Around Osaka

Before the Japan trip fades into the past, I want to recommend staying at Yamatoya Honten, a hostel in Osaka.  A hostel in Japan would be a hotel anywhere else.  I can’t imagine what the hotels are like, other than very expensive.  I booked Yamatoya Honten via Travelocity.  It cost the two of us approximately $60 per night each for a shared private room.

It was well worth it.  In addition to a place to sleep, we had an eating area, a private bathroom with a small Japanese tub with hand-sprayer, and a Western style toilet.  I really really really really dislike using the traditional Japanese women’s toilet. Our bathroom even had special bathroom-only slippers.  And the seat was heated, among other things although we couldn’t figure out most of them.

The best surprise was being able to enjoy the use of the traditional Japanese public bath (men and women separate).  They provided robes for us to wear downstairs, which we most certainly did not arrange correctly.  But we entertained ourselves anyway as usual.

I should probably note that there are no beds at Yamatoya Honten.  The staff comes during the afternoon to make up mats and cherry pit pillows, then comes in the morning and puts them away.  They also set hot water for tea.  Jessie and I were quite comfortable this way, but we are both small people.  The room supposedly fits up to four.  I think that would be crowded unless you all really liked each other.

The hostel was centrally located near restaurants, a busy shopping area and two train lines.  The directions from the train were not very good.  I recommend printing out the address in Japanese so that people will be more able to point you in the right direction.  We wandered lost for an hour until finding a coffee shop merchant who spoke some English and kindly called the hostel for us to find out the address in Japanese.

A general note about traveling in Japan – most places do not accept credit cards or debit cards.  I was able to pay for the hostel by credit card but only because I booked on-line.  Take a lot of cash and exchange it at the airport (or beforehand).  Also, food is very expensive, in addition to the dismal exchange rate.  Jessie and I had to come up with a new plan after we realized we’d spent $120 on our first modest meal with beer.  We bought breakfast items at a grocery (which we stored in the small refrigerator in the room), snacked on nuts and coffee in a can in the afternoon, then splurged on big sushi dinners.

Yamatoya Honten

2-17-4 Shimanouchi, Chuo-ku,
Osaka-city, Osaka 542-0082, Japan

TEL:(06)6211-3587
International: +81-6-6211-3587
FAX:(06)6212-1553
International: +81-6-6212-1553

Check-in: 3:00p.m.
Check-out:10:00a.m.

http://www.yamatoyahonten.co.jp/eng/

Around Osaka

 

peace man, that's where it's at

 

Corn Dog Man & Jessie

 

Corn Dog Man & Sara

Capybara & Obama & Me

See Flickr for more of my favorite pics from around Osaka.

What does my dream mean? No wait, don’t answer that.

I am standing in line for a public restroom.  In France.  The room is cavernous, the tall walls made of red rock with decorative wavy strips of copper running from floor to ceiling.  There are a few Americans in line ahead of me, all older with gray hair.  One at a time they walk up an elevated path which curves around the rock wall.  They reappear on an upper level where there are two stall doors and a stone trough, presumably for quick urination although everyone chooses the stalls.

When it is my turn I head up the path, but when I turn the corner it ends and I can’t see a way to the bathrooms.  I have to hoist myself up a series of waist-high rock shelves.  At the top there is a chain spanning the steep drop.  I swing hand over hand, thinking there is no way all the other people did this.  Once safely across I see the path again which curves around revealing the row of restrooms.

There seems to be no one else left in the large room.  I go into one of the stalls, which is quite clean except the toilet hasn’t been flushed and the water is murky brown in the bottom of the bowl.  I sit down to pee.  After a moment I hear noises and shouts of men speaking French.  They are very upset.  The door opens.  The oh-so-very-French man standing there has short brown hair and a little mustache like the inspector in the old Pink Panther movies.  I gather that he and his men are from security and are swarming the bathroom because they saw me on video climbing around on the structures.

Clouseau says that there is no pooping in the bathrooms and that if I am pooping there is a five Euro fine.  I assure him that I have only pissed, but he insists on checking the toilet.  I protest that the mess was already there.  He says, “Perhaps that is true,” and charges five Euro anyway.

Merde.

When do triathletes pee?

I would like to take this opportunity to address another VERY IMPORTANT ISSUE.  This issue arose during a recent conversation with friends.   The pressing question of the moment is: When and Where do Triathletes and Marathoners do the #1 during a race? Some of the people had walked or run marathons in a non-competitive capacity (Race For The Cure, for example).  They used the port-a-potty during the race as needed.  But what about people who are competing?  If every second counts, when and how do they go to the bathroom?   I said they don’t, that the intense exercise prevents them from having to eliminate until they’re done.  It was also suggested that the athletes use a bag or a diaper, like astronauts.

Luckily my parent-in-laws visited this week-end.  They are triathlon competitors (in town to visit and oh by the way burn 5000 calories while our lazy hung-over asses slept in).  Their answer:  They don’t.  Legend said he can run and bike for 12 hours or more without going to the bathroom.  He might drink 3 gallons of water but he just sweats it all out.  He said there are port-a-potties set up but if you’re being really competitive you just skip them.  He said the Tour de France riders have been known to just pee off the side of the bike while riding; it’s just not shown on T.V. (I’m shocked that I couldn’t find a YouTube video of this – I guess some things are still sacred.)

Atilla did fess up that sometimes competitors will pee in the water during the swimming portion of the race.  I’ve peed in a lake before and found it more than challenging to stay afloat and wee-wee all at once.  I can’t imagine being able to accomplish peeing and swimming at the same time.  I guess that’s why I was in Drama.  Anyway, Atilla won 5th in her age group for women (she very often takes 1st; I blame the loss on competing against abnormally tall women of Nordic decent.)

Legend took 1st place in his men’s age group and 68th out of all 1100 competitors.

For a full answer by athletes, read here.