The Thief

AM

Least: At nearly 8:15am, I woke with an unusually sore throat. The sore throat was combined with a general feeling of fatigue and a minor headache. Clearly, the flu is stalking my cells waiting for the best time to strike. So far this year, I have been in remarkable health, which I put down to a change of job and diet. I suppose when the immune system finally crumbles the swine flu might just be the first ratbag through the door. I just hope I get all possible flus before I go to Malaysia in December.

Most: At just after 10:30am, I peered over the balcony to see an elderly woman being detained by two staff from the Drug 11 across the road. Shortly after, a bicycled policeman arrived to investigate what I assume was a medical shoplifting offence (the pharmacist was holding several boxes of medication). The police began asking questions and taking down statements, then became infuriated at the woman's apparent refusal to cooperate (see above). With the policeman yelling into her face, a police car arrived to take her away. As I watched through the iron bars from the balcony, she steadfastly resisted getting into the car, despite all the screaming and cajoling by the jacks. Finally, another police arrived and prised her from her spot and moved her closer to the car. The woman apparently thought she could talk her way out of it until she was manhandled into the back seat of the police car. Incredible and slightly sad scenes.

PM

Least: At 4:30pm, I made the mistake of visiting Life supermaket on a Sundau afternoon. There were literally hundreds of men, women and children shopping like mad in a storm of chaos. It was actually difficult to navigate without bumping into people or tripping over kids. The incredibly stupid Life theme song, being played on tape-decks scattered through the place only added to the mayhem. A valuable and boring lesson.

Most: At about 1:45pm, I once again visited my favourite conveyor sushi restaurant in Namba. Today, the place was extremely busy and I had to wait to be seated. Part of the reason for the sushi-mania was probably caused by the long weekend, the other reason was that the restaurant was offering three pieces of sushi per plate instead of two. Not one to miss out on a bargain, the locals were going bananas over the sight of  cut-price food. Today, even the whale bacon only made it around one lap before being wolfed down. As usual, I ate one plate too many - but I just had to try the sanma (file photo above)!

Retching and Relaxation

AM

Least: At just past 8:00am, I woke with an absolutely searing headache and relentless nausea. It was the hangover that I had been expecting, however the shock of its ferocity caught me unawares. While the nurofen dullled the pain, all I could think of was how dull my day was going to be until the menace passed. I think the most damage as done by umeshu the sweeter than sweet Japanese plum wine. Even while I was drinking last night, I knew deep down that I would really pay for it later. At only ten percent alcohol, it is a weakling, but when combined with cheap beer it can become lethal. The hangover coloured my entire AM period and I couldn't rise until a surprise at the door dragged me out of my malaise.

Most: At about 11:10am, the doorbell unexpectely rang. It was a deliverman, dropping off a box of incredibly entertaining electronics. Late on Friday night, I had ordered a Playstation 3 from Amazon to relieve my morning boredom. Incredibly, it only took about forty hours to arrive - an on a Sunday. The package was carefully wrapped and included my other purchase John Steinbeck's The Pearl. The delivery tore me from the clutches of my hangover and condsiderably improved my morning.

PM

Least: At nearly 2:00pm, I decided on a high-risk strategy to add certainty to the end of my hangover. The sushi-train restaurant was busy and I thought that the colour and movement might distract me from my internal issues. The near trouble erupted when huge gaps in the conveyer appeared and a hush fell on the eatery. One of the few things left doing laps around the room was a disgusting plate of cocktail-frank sushi (see a similar meal right) complete with an artistically place strip of nori holding it together. For five minutes, my stomach churned at the thought of this meal, until a fresh batch of the blandly harmless salmon appeared just in time. The rice was still warm and the least interesting sushi saved the day.

Most: At 2:35pm, I strolled through Namba parks on my way to Labi to buy a game for my new toy. I was struck by how relaxed everyone seemed. With a four-day holiday beginning, it was a change to see couples holding hands, fathers with children, people walking slowly and the shops teeming at twoish in the afternoon. Given the outrageous hours that many people work, perhaps it is not too surprising that the Japanese have achieve art in their relaxation techniques. For some reason, my stroll today reminded me of a perfect early summer day in Melbourne and made me a little homesick.

From Screen Door to Mosasaur

AM

Least: At about 9:10am I opened our rickety screen door and once again pulled it off the rails. Like the washing machine, the screen doors has never recovered from those spring days when Sanshou Mansion was painted. Although it never really slid smoothly, the door now has the infuriating habit of leaving its tracks every time it is opened. And every time it comes off the rails, I have to spend time flexing it back into position, knowing full well my battle is futile. Extremely boring. It will take a dangerous turn when the time comes for me to throw it onto the tram tracks below.

