Osaka, Japan

I just can't help myself

I am in an abusive relationship with foreign donuts. I love them, but they don't love me. No matter how many times they smack me down, I can't help but run back, glassy-eyed and hopeful. I've tried to snap out of it, but fighting the donut cravings is like running up the stairs when a mob of terrorist zombies is chasing you...eventually, you run out of stairs.

So far, this is the only time that I have been impressed outside of home. The selection here would have some donut purists scrunching their faces up in distaste, but for me, the deviation from the standard donut flavour offerings was an eye-opening experience.

I loaded up with a few selections and when the girls were done, we walked out of Mr. Donut looking as though we had just gone on a shopping spree on 5th Avenue.

I didn't take a picture of it, but the amount of packaging they gave us for a few donuts and three cups of coffee was unreal. I had to use both hands to carry everything.

A walk through Gion

Earlier this morning, I was on the computer attempting to help Tomo upload some photos she had on the computer to Tariq's server back home in Toronto. The FTP was taking forever and by the time Mika showed up at the door, I wasn't even halfway done.

While we were waiting, Mika hopped onto MSN Messenger and got some ideas from Tomo and Tariq about where to take me in Gion today. Apart from Mr. Donut, the plan consisted of a few famous temples in Gion (the old geisha district in Kyoto), some obscure dessert place for soy milk ice cream and a shopping center so that I could pick up something for my little sister.

First stop: some temple. I think we disturbed whatever it was that was going on by opening the door and peeking in.

When you have some great locals who are willing to take you around and play tourguide, you get lazy. Knowing that I was in good hands with Mika and Mari, I didn't ask many questions, nor did I even write down what we were seeing or where specifically we were going. My camera will have to do the talking for me here:

A lot of the sights were vaguely familiar to me, as I had been here before, years ago when visiting my friends Christina and Tom.

Of couse, I wasn't paying attention back then either (since Chris was such a good guide), so everything was still fairly new to me. This time around however, we saw some maiko. I even got the nerve to ask them for a photo.

We walked the entire day, watching the sun rise, peak and begin its descent. We wove in and out of little streets that were lined with sliding wooden doors and panelled windows. I couldn't see what was going on inside, but I could hear the merriment as I passed by each establishment.

The streets were beginning to empty out, the girls were looking weary and I was getting there too, yet we were pressing on to find...something. Eventually, I asked Mika what it was that she wanted to show me. Turns out she was looking for the little soy milk ice cream place because Tariq had made her promise to take me there.

I told her to forget it and we went in search of some real food before hitting the mall. We settled on a soba restaurant nearby.

After the mall, we dropped Mari back home in Hirakata and went to pick up Kaori. The plan was to meet up with Jeff, whom I'd just left a few days ago in China, for dinner and a few drinks. We passed the time with coffee and sticker pictures.

Jeff called after he was done work and we met up at an izikaya in Umeda and drank the night away. Not a bad way to end off my stay in Osaka.

I ended up crashing at Jeff's place, as it was closer to the airport.

Maybe tomorrow, I'll want to settle down

One thing that I have learned in the past few years is that travelling is full of minor heartbreaks. I feel it with each article I stuff back into my pack, before moving on.

I've still got Tokyo ahead of me and as much as I look forward to that trip, I'm not sure how many more goodbyes I can take.