Today I was just planning on doing laundry. Most places in Japan that would mean I’d be at it at least half of the day but the washing machines at the Nishi-Umeda Hearton Hotel are almost as large as the ones in the US. And the driers are industrial (the same size as a normal US drier). So I was able to finish just as I was finishing breakfast in the hotel restaurant.

I thought I’d go see the area around the Osaka Sky Garden because last night I saw four tourists from Texas who were looking for it. I took them to the Tourist Information Center because it was on the way to where I thought the closer route would be. Turns out the suggested route from the hotel is to just keep walking and then turn north through a semi-industrial area. When I got there the building didn’t look like anything exciting, so I didn’t go up and just headed back towards the station through the underground route. There’s a big freight yard you have to get past to get to the Osaka Sky Garden. I think it’s closer to go underground.

I was pretty tired, so I decided to get a coffee at the Starbucks by the hotel. They already had the Xmas decorations up and had their praline latte. I also spent a lot of time unsuccessfully trying to register for the free wifi. After that I went back to the hotel and took a nap.

I knew I had to do a couple more things today. One was to pack up to leave. Another was to do my sister’s bidding and make sure they had down vests at Uniqlo. First, though, I thought I’d get ANOTHER coffee and a doughnut at Mr. Donut. I’m addicted to the things. There’s one in Umeda, but there’s also one at the next railway station. It’s not very far, though I had to go back through the industrial area again. Turns out there’s an easier route and it really isn’t that far.

Somehow I was drawn in by Mickey D’s. I wanted a normal hamburger but it wasn’t on their menu on the wall behind the registers. In fact, I couldn’t find it on the printed menu they had at by the register. I didn’t find it until after I ordered a Big Mac and saw a big sign on the side wall away from the registers that had their complete menu.

This is also sort of an experiment because I like Big Macs but they make my stomach hurt. I wanted to see if the Japanese Big Macs would treat me differently. It even tasted a little different as they grilled the patty longer and salted it more.

Of course I really set out for a doughnut so you know where I went next. Check out the evil-looking doughnut they gave me. They were brewing a fresh pot of not-very-good coffee. I even got a free refill.

I checked for down vests (they’re all over Uniqlo but not on the web page, I guess), got a haircut, and then went back to the hotel and puttered around not packing until I finally got around to packing. I have a ¥990 gym bag I bought at Ameyoko to hold the stuff I’m leaving here at this hotel (I’ll be back in 9 days from today) and so my suitcase feels a lot lighter.

I had that ¥500 ticket from last night so I went back to the Daimaru to spend it on dinner. I thought I’d go to the KYK tonkatsu shop since it’s a chain and it was good when I went before. I ordered the “healthy fall” dish and forgot to take a picture of the first few things they brought out. But here’s all the drinks you get with the meal. I think the tomato juice was just a sample, but it’s cold tea and umeshu (plum liquor).

It took a while and I was going to say it wasn’t the best (the tonkatsu was almost soggy) but it tasted great. I guess the herbed cutlet (there’s green around the pork inside of the breading) is juicier than a regular pork cutlet. They also gave me kurigohan, too! I went back for another drawing and didn’t win anything this time. That’s actually lucky because now I don’t feel obligated to come back to use any coupons.

So that’s it for my last day (for now) in Osaka. Tomorrow I meet my mom in Maebashi after four hours on the train. I’m hoping I can get a seat for the last two hours. Here’s a picture of my haircut. Looking at myself in the mirror, I still look pudgy but I think I must be losing weight walking every day and not eating much lunch. I better wear the pants I just bought because once I get back I won’t fit in them for very long.

I’m not sure if I’ll have access to the intarwebs for a couple of days so things may be a little quiet. If so, see you in a couple of days.