Happy Thanksgiving!

I like holidays that are genuine... and Thanksgiving is one of those Holidays. Who doesn't like to eat good food with good people? I've had some pretty creative Thanksgivings since leaving home and this year was no exception. Scott and I went to 4 different grocery stores looking for turkey, canned yam, cranberry and stuffing... as we suspected, it was no where to be found. Nevertheless we had a great little feast that really hit the spot. Brats, ham, mashed potatoes, cranberries and red wine. Umai! We also bought a baguette but when I cut into it there was caramel spread on the inside- surprise! Heh, that will be desert I guess. We had to buy a wine key for the wine and the corkscrew BROKE OFF in the CORK!! Haha... Luckily Scott is handy with scissors. Once I'm out of the food coma, I might even venture out in search of Pumpkin Pie.

Thanksgiving dinner

He'll lick the bowl clean later...

Mmm! Hungry!!

Ze Wine

One of the rare times we bothered to use the table!

Haha... ooooh well.

"Cranberry America"

Aaahhh.

ZZzzzzz

Shopping and Style

I've always heard about the awesome shopping and crazy stores of Japan. As with most things that outsiders think are "crazy," it makes more sense once you understand where it fits in. Osaka is a big city, and people here are very stylish. No one leaves the house in sweat pants- not even the elderly. People wear their finest clothes while riding their bikes in the rain. The hair styles are amazing too- a lot of time is put into looking good- for women AND men. You can get a away with a lot just for the sake of fashion. Women can wear very little on their legs and they do not get cat calls or rude comments, because its fashionable. There doesn't seem to be a lot of "dress your age" mentality either. You can wear chains and studs and it doesn't matter what music you're listening to. The idea of fashion is simply for the sake of fashion- which I think is the way to be. Clothing here is like things you can find in America, but MORE so of whatever the look is. You could find a cute sweater in America, but in Japan that sweater has an oversized hood, pom pom drawstrings and furry cuffs. You could some drainpipe punk pants in America, and in Japan those pants have 5 patches, splatter paint on 1 leg, and chains strategically placed... and probably some zippers. Let's just say that the clothes I modify look like I bought them here. This is just my observation and opinion of course. Here are some photos of some clothes I've bought, and some stores I snuck photos in.

bat shorts!

New bag! Its beautiful.

Amazing store where things were 80% OFF!! HAPPY!!

She's not really a maid, she just works there.

OK.... some of it IS a little scary :)

The back of my ghosty sweater

Oversized hood... zips into the collar to create.... OVERSIZED COLLAR! Badass.

Leggings with built-in leg warmers. Yup.

Our Place

This is Melon Apartment! Tucked away in an alley, you wouldn't even know it was here. It is by no means a "Gaijin house" or foreigner's complex. The few neighbors I've encountered are Japanese- including the lady that takes care of 5+ cats! They are always outside waiting for her- kawaii! Inside it's very small but has nearly everything we need, and no space gone to waste. Notice the Eastern toilet with the sink on top- the sink runs automatically when you flush, and the water running down the sink fills the toilet! Wood paneling, weird metal doors, and closets you could live in give it a very cabin-y feel. The view is literally nothing- this ground floor apartment has walls <1 foot from the windows... but I spotted (and heard) 2 little visitors in that tiny space.... see the video at the bottom!

Around Town - Osaka

An awesome ferris wheel that I'm gonna ride!

Ummm, ok! ET!

"Wind up walking action. Fluffy feeling." PLUS the big one has a tie.

Right around the corner!

So many arcades!

Why yes, yes I do!

Diving right in...

Flight 1: Phoenix -> San Francisco (8 AM NOV 1)

Flight 2: San Francisco -> Tokyo

Flight 3: Tokyo -> Osaka (6 PM Nov 2)

Next, the Monorail to Yamada Station... then the Osaka Metro to Nipponbashi Station on the Sakaisuji Line. This took us a little longer than planned so the Apartment Manager for the Melon Apartment that we were supposed to meet with had already went home. No cash, no place to stay, no phones, and no patience left... + 3 heavy bags each. Luckily the Dotonbori area is very lively and we were able to find a hotel. The hotel was very traditional and the owners were very nice. I had already relaxed and put on my Yukata (provided by the hotel) when Scott found out that the place was cash only. So he braved the elements and found an ATM, while I set up the futon pads for bedtime.

The next day's mission would be to call the Apartment Manager and try to meet up.