Chilling in Osaka

This is the Osaka subway and train system. It`s fun to navigate.
Because of the Madonna concert and the long weekend, I decided to spend some time exploring Osaka. It's the second largest city in Japan and is known for its food, down-to-earth citizens and its unique dialect called Kansai-ben. Leilani and I had originally booked into a cheap hotel near Tennoji but after hearing some not so savoury things about it, we quickly changed plans and decided to stay closer to America Mura and Shinsaibashi. Before the concert, we were able to explore some of the sights like ths shopping arcade in Shinsaibashi and Dotonburi, the entertainment district along the river. It was nice to just do some window shopping and get a Starbucks or two. We went into one of my favourite stores called Tokyu Hands. It's a great department store that stocks everything you need that you don't think you need.The crowds of Osaka near Dotonburi.Note the Glico ManA symbol of Osaka, Glico ManWith Hello Kitty at the Sanrio StoreThe shopping arcade in the dayShinsaibashi Shopping Arcade at night
After the concert, we set out to find El Pancho's which is a well-known Mexican restaurant in Osaka. My predecessor even left their business card for me. It was a little hard to find but we found it and had some margaritas and mexican food. It was really nice to get some international cuisine again.At El Pancho`s
How am I going to carry this all home?
The next day, we did more shopping and end up going past Rinku Town Premium outlets on the way back. It's very close to the airport and was a great place to pick up some items in hard to find sizes. I need to go back to Osaka and do some more exploring, there are not a lot of sights there but it's a big city and I've hardly reached the tip of the iceberg.

Tabehodai in Iwade

Theo`s jumping for joy! Tabehodai wa oishii yo!Theo, Shogo, Me and Leilani(l to r)
On Saturday, I met up with Leilani, Theo and Shogo for all-you-can-eat food in Iwade. All of us are making our way to Osaka to watch Madonna on Sunday but thought it might be fun to just hang out in Wakayama City before hitting the metropolis of Osaka. Shogo who grew up in the Wakayama City area was able to take us to really great all-you-can-eat restaurant. You were free to choose your own meat and vegetables to grill and to cook your own food a la yakiniku.

For the equivalent of $15 Canadian dollars or 1400 yen, you could have a variety of sushi, yakiniku, salads, rice, soup, drinks and dessert in a two-hour window. Amazing deal if you ask me. All this overeating though resulted in some pretty silly pictures though.

I love Yakiniku!

One of my favourite Japanese restaurant experiences ever was eating shabu-shabu with my host family in Shizuoka. When I got back to Vancouver, I found a shabu-shabu restaurant that also seved yakiniku which is grilling meat Korean BBQ-style. I grew to like yakiniku as well. So, I was very happy to find a yakiniku restaurant here in Gobo called Sakai Yakiniku. At a yakiniku restaurant, you cook the food yourself. The staff bring you a bucket with coals and then you order what ever cut of meat you want. Once the meat is cooked, you can then dip it in your choice of tare sauces. There are probably close to 100 varieties of beef, seafood or chicken there. Then, you grill them right at the table but watch out for fire, it can get kind of hot!

All you need to enjoy yakinikuHmm, karubi and toriniku
Grilling
Don`t forget about the other food groups!Yummy matcha parfait!

First Cooking Attempt

For those of you who know me in Japan, you know that I don`t cook much. My standard line is that it is easier and cheaper to eat out. For those of you who knew me pre-Japan, you know that I rarely cooked because of living at home and going out to dine at Vancouver`s great selection of restaurants. But upon arrival, I did try my hand at cooking. My first attempt at cooking in the hallway that doubles as a kitchen in my apartment is pictured above. It was inspired by a trip to Evergreen Supermarket in Gobo because it was there that I spotted a green thai curry mix. So, I threw in some chicken and eggplants and then fired up the rice cooker. In less than an hour, I had a dinner!