the flavor neutral donut
As Akemi headed off to her hair appointment, she asked me if I would be able to find my way back. I assured her I could. Ten minutes later I was completely lost and wondered outside to get my bearings. Nothing looked familiar.
Did come across this cute art display.
After several clearly wrong turns, I ended up in this somewhat dark underground complex with little to no foot traffic but plenty of adult magazine shops and massage spots where the friendly ladies loitering outside all said hello to me in passing.
Eventually, after retracing my steps, I found my way back to where I commenced my quest. I popped into a nearby pharmacy in the hopes of picking up some toothpaste but everything was in hiragana and katana and I feared making an incorrect purchase and unwittingly brushing my teeth with the Japanese version of Preparation H, so I decided to leave the toothpaste-shopping to my wife.
I discovered a slew of character-themed mini shops on the fifth floor of one of the department stories. Left, Kaimen Rider. Right, the questionable mascot for the Osaka Olympics.
And came across this absolutely killer Godzilla display and pop-up shop.
Now I’m tempted to do a Godzilla marathon.
Crayon Shin-chan – the original bad boy
Akemi returns from the salon, a whole new wife!
This nut-laden half-ass Kouign-amman didn’t really do it for me.
A little down time before dinner. I update my blog and set a reminder for tomorrow 7:30 a.m. zoom pitch. 7:30!!!
On our way to dinner
Please, no creepy upskirt photos!
Dinner tonight was at a nearby izakaya. Some of the dishes we enjoyed included…
The grilled lotus root
The beef tendon stew
And the pan-fired shirako
We couldn’t finish our rice so the chef helpfully made onigiri…
And packed it for us to take home (and for Akemi to eat for breakfast tomorrow).
On the way back to the hotel, we stopped by Liquor Mountain where I glimpsed a creepy yokai.
Then it was back to the hotel for dessert. A Hattendo cream bun. Even though we no have Hatted back in Canada, it’s not quite the same and I think the reason for that is the bun. Here in Japan, it’s amazingly moist and delicious. Almost insanely so.
I sampled these nama chocolates that come in hojica and matcha flavors.
Then I had a Drooly financier, a stick of sasha chocolate, and two Palet d’Or sake chocolates before Akemi stopped me. “You’re eating a lot of sugar,”she pointed out. “I’ll have sweet dreams!”I assured her.
Alright, it’s an early(ish) bedtime for me and that pre-pre-pitch (and hopefully the last I’ll do while on vacation).
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Hmmmm? A Godzilla re-watch (maybe originals vs a couple later remakes/sequels) might actually be perfect.! They are a lot of fun. Most everyone I’ve ever come across on social media seems to enjoy watching and adding their own funny dialogue and comments.
And I bet you could probably find quite a bit of facts and trivia to post about each movie.
Looks like, despite the bad weather, you both managed to have a fun day.
Akemi’s hair looks nice.
But she always looks absolutely beautiful no matter what she does with her hair.
Ichiran was easily the best tonkotsu ramen I’ve ever had. If I were to risk food poisoning, it’d be for a bowl of their noodles. You made the right choice sir!
Oh my, the food looks amazing! W/O all that walking, Akemi would have to roll you home.
BTW, Akemi is glowing. Being in her home country agrees with her.
Well, perhaps you should have ordered that Kouign-amman with less (or no) ass!
Great pictures! Very interesting. Thanks for sharing.
Google has a translate app that you can use your phone camera and it will translate what you see. There are probably lots of others that do the same thing. I’m sure they are not perfect but might help buying toothpaste.
Joey, do you weigh yourself before the trip, then after you get home? If so, how much do you gain while eating your way through Japan?
das
The first time I visited Japan, I weighed myself and discovered I’d actually lost weight. I was told it was because muscle weighs more than fat and that I had lost the former and gained the latter. So the following year, I weighed myself AND checked my body fat. Again, I ended up losing weight – and body fat.
The food is leaner, and you’re walking a lot. Perhaps you’ve discovered a new diet!
das
A year in Japan and I’ll be a hardbody!