I feel quite lucky to be able to go back to Japan again especially since my last visit was just in October. I had to have a lot of help in order for this trip to be possible. My parents were willing to chip in for the airfare, which was a big blessing since we are a single income family. I feel like a 41 year-old baby to have my parents help me out financially in my ripe age, but happily accepted their help because I knew they really wanted to help. My big hearted husband volunteered to take two weeks off from work and care for the other three children in my absence. The best part was - he didn't make me feel guilty even one bit. In fact, he said he really enjoyed spending time with the children. He didn't miss any school events and stayed active with the kids. I think he did more than I usually do. Hmmm... what am I doing wrong? I am usually exhausted and feel like I am barely functioning everyday...
All in all, it was good knowing that everything was being taken care of and all I had to do was just get on a plane and have fun.
After the busy weekend visiting Kyoto, Kobe and Matsuzaka, I met up with Megumi on Monday in Osaka. We went to Korean Town in Tsuruhashi since Megumi likes Korean pop music and dramas. They are very popular now in Japan and although I am not following that trend, I do love Korean food. We got lost at first since there were no signs at all to lead us there, but we eventually found it. We walked through a narrow corridor of shops and restaurants nestled tightly under an arcade. It's a traditional Japanese market street called "shotengai" found in most towns in Japan. Spirited shop keepers shout out their sales pitch inviting customers to buy their products. It's the real typical living noises in Japan and one of those things I miss hearing in America. I wanted to absorb the smell, the noise and everything else. I've never experienced a feeling like this when I used to visit Japan often in the past. The places and things that have some links to my childhood suddenly have lots of significance. Maybe I am getting old... I pulled out my camera and captured it in case I forget. An ordinary scene in Japan. Beautiful!
Megumi and I chatted a lot as usual. We had lunch at a Korean restaurant, but we lucked out on food again (last time, Megumi's taco platter didn't have any meat in them). We ordered a buffet of Korean food and that didn't include any Korean barbecue! The food was good, but I wasn't expecting a vegetarian lunch at a Korean restaurant. We walked around a bit and for some odd reason, I decided to buy a ten packet of beauty masks made from snails. Yes, SNAILS! I thought it was different and interesting at the time, but it's incredibly gross now that I fully processed what they are. I don't even like to touch them with my fingers and how am I going to put them on my face, let alone a melted version of them? If anyone would like to have them, I am happy to give them to you. After wandering around the street, we decided to go back to Osaka and have tea at a cute café. They had opened a two new buildings near the Osaka station with stylish shops and cafes, so we decided to follow the stream of people heading towards that direction.
We settled ourselves in an Indian inspired café with light and airy decoration. We squatted there for a few more hours and talked about everything we can think of. I always tell Sean that time passes quickly when you are having fun, but I honestly think the earth spins faster when I am with people I love to spend time with. Thanks, Megumi, for coming to Osaka again to see me! I had lots of fun as usual!
The next day, I got to spend some time with Kayako and her baby at her home in Amagasaki. The baby girl is now walking and in a full blown stage of getting into everything. Very cute age, but Mom has to keep an eye on her at all times :-) Kayako was a seasoned Mom and looked happy. Kayako's mother was there as well and it was so sweet to see her interacting with her grand-daughter. It reminded me of how my Mom was with my kids when they were babies. We talked about kids, our old friends and family life as we watched over our children. It's hard to talk when little people are constantly demanding our attention, but it was neat to see our kids playing together. Apparently, I wrote in my graduation note to her that I want to make our kids be friends. So, the dream partially came true. Maybe they'll play together more when they are older. Since we attended a private school in another city, we always hanged out in downtown Osaka instead of visiting each other's houses. I only visited her house once before and I didn't remember how it looked. Kayako told me her house was damaged during the big Kobe earthquake in 1995 and the current house was rebuilt thereafter. That was when I lost touch with her since I was studying in the U.S. and I was a terrible at keeping in touch (no emails yet). We still have a lot to catch up and we will do so every time we see each other!
I was able to catch another friend, Chika-chan, out of her busy schedule. We met up for brunch at a Japanese restaurant nearby and my Mom was able to join us with Aly. If there is one person who is perpetually a teen, Chika is the one. Not that she is immature, she is a successful business owner and definitely more mature than me. Her bubbly disposition and lively voice have not changed since we were friends 30 years ago. I wish I don't age like her! She is always fun to talk to and I am so glad I was able to spend time with her during this trip. Thanks for making time for me Chika-chan! Looking forward to seeing you again next time!
More to come from my trip! Yes, I did a lot thanks to my Mom and Dad!
p.s. Chika-chan's pictures were only taken with iPhone. I am yet to upload iPhone photos to my computer...
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