{"id":7197,"date":"2012-11-01T06:32:24","date_gmt":"2012-11-01T13:32:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.i8u.org\/blog\/?p=7197"},"modified":"2012-11-01T06:32:24","modified_gmt":"2012-11-01T13:32:24","slug":"japan-day-43","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.i8u.org\/blog\/?p=7197","title":{"rendered":"Japan Day 43"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Today I was just planning on doing laundry. Most places in Japan that would mean I&#8217;d be at it at least half of the day but the washing machines at the Nishi-Umeda Hearton Hotel are almost as large as the ones in the US. And the driers are industrial (the same size as a normal US drier). So I was able to finish just as I was finishing breakfast in the hotel restaurant.<\/p>\n<p>I thought I&#8217;d go see the area around the Osaka Sky Garden because last night I saw four tourists from Texas who were looking for it. I took them to the Tourist Information Center because it was on the way to where I thought the closer route would be. Turns out the suggested route from the hotel is to just keep walking and then turn north through a semi-industrial area. When I got there the building didn&#8217;t look like anything exciting, so I didn&#8217;t go up and just headed back towards the station through the underground route. There&#8217;s a big freight yard you have to get past to get to the Osaka Sky Garden. I think it&#8217;s closer to go underground.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.i8u.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/IMG_2097.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-7198\" title=\"IMG_2097\" src=\"https:\/\/www.i8u.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/IMG_2097-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"853\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.i8u.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/IMG_2097-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.i8u.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/IMG_2097-112x150.jpg 112w, https:\/\/www.i8u.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/IMG_2097-225x300.jpg 225w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>I was pretty tired, so I decided to get a coffee at the Starbucks by the hotel. They already had the Xmas decorations up and had their praline latte. I also spent a lot of time unsuccessfully trying to register for the free wifi. After that I went back to the hotel and took a nap.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.i8u.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/IMG_2098.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-7199\" title=\"IMG_2098\" src=\"https:\/\/www.i8u.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/IMG_2098-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"853\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.i8u.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/IMG_2098-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.i8u.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/IMG_2098-112x150.jpg 112w, https:\/\/www.i8u.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/IMG_2098-225x300.jpg 225w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>I knew I had to do a couple more things today. One was to pack up to leave. Another was to do my sister&#8217;s bidding and make sure they had down vests at Uniqlo. First, though, I thought I&#8217;d get ANOTHER coffee and a doughnut at Mr. Donut. I&#8217;m addicted to the things. There&#8217;s one in Umeda, but there&#8217;s also one at the next railway station. It&#8217;s not very far, though I had to go back through the industrial area again. Turns out there&#8217;s an easier route and it really isn&#8217;t that far.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.i8u.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/IMG_2099.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-7200\" title=\"IMG_2099\" src=\"https:\/\/www.i8u.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/IMG_2099-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"853\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.i8u.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/IMG_2099-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.i8u.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/IMG_2099-112x150.jpg 112w, https:\/\/www.i8u.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/IMG_2099-225x300.jpg 225w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Somehow I was drawn in by Mickey D&#8217;s. I wanted a normal hamburger but it wasn&#8217;t on their menu on the wall behind the registers. In fact, I couldn&#8217;t find it on the printed menu they had at by the register. I didn&#8217;t find it until after I ordered a Big Mac and saw a big sign on the side wall away from the registers that had their complete menu.<\/p>\n<p>This is also sort of an experiment because I like Big Macs but they make my stomach hurt. I wanted to see if the Japanese Big Macs would treat me differently. It even tasted a little different as they grilled the patty longer and salted it more.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.i8u.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/IMG_2101.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-7201\" title=\"IMG_2101\" src=\"https:\/\/www.i8u.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/IMG_2101-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"853\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.i8u.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/IMG_2101-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.i8u.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/IMG_2101-112x150.jpg 112w, https:\/\/www.i8u.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/IMG_2101-225x300.jpg 225w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Of course I really set out for a doughnut so you know where I went next. Check out the evil-looking doughnut they gave me. They were brewing a fresh pot of not-very-good coffee. I even got a free refill.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.i8u.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/IMG_2102.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-7202\" title=\"IMG_2102\" src=\"https:\/\/www.i8u.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/IMG_2102-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.i8u.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/IMG_2102-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.i8u.