"Totoro, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Tokyo anymore!"

Waking up at 4:30 seems to be what our bodies want. It happens naturally, and today, it was very useful as we had to leave the onsen very early to get on a shuttle, then to catch a bus to the Odawara station, and finally jump on the Bullet Train express!

Coming down from the mountain gave us a few interesting insights into local life. The bus was full of sleepy students and one old guy who reeked of decades of cigarette smoke. And once we got on the bullet train, another thing happened: there were no double seats available for us to sit. It was a very packed bullet train because many people from around Japan (and China) were coming to Osaka for the World Expo. So we turned around, and walked back cart by cart, looking again for two vacant seats until a delightful surprise: an Elderly man stood up, smiled, and gestured at his seat. I bowed and offered my gratitude, then he went and found another seat next to a stranger.

🎌

Having officially begun the second stage of our journey, and arriving in Osaka after many hours of travel, we did the most sensible thing…we went to FamArt for lunch!

The room provided to us by Osaka University is superb. And we made it just in time to settle in for a moment before meeting Hulya’s new colleagues at the University (which is a short walk directly across the street).

I didn’t expect to be part of the orientation, but I ended up being pulled into four different meet-and-greets. Starting with Professor Ikeda, who was a pleasure to talk with. The conversation led many places as we sipped coffee in his office, piled high with stacks of paperwork. For being a well-respected professor, he was very humble and I felt immediately comfortable talking with him about Osaka’s new generation of students and the sub-cultural differences amongst the elderly and youth in Japan. After that, we were escorted up a few floors of the hospital to meet three more colleagues, the most eccentric of whom was Professor Mori. His passion for hiking was infectious. He almost talked Hulya and me into doing a 40-kilometer 2-day hike along the Eastern side of Nara city, the oldest capital of Japan. For being such an esteemed and stern-looking man, his enthusiasm was adorable.

After meeting two more of Hulya’s new colleagues and more cups of black coffee— generously provided as we moved from office to lab to office and back to lab—we were overcaffeinated yet exhausted from travelling. So we returned to our dear FamArt for some easy food, and the evening was spent watching Shōgun while having our top-notch TV dinner of takoyaki (grilled octopus balls), beef stew, and salad.

The following three days passed in a mish-mash way. Hulya worked at the University every other day. I did laundry. We stocked our fridge with food. I explored downtown Osaka and identified local birds that would bombard us with songs from the trees in the backyard. Yes, there is a backyard here. Osaka is very hilly so our housing is set on a hillside above a neighborhood. And across the way, I like watching the tennis players fill the courts all day, and the soccer games that go on till 9 pm when the lights turn off.

🇯🇵

Upon our first of four weeks in Osaka, I’ve found my favorite products: Hokkaido milk is delicious; the white bread is phenomenal; and instead of lettuce for salads, we use chrysanthemum leaves! Bento boxes, supermarket sushi, and wagyu beef are all top-notch, but the real winner is the eggs. The yolks are such a deep, rich turmeric color. They are the best I’ve had in years!

The only disappointment so far is when we walked to the Expo 70 Park, which is right next to the University, but got denied at the gate by an officer who told us it was closed! But we knew it wasn’t. So two days later, we tried again and ended up circumnavigating the entire park as we found four more entry points, but each was guarded or closed, so we gave up and went shopping for three hours at a mall next to the famous Tower of Sun and Moon statue. (which is stunning, yet creepy)

Fast forward to the next night, and we ended up taking the monorail to a special little udon noodle shop where we had our first proper feast in Osaka!

Speaking of food, I took a sushi-making class and learn some things: there are 30,000 sushi restaurants in Japan. Compared to only 1,800 Starbucks. Now compare that to the 2.2 million tea and coffee vending machines, and it's clear that people here pride themselves on both convenience and quality…and endless sources of caffeine.

For some fun stories about the vending machines here.... https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2017/10/snow-covered-vending-machine/

After my sushi class, I acquired a quality kitchen knife (which our house lacked) and explored the backstreets and fish markets of downtown. What I like about Japan is that I can find uni, natto, and unagi easily, everywhere I go!

But because there are so many tempting sweet treats at the FamArt stores, I’m forced to cut myself off. From day two in Osaka, I became obsessed with Shokupan!

What is Shokupan?

Basically, it's the best white bread you’ll ever have. I know, i'm commiting a mortal sin (please forgive me, my dear sourdough friends) but in Japan, even the most conventional food is soooooo delicious and far above average in terms of quality!

So the ingredients of shokupan go like this: yudane, flour, milk, and water.
Now…what is yudane?

It’s the special element that makes the bread so moist yet lightweight. It's a cooked-down mixture of flour and milk. This yudane “roux” is then added to the normal ingredients, and FWAH-POPP!

Shokupan is born! 👹 Hope you try it sometime. Actually, I’ll start making it. Because it's so “fuwa fuwa!” (light & soft)

Which leads me to the closing portion of this instalment of Gulliver’s Travels (which will be more about travels next week and less food-porn) 🙏 🙏 🙏

Japanese Onomatopoeias!

Zawa Zawa (ざわざわ) - loud & noisy
Hara Hara (はらはら) feeling uneasy, or nervous
Kan Kan  (かんかん) - intense heat
Mushi mushi (ムシムシ): Hot and humid or muggy weather
Zoku zoku (ゾクゾク): A spine-tingling sensation of fear or excitement
Kusu Kusu (くすくす) - giggle
Zoro zoro (ゾロゾロ): A large group moving in a line or crowd
Dara Dara (だらだら) - lazy and inefficient
Wan wan (ワンワン): A dog’s bark
Kero kero (ケロケロ): A frog’s croak
Goro goro (ゴロゴロ): Thunder rolling in the sky
Beta beta (ベタベタ): Sticky or sweaty feeling.

Jā, mata ne (OK, bye for now!) 🎌