Speakers in Lamps

Sunday 18th October 2009

AM

Least: At about 9:30am, I woke with a splitting headache from the few glasses of German  riesling that I'd had with dinner the night before. Perhaps it was the flu, or the tiredness brought on by my trip to Wakayama, but I felt as if I'd been dealt an unfair blow. The wine was from the Rhine region and tasted pretty good, however it's after-punch was simply too great and unfair.

Most: At nearly 10:30am, I began making a series of Morinaga pancakes. As usual, they looked just like they did on the box, thick and fluffy. In an otherwise painful morning, the sweetness was a welcome relief to the empty morning. I can't believe that I've finally come to love maple syrup, although the real thing is very expensive. The next, and even unhealthier step will be to mix the sweet of the pancakes with the savoury of eggs and bacon.

PM

Least: At around 2:30pm, Rosie and I rode our bikes through an arcade that was mostly closed for the day. What added to its sadness was the strange music eminating from speakers hidden in lamps. The lamps were spaced apart just enough for the bizarre childrens' singing to fade only to reappear at another part of the song. It was like a cheesy Stephen King horror movie, only slightly more boring.

Most: At close to 1:30am, I stepped into an okonmiyaki retaurant on Abeno-suji called Ponpocotei. Rosie and I had been there before and ate until bursting last time. I ordered the 'mix modanyaki' which included pork, beef, prawns, octopus and squid. It was huge and it tasted incredible. By the time I'd finished it I could barely move and was glad that I'd ridden my bike so that I could begin to work some of it off in the headwind.

No coffee, no eggs, no bread, no butter

Wednesday 30th September 2009
 

AM

Least: At close to 9:30am, I discovered that my breakfasting stocks were at an all time low. No coffee, no eggs, no bread, no butter. To alleviate the sheer awefulness of it all, I trotted up to the Family Mart for resupply. To my horror the only bread that they had was some inedible and sugary loaf with slices about three inches thick. I settled on pancake mix, however in my confused state, I forgot to buy butter to butter up my meal. Despondant, I sat down to pancakes with faux maple syrup sans-butter. After one cake, Rosie stumbled through the door with a tub of grease for my meal. Despite the drama of breakfast, it was a grindingly boring experience.

Most: Approaching 11:50am, I finally finished reading The Grapes of Wrath after picking away at it for a few weeks. The ending was a little on the brutal side and shattered my hopes of a better outcome for the itinerant workers. The book is a condemnation of capitalism but rather than idealising it's victims, allows the characters to be crushed by their appalling conditions. The same process that had giant companies engulfing smaller farms it probably still happening today, especially in the developing world. I'm slightly sad that the book is over, but it was an interesting journey.

PM

Least: At about 1:50pm, I stepped onto the tram for my commute to work in Yao. Because it was the first time that I had been to this suburban sprawl (see its seal right), it carried ore stress than a usual trip to work. One mistake, or missed train could mean lateness or it could mean ending up on the wrong side of town. To make matters worse, there was a steady fall of rain and the wind allowed the water to sneak under my umbrella. After a wrong turn outside, Kintetsu-Yao station, I finally realised that my map had failed to notice that the MUFJ bank had relocated across the town square. I was only slightly damp by the time I arrived.

Most: At nearly 9:30pm, Rosie and I walked down some Tennoji steps into a below-ground izakaya. We were told that the last food orders were about to be taken, to we cut a swathe through the menu. By the time we had finished ordering, It was dificult to remember what we had actually requested. Each dish that arrived was slightly more suprising than the last and included, chips, edemame, fried chicken gristle, sashimi, tofu salad, samma and beer. The highlight was the slightly seared sashimi of salmon and tuna and the ultra-friendly manager. We'll be back.

Saying No to Thorpedo and Yes to Outro '6

AM

Least: At about 11:05am, I finally had breakfast. Having had nothing substantial since lunch yesterday, I could've eaten a horse. Instead I opted for an onigiri internally rife with salty cured red salmon. It was delicious, yet somehow only served to remind me of the breakfast the could've been. Bacon, eggs, tomato and coffee in a cafe is essentially unavailable in any edible form here. At the Beekman Sports Palace down the road, it is possible to buy mile-thick bread smeared with jam (only just sweeter than the bread) but it could only barely be called a breakfast. It might just be more interesting to launch a search party for the best cafe breakfast in Osaka.

Most: By 9:30am, I was once again barrelling towards Wakayama. The only point of interest I could extract from the journey was the sighting of the Thorpedo softdrink at Hineno station. Because of its association with Yakult, I declined the voice telling me to buy it - yoghurty soft drinks are pretty far from refreshing. According to the website, there are several versions of the drink - I wonder why it has never taken off in Australia. In addition, the Thorpedo is perhaps the only Australian sportsman to make a blip on the Japanese fame-dar. Interesting - sort of.

PM

Least: Between exactly 12:15pm and 12:55pm, I battled through an English lesson with a student who was both out of depth and was infested with a dreadful cold. Every ten seconds or so he would either sneeze of sniff up mucous into his blocked nose. I swear I could feel the swarms of flu virus's impaling my every cell. The next few days will be telling. If I'm sick next Saturday, I might just blow my nose on the guy's shirtsleeve.

Most: At about 9:15pm, Rosie and I walked in the gates of the Freestyle Outro '6 festival down near the docks in Osaka. The primary reason for attending was to see Palm and Edge of Spirit but we gather far more than this. The performances were crushing and we spoke to some guys from Palm, and a wild Japanese woman from California. As a cultural spectacle it was amazing. A sea of non-typical Japanese metal, hardcore and hip hop fans were drinking hard and enjoying the music, graffiti and skateboarding Far from the norms of Japan's staid appearances, most people had serious tatts and were larking about in a very relaxed manner. It was so refreshing to see a non-temple/manga/salary man side of Japan. One of the best nights here so far.