I felt kind of tired when I got up today. I chalked it up to being relaxed about not having to pack and move onto a new spot. Turns out I was 

For breakfast we went to the Osaka coffee shop where I ate all my breakfasts when I came in April. It was tasty and I was hungry, as you can kind of see here.

Mariko wanted some “traffic safety” amulets, or more accurately, stickers from a shrine so I took her to Sumiyoshi Taisha, one of the Grand Shrines. There’s the arched taiko bashi leading to the entrance.

And this is one of several main shrines.

We kind of took the scenic route back to the Abeno/Tennoji area. I kind of like walking in the area since it’s kinda Showa Era “ish”.

We did some shopping and at some point I started feeling kinda meh. I felt better (still tired) after lunch I was able to convince Mariko to go to Mos Burger. I didn’t have my regular Mos Burger but had the tobikiri (exceptional) cheese burger where the patty is 100% Japanese beef and sticks out the sides. The Mos Burger is still my favorte but this was quite good.

On the way back to the hotel I promised Mariko I’d buy her an ichigo daifuku. She wanted one yesterday but I recommended against it and mentioned it again today. The kid selling it was a crack up and we bought one with white bean paste, one with white bean paste and whipped cream, and one with seasonal fruits (the big one in the middle). All the fruit was incredibly sweet. The seasonal fruits were a giant purple grape with mikan and Japanese pear.

I thought I was too full for dinner, but the fruit digested pretty quickly. We went to Grill Ron (a regular stop) a spot my brother-in-law called unusually good. The menu is quite straightforward and I had the A set with a 100% beef hamburg. Every part is slightly better than normal, enough where it shows why there’s always a line for the small restaurant.

That’s about it for the day. Tomorrow we’ll see our cousins!