I'm a Survivor, I'm a Blowfish Eater

On a normal, day it takes me about 15 to 20 minutes to get to Kyoto Station. I love the fact that I live right next to two really convenient bus lines. The 206 takes me to Kyoto Station. The 201 takes me to Shijo-Kawaramachi.

But on Thursday (Happy Turkey Day to all!!) it took me an HOUR to get to Kyoto Station. Don't ask me why. I saw alot of people walking around and alot of people at temples; the 206 goes past Yasaka Jinja in Gion, Kiyomizu-dera and Sanjusangendo-dera.

Seriously! What is up with the people in the streets and the temples/shrines? I know that 11/23 was Labor Thanksgiving Day but do they take something like that that seriously in Kyoto? There is always some holiday or festival here, so I have no clue. It's a year long party here.

I got to the Hilton Osaka (where Colleen's mom was staying before heading onto Kyoto) and met up with Colleen. The Hilton is NICE. It beats the regular American Hiltons, hands down. The view was great and in the Excutive Lounge, they had free aperitifs, and little desserts with Moet & Chandon champagne, the whole nine yards. And, the whole hotel was decked with all the boughs of holly that Osaka had to offer. Really nice Christmas Trees.

So, I met Colleen's mom (awesome, nice lady) and we all trooped off for turkey. We went to Tin's-Hall (a DAMN fine bar, according to their website) which had the turkey dinner; unfortunately, the pumpkin pie ran out. It was a total gaijin place, but not as sketchy as I thought. They had COSTCO sized FRENCH"S mustard! The food was good, albeit the potatoes were cold and I wished there was more gravy. Oh well - for turkey dinner 6000 miles away it was pretty good.

Colleen and her mom invited me to stay over with them at the Hilton Osaka. I am so grateful and thankful for the invitation; it made Thanksgiving more like Thanksgiving, if you get what I mean with the families and all. After dinner, we went back to the hotel and sat in the Executive Lounge, we munched on cookies and had coffee and wine. It was really just out of a movie. All that was missing was background music (or was there?)

So the next day, we went back to the Executive Lounge and had breakfast. MMM...I love continental breakfasts. I had granola, eggs, toast, apricots, some dim sum (as there was Japanese and Western breakfasts) and cappucino. After breakfast, Colleen's mom went for a swim and Colleen and I went exploring around the hotel and the adjacent shopping center. We both found an L.L.Bean; there is hardly any L.L. Bean stores (that I know of) in NYC and I find one in Osaka. Go figure. There was a toebag that I liked (the one that Ellen Pompeo's character uses in Grey's Anatomy) but I wanted to double check the price on the American website. It was about $10 cheaper in the United States; however, when you include tax and shipping costs, its about the same price. So it doesn't matter where I get it - so I might as well get it here. Maybe in January. I need a new tote bag for school regardless - my Herve Bag is ready to bite the dust. It's 5 years old, and is ripped on the inside. It did really well and I have taken it everywhere (Greece, London, now here) so it's time to put the French bag to rest.

After L.L.Bean, I said good bye to Colleen and her mom and met up with my Fordham friend, Mayuko. She is from Osaka, but came to the States for college. We hung out and walked all over Osaka - when we got really tired, we headed on back to Mayuko's house. She has alot of cats, but they were so cute! One of them was a orange himalayan, reminded me of Hermione's cat from Harry Potter, Crookshanks.

Amidst all the cooing over her cats, Mayuko asked me where I wanted to eat for dinner. We had ramen earlier at this really famous ramen restaurant. I told her that anything is good; I don't really know Osaka that well and since I heard it's pretty well known for the food I was game for almost anything.

"Do you know blowfish?"

I surely knew about blowfish. I knew that it was ridiculously expensive, somewhat POISONOUS if not prepared properly, and that restuarants needed a license to cook it. I was a bit uneasy about the whole prospect, but I figured why not - Mayuko has been eating it since she was a kid and she certainly isn't dead.

Mayuko's mom is sweet. We had alot of fun at the blowfish restuarant; it was a place that Mayuko's family has been going to for over 25 years - as her mom put it "Mayuko has been eating here since before she was born."

Eating blowfish is a process. There is a bowl of water with seaweed in it boling to make a stock for soup, and you put some of the blowfish and veggies in it - nabe. There is also blowfish sashimi: really thin pieces of raw blowfish. I was glancing at it a bit warily (raw fish that can kill you?) but her mom showed me that I can take the sashimi and swish it through the boiling soup, shabu-shabu style. So I did that for most of the sashimi. I was getting really full, and the shiitake mushrooms were amazing. I even tried a little bit of this sake that has bit of cooked blowfish in it (I think, or was it mushroom?) for flavor. It was really strong, just as strong as tsipuro.

The restuarant was really nice; very traditional, with private tatami rooms for eating upstairs in addition to the stools and bar downstairs for casual diners. The people that owned the restaurant lived behind the restaurant and knew Mayuko's family pretty well, I beleive. All in all it was a nice experience, and I know that this is something I would not have done if I had not known Mayuko.

Mayuko and her mom then dropped me off at the JR Osaka station and I headed back on home. Every time I take the JR, I have to ask someone to just double check if I am on the right platform - they do indicate it on the signs in both English and Japanese but for all the efficiency of the Japanese rail system, it is sure complicated. Took me about an hour and a half to get home - the streets in Kyoto were still crowded, but at least the but was only a half hour.