osaka-121217

woke up to a beautiful city scape view out my window

headed to the hotel buffet breakfast which I'd paid for as part of my room.   In general breakfast in Japan has been a low key event, but this buffet was pretty good in terms of

quantity and variety of foods.    Here's an array of what I ate:

Along with two glasses of orange juice it was a pretty good breakfast.    There were many other buffet items, but I passed on them for today.

Will be back tomorrow and may try some additional items then.

After breakfast I waiting until around 10am to go out as most stores don't open until then.    Walked the "Namba Walk" (subway tunnel with many shops and stores)

and figured out this was the best/fastest way back to the food street for later use tonight.

Took the subway down a few stops to the exit for SpaWorld, the onsen place I visited a few years ago.   My memory was spot-on (despite my age!)

and I found my way to their front door without any trouble.     Bought my ticket (JPY 1200 - about $10-12), locked my shoes up in one locker, went upstairs to

the "men's floor" for the month (they alternate between men and women having a given themed floor each month -- this month men get the "europen onsen" floor 

while women get the "asian onsen" floor.    I've been to both having visited in the past at the end of one month and the beginning of another, so either was fine with me.

I locked my clothes up and headed for this amazing "Finish" (as in product-of-Finland) onsen section.    Basically these big tubs (I'd thought they were wooden, but they are 

more ceramic like) that you get into (one tub per person) and then are adrift in little tiny fizzy bubbles.   A lot like being immersed in a fizzy soft drink that is warm (35.8 degrees C-

they had a 'temperate clock' next to these tubs, or 96.44 degrees F).    Of course without the liquid being 'sticky' or gross -- just water with tiny little vertical fizzy bubbles.

Spaced on there for 30+ minutes, then tried several of the other european onsen features -- various hot soaks and the like.   Then did another 20+ minutes in the fizzy-tub again

(did I mention I really like that one?).    Finished up with a cleanup shower and headed back to the subway.

It was now lunchtime so I broke my lunch up into two different restaurants and a dessert place.    

On the way to lunch I spotted something that I just had to take photo of and say "I DO NOT want what this person had for lunch"--  maybe bad blowfish some time ago?

First I stopped at a "sushi boat" place -- one of those

sushi plates on a conveyer belt that you pick out plates as they roll past you on the belt.     Here's what it looked like and the three items I selected, along with

some nice hot tea.

Next I went to a gyoza restaurant and got an order of 6 gyoza.   Here's photo of the chef and the plate I got.

Since I had one for breakfast I didn't order any takoyaki, but I couldn't resist taking a video of one of the chef's making it outside:

And being me I couldn't NOT get another dessert sunday!   Back to the same place as last night, but this time I got one that featured strawberry bits and blueberries.

Wandered around a bit and then went back to the hotel for a hot shower and a long nap!    On the way I spotted this guy pulling a cart and had to

sneak a picture of him.

After a nice nap and some online catchup I headed out to a late dinner.   Decided to get sushi at another sushi place on the main dotombori drag -- here's a video of "light craziness" there

(I have been there when it is wall-to-wall, so this wasn't quite so bad, but still....)

Ordered several individual pieces of sushi and then an eel tray:

Afterwards I just HAD to stop by and get another one of those dessert sundaes that I like so much at the place around the corner.

I think it is actually frozen yogurt, but whatever it is I am hooked on it.

walked back through subway "namba-walk" shop area and got some cookies for travel tomorrow. 

Also stopped by the JR ticket window at the JR Namba station next to my hotel to buy the leg of the journey  for tomorrow

from Shin-Osaka station (a few subway station stops away from where I am now) to Odagowa station -- about a 3 hour ride on 

an older shinkansen bullet train.    This is to take me (eventually once I transfer to another local line at that end) to

Hakone-Yamoto station where I can catch a cab or a bus to my next overnight -- a ryokan onsen in the "resort area" of Hakone which

looks up (if it is clear) to Mt Fuji.    Looking forward to it!

Turning on for the night as tomorrow will be a big train-travel day.