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/IMG_2102-150x112.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.i8u.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/IMG_2102-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>I checked for down vests (they&#8217;re all over Uniqlo but not on the web page, I guess), got a haircut, and then went back to the hotel and puttered around not packing until I finally got around to packing. I have a \u00a5990 gym bag I bought at Ameyoko to hold the stuff I&#8217;m leaving here at this hotel (I&#8217;ll be back in 9 days from today) and so my suitcase feels a lot lighter.<\/p>\n<p>I had that \u00a5500 ticket from last night so I went back to the Daimaru to spend it on dinner. I thought I&#8217;d go to the KYK tonkatsu shop since it&#8217;s a chain and it was good when I went before. I ordered the &#8220;healthy fall&#8221; dish and forgot to take a picture of the first few things they brought out. But here&#8217;s all the drinks you get with the meal. I think the tomato juice was just a sample, but it&#8217;s cold tea and umeshu (plum liquor).<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.i8u.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/IMG_2103.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-7203\" title=\"IMG_2103\" src=\"https:\/\/www.i8u.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/IMG_2103-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.i8u.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/IMG_2103-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.i8u.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/IMG_2103-150x112.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.i8u.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/IMG_2103-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>It took a while and I was going to say it wasn&#8217;t the best (the tonkatsu was almost soggy) but it tasted great. I guess the herbed cutlet (there&#8217;s green around the pork inside of the breading) is juicier than a regular pork cutlet. They also gave me kurigohan, too! I went back for another drawing and didn&#8217;t win anything this time. That&#8217;s actually lucky because now I don&#8217;t feel obligated to come back to use any coupons.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.i8u.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/IMG_2104.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-7204\" title=\"IMG_2104\" src=\"https:\/\/www.i8u.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/IMG_2104-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.i8u.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/IMG_2104-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.i8u.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/IMG_2104-150x112.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.i8u.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/IMG_2104-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>So that&#8217;s it for my last day (for now) in Osaka. Tomorrow I meet my mom in Maebashi after four hours on the train. I&#8217;m hoping I can get a seat for the last two hours. Here&#8217;s a picture of my haircut. Looking at myself in the mirror, I still look pudgy but I think I must be losing weight walking every day and not eating much lunch. I better wear the pants I just bought because once I get back I won&#8217;t fit in them for very long.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.i8u.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Photo-on-11-1-12-at-21.31-PM-3.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-7205\" title=\"Photo on 11-1-12 at 21.31 PM #3\" src=\"https:\/\/www.i8u.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Photo-on-11-1-12-at-21.31-PM-3-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"426\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.i8u.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Photo-on-11-1-12-at-21.31-PM-3-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.i8u.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Photo-on-11-1-12-at-21.31-PM-3-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.i8u.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Photo-on-11-1-12-at-21.31-PM-3-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.i8u.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Photo-on-11-1-12-at-21.31-PM-3.jpg 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;m not sure if I&#8217;ll have access to the intarwebs for a couple of days so things may be a little quiet. If so, see you in a couple of days.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Today I was just planning on doing laundry. Most places in Japan that would mean I&#8217;d be at it at least half of the day but the washing machines at the Nishi-Umeda Hearton Hotel are almost as large as the ones in the US. And the driers are industrial (the same size as a normal US drier). So I was able to finish just as I was finishing breakfast in the hotel restaurant. I thought I&#8217;d go see the area around the Osaka Sky Garden because last night I saw four tourists from Texas who were looking for it. I took them to the Tourist Information Center because it was &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.i8u.org\/blog\/?p=7197\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Japan Day 43<\/span> <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7197","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.i8u.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7197","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.i8u.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.i8u.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.i8u.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.i8u.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7197"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.i8u.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7197\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7208,"href":"https:\/\/www.i8u.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7197\/revisions\/7208"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.i8u.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7197"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.i8u.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7197"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.i8u.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7197"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}