On 29th August 2005, Monday, KK & Corin crept out of their cozy futon to get ready to depart the Mori household as Okasan took a hour off from her usual work schedule to chauffeur them down to Morioka station. She packed breakfast for the pair to savor on the train & of course none as fitting as salmon onigiri (rice ball) to captivate your taste buds on along the shinkansen route. Hiroki & Otosan woke up extra early to formally bid them farewell which was well-felt by the guests. Then it was a slow ride from Nishine into the inner city with your typical Monday morning working traffic keeping them at bay to a stage KK wondered would they made it to the platform for the departing Hayate line. Of course the conservative Okasan who kept away from the highway did not help the cause. But they did made it and so did Eriko & Sou soon after. After seeing the couple up the platform and handed them the final parting gift of a bottle of tea each to go with the onigiri, the soft-spoken yet amazingly kind Okasan bade them goodbye, close to tears. Talking about tears Eriko was not short of that as she got herself choked up with emotions as she & her beau saw her good friends from miles away off once more. Well with the world becoming smaller and smaller each day with advancement of technologies, everyone would be bound to reunite once more....

A final farewell from this nice, hospitable pair... じゃ..また来年

The taste of warmth, courtesy of a modest housewife from Nishine

Before heading westwards to the Kansai region, the Moris had warned the pair about the Osaka people being pretty "scary". It's perhaps their crude way of communicating but in retrospective, they are just been true to their roots and  more true to the people they deal with instead of putting on an act. The couple arrived at Shin Osaka station by around 3 p.m and immediately made for the subway (the frequently taken Midosuji line) to get them to their hotel in Namba. However the entire area the hotel was buzzing with crowd and since it was even KK's first time in Osaka, he really had difficulties locating their lodging facilities. However snaking within Shinsaibashi-suji, they actually felt silly that by turning backwards from the correct exit they had came out of the station, their hotel was simply 20 meters away.

Taking Tokaido line, Hikari 411 from Tokyo to Shin Osaka

Look at the load of stuff Corin had to lug with her

Midosuji line, Shin-Osaka station, around 20 minutes to Namba

After placing their luggage into their room and taking a breather, both felt they should waste no time to head off the shopping area surrounding their Hotel Riva Nankai. It was a stone throw away from Dotonbori River and the famous Ebisuji bridge which was littered with dashing gigolos and young people hoping to get lucky. The colorful neon lights of the Dotonbori area which has the trademark Glico man signboard. Belows you can actually experience the sight and sounds (maybe not literally) of Dotonbori, Namba, Shinsaibashi area.

The famous advertisement signboards lighting the Dotonbori river
Fancy taking a boat ride on this famous river?
Saemon-cho on the other side	Not hard to figure out that this restaurant is selling Osaka's renowned cuisine, takoyaki
A classy performance theater	Nice, authentic Japanese restaurant
The illumination of Dotonbori street
The extravagant signboard of a Pachinko center	Doraemon enticing prospective buyers to a shop selling collectibles KK craves for
"Aki-oni" spicy takoyaki, a very famous joint within the Dotonbori street
Another famous landmark showing a "one-man band" which is there to banter for a high-end restaurant. All these landmarks are actually sold as souvenirs in a shop at the end of the street.
Grilled crab legs. 500¥ a box of 2, an expensive indulgence but goes superbly with beer

© Copyright KK Heng 2005