Osaka - Part 2

The FUGU (Blowfish) experience.

I survived the fugu ordeal and got a certificate from the chef. Here are some details and other trivia.

After they served us fugu sashimi and deep fried, a whole fish, fresh out of the tank, was brought to the table for shabu-shabu. The flesh was still pulsating. Unlike people in the west who want to separate meat eating from the violence of the slaughtering, the Japanese accept it as part of the ordeal of life and consider westerners highly hypocritical in this matter. Each and every serving was delicious in taste and texture. Between raw fish, sake, and beer I lost count after the 6^th or 7^th course.

At another dinner, the Japanese colleague explained, while eating soft and delicious salmon, that the best time to have Japanese salmon is in the fall. Between English and Japanese he explained that at this time the salmon is going up the river to get pregnant and for gynecological reason her body is swollen, a condition that makes the flesh very soft and tender.

Freeways over the city.

There are freeways everywhere over central Osaka, some running at heights of 10 story buildings. In the photo above, there was no space to create an exit and the freeway went through the building. Would not want to have my office on the 7^th or 3^rd floor!

The “Marriage Buddha.”

Trough a small alley in Dotomburi, near ShinsaiBashi one can find the “Marriage Buddha”. Legend has it that if you sprinkle the Buddha and his assistants with water, your marriage request will be answered. So, people from Japan, mostly women, keep the statues soaking wet 365 days a year. As a result, the statues are covered with moss. In case you find yourself in Osaka, and you are looking, go check it out. If you see a good looking woman (or man) drenching the statue, you know she is looking too. This is the moment when the time you took learning Japanese will be redeemed.

The Takarazuka All Women’s Review.

The Osaka Kabuki and No theaters were not in session, so I went to the Takarazuka Women’s Review, a variety show by an all women troupe. The school associated with the group is the toughest to get into in Japan, accepting only 30 or so girls per year. The Japanese do not believe in equal opportunity, so the girls have to be very pretty and with talent in acting, singing and dancing to be accepted even for the audition. And on stage they were. All 100 or them. The audience was also almost 100% women as you can see at the photo from the exit. Japanese men snub it (something about polarity). The most popular stars are the ones who play and sing the roles of men, something they do with great sensitivity and grace. Their tango in one of the scenes could use some help

Japanese Fashion

The top and the bottom: Very short shorts and stockings high over the knees never made sense to me. But if something does not make sense to me, it does mean that it is not right. Japs usually nod when they cross your path and quite often women bow to men, even to random ones like me. However, I did not see this girl turning any heads, except the ones of westerners. In Japan, many things are extreme, including the polarity between men and women, women blossom, men are in their caves. Schoolchildren, up to senior high, wear uniforms with hats or caps

The Osaka Samurai Castle

My oldest of my nephews, expert in Samurai themed video games, know the Osaka-Jo inside out, including the secret passages and phantoms trapped between the stones of the walls. I got to experience the real one instead of the virtual. The walls and moats that surround the castle are a great sight too. Originally built around 1580, it was destroyed and rebuilt quite a few times. Now it is the most visited site in Japan and a symbol of Japanese unity.

Tako-Ishi (Octopus stone) forms the wall at the entrance area. It was brought to the castle from 60 miles away. For the record, it is 130 tons and has a surface of 60+ square meters (600 ft-sq).

Next stop is Kyoto.

Last Site Update: 12/5/2017
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