CATCHING UP ON THE WEEK

MONDAY   

Sayaka wants me to keep a list of things about japan, what:s good and what’s bad. I’m not sure I’m interested in spending time on what’s bad, not much is bad really.  Maybe the weather at this time of year, it’s very hot and humid, oppressive. But everywhere is air conditioned and apparently it’s usually only around june that it’s like this.

Things I like are many ~ mostly I’ll put them on the blog in pics.  Lots of them are just daggy little pop culture things like the cartoon characters on packaging and signs.  And the way those things contrast with the beauty that’s incorporated into everyday things – e.g. the manholes in the street.  A ninja turtle would be proud to pop out of any of those. I think I’ll start adding them every day.

OK  there:s another annoying thing and that:s this keyboard on a laptop rene:s lent me.  As you can see, the punctuation is in different places, an apostrophe and a dash are always hard to find so there:ll be a few strange punckos appearing here and there.  When I’m feeling lazy.

ONE VERY BAD THING I did see today -  sayaka took me to a multi-level store to find a plug converter and a memory stick. We came across the pet department and there in a glass case was a live barn owl, just beautiful, and  another little brown owl with huge bright eyes, each of them tethered to a small log, both for sale.  Horrifying – I couldn’t take a photo,  just wanted to let them out of there.

The domestic pet section was a wall of glass, behind it small individual compartments each holding a dog, very cute puppies - they all looked in great condition but it was a horrible place.   Louis vuitton collars for ¥80,000（about $80.)  

 i love these fabric screens that hang over the doorways of tiny little traditional style shops
and cafes, this one in lovely woven linen.   this little hole in the wall cafe serves
only eel, two styles, plain and special. 

     the collage menu in the eel cafe - not sure what those
things are, probably the different drinks available

 

here's my lunch - guess what i had,  yes it:s eel    yummy

ONE VERY BAD THING I did see today -  sayaka took me to a multi-level store to find a plug converter and a memory stick. We came across the pet department and there in a glass case was a live barn owl, just beautiful, and  another little brown owl with huge bright eyes, each of them tethered to a small log, both for sale.  Horrifying – I couldn’t take a photo,  just wanted to let them out of there.

The domestic pet section was a wall of glass, behind it small individual compartments each holding a dog, very cute puppies - they all looked in great condition but it was a horrible place.   Louis vuitton collars for ¥80,000（about $80.)  

OK  there:s another annoying thing and that:s this keyboard on a laptop rene:s lent me.  As you can see, the punctuation is in different places, an apostrophe and a dash are always hard to find so there:ll be a few strange punckos appearing here and there.  When I’m feeling lazy.

love the way a couple of english words can be
put together in a completely new way

a ferry on the dotombori canal on the way home from lunch

rene's shop, Gira Gira Chariya. 

 - i spent the afternoon with cal, very happy after his enema today, poor little fella's been constipated -  he slept nearly all afternoon. 

then i walked around to the shop with him where we met rob, rene and sayaka for dinner.

this part of osaka where rene lives and has his shop (only 5mins walk from each other) is really nice, low key but full of interesting shops and cafes, small businesses but creative, really nice people - mostly young, a bit like fitzroy or brunswick but less cluttered, lots of bikes ridden in slow relaxed traffic free streets,  there:s traffic but it:s not busy or remotely stressful.             

      the window of 'Nutty' - a crazy name for a fabulous vintage shop full of really beautiful quality clothing in mint condition. not cheap ~ $180 for a 50's skirt, but really special.  this window display is first floor opposite rene's shop, Gira Gira Chariya.                      

lovely calligraphic menu at dinner last night

the walls and ceiling

were also covered

with calligraphic

images and posters 

already a ham -  and a gifted future world leader

ON THE WAY HOME 

   this is the outside of an amazing neon filled supermarket that looks more like a casino than a food shop. mirrored windows, neon and crazy characters everywhere, we stopped in on the way home to get ice cream for dessert then forgot to eat it.  too tired.                            

TUESDAY July 30

THIS MORNING we visited mr. uemura    He’s what I would call an artisan bike frame painter, a lovely man of 78 working in the family business which set up on the present premises one hundred years ago.  

 

Rene gets a lot of specialist finishes and custom painted designs done there for his customers.  Everyone made a big fuss of cal, doing his first round of introductions into rene and sayaka’s circle of business friends.

Next we called into a major distributor of bike parts,  a very important contact of rene’s and another great group of people. 

Sayaka had some time off work so we did a browsy stroll  down orange street, where rene and sayaka live.  And lunch in another little traditional restaurant - udon noodles and shiitake mushrooms.


left  - the entrance to the little cafe, it had another version of the fabric screen in front of the door

hanging from a shop ceiling

Tonight we:re driving across to shizuoka prefecture where sayaka’s family lives. We:re visiting for two days.

cal's had an action packed day

just one more made sign

these little courier bikes are great

gorgeous school kids out with the teachers 

I'm pretty pleased with this shot -  the cicadas are deafening at some times of day. this one was just sitting at the base of a column in the busy shopping area