Most: It was close to 9:30am, when I felt confident enough to think to myself that the yoke of Osaka's summer has been broken. For several nights it has been cool enough to sleep without the airconditioner and for several days I have had little sweat drip down my chins. As the the other changes of seasons, it has been if a switch has been flicked and an autumnly cool northerly breeze has swept the humidity and heat away. Having survived the summer, I can now say that while it was brutal, it was not completely soul destroying as predicted by various Canadian types. And if wasn't for wearing ridiculous work clothes, the summer would have been far more bearable. I wonder when the hot coffee will return to the vending machines?

PM

Least: At about 1:20pm, I sat down to a fishy meal at an all-you-can-eat sushi restaurant in Shinsaibashi. I'm still trying to work out if it was worth it given the amount of sushi I could've eaten and didn't. The food was pretty poor, even for sushi-trains and although I had to try the salami and pastrami sushi , I didn't think it was much chop. The guy sitting next to me though, had other ideas. He had eaten at least thirty plates of sushi and no less than ten desserts, mostly creme brulees. The only word he said to me was 'bamboo' as he pointed to a dish that tasted a lot like dishwashing liquid. Some of the other customers included, close-to-bums and obvious tight-arses determined to get their yen's worth. A one time only experience and one that proves the never-skimp-on-food rule.

Most: At close to 2:00pm, Rosie and I walked in the doors of Tokyu Hands in Shinsaibashi. Our initial aim was to simply have a look, but as it turned out we could have our watch batteries replaced while we browsed. The vast array of goods included watches, backpacks, homewear, beauty products, stationary, craft and hobby supplies. The most interesting floor was the hobby and craft section which was full of nerdy guys inspecting train sets. Close to the astronomical instruments were a shelf-full of fossils. I was mose impressed by the dinosaur bones and the teeth from a mosasaur (right). I wonder if Australian customs would let bring a large trilobite back - it might just be worth a try.

The Perfect Peach?

AM

Least: Pretty close to 8:50am, I cut an equator around a too-large peach that I bought from a street seller a couple of days ago. Despite twisting firmly, the greenish flesh refused to part from the stone. The most disappointing aspect of this particular peach was that its complexion was perfect - not a scar nor a browning hollow - but its insides were watery and tart. The Japanese art of overpackaging is rife amongst supermarket fruits - particularly peaches. The foamish coverings give the impression that they are protecting something excellent, however it it merely make-up - mutton dressed as lamb. For a few thousand yen, you can buy your boss a box of twelve as part of the summer gifting process - I wouldn't bother.

Most: I rose this morning at about 8:20am with a strong urge to open Truman Capote's In Cold Blood and keep reading. There were simply not enough waking hours last night to complete it. The incredible clarity of the writing and the rhythm that switches between the victims and the criminals gives reading it movie like momentum. Over the years, I've picked the book up and never bothered to buy it, but the ten dollar Popular Penguin was too good an offer to refuse. I've no doubt that I will finish it by the end of PM tonight.

PM

Least: Sometime close to 4:00pm, the dread of going back to ECC drone-hood began bothering me. As dreads go, it's a pretty bland version - no preparation and not much mystery. In my attempt to make today drag on, I tried to make the least of my time today to little avail. I extended the cover of my sunburn through.


大きな地図で見る

Most: Just after 12:20pm, Rosie and I wheeled down to Namba for a bite. Instead of taking the increasingly uninteresting routes previously describe in this blog, we opted for some almost randomly chosen streets. Our bikes took us through the surprisingly hilly and windy area just north of Tezukayama and down through Tengachaya's less trafficked roads. What we saw was almost like another city with a completely different atmosphere. There were lots of people sitting around in the heat, old men wearing kimono-like duds, baffling small businesses, and the rubbery smell of bicycle recycling. For some reason it reminded us of Vietnam.

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Food note: At the Conveyor Sushi trough that we often haunt, a young girl and her Grandfather shared their sushi. As usual, the Grandfather spent much of his time scraping wasabi paste from otherwise delicious dishes. The most touching moment though, was when they shared a generous piece of whale bacon - the little girl ate the meat, the Grandfather chewed the fat. Nice.

AM

Least: At approximately 10:35am I awoke to find that the German riesling that improved my evening had removed its delicious cloak and had delivered me a mild hangover.

Most: At 11:18am I read on the BBC that during the Georgian War last year the Russians managed to shoot down a few of their own planes.

PM

Least: At about 1.30 I got wet feet on my way to the station. The umbrella didn't help much either because the rain was going sideways.

Most: Down at a sushi train in Namba I spotted an unusually fatty item drifting through my ken. I just had to eat it - the waitress said it was kujira bacon which confirmed my suspicions - whale. 1inch of meat and 4 inches of blubber. I'm not sure if it was delicious but it gave me heartburn.