Journey to the East, Osaka Day 1

To stop by Osaka to visit my high-school buddy and spend a few days with an open agenda is an excellent way to recover from the intense and stressful Dialogue. Having done no homework of sightseeing or food tasting, I arrived in Osaka on a Friday afternoon. With Li's detailed messages, I easily bought the round-trip bus ticket from the airport to the city. The first person I saw after picking up my suitcases at the OCAT bus stop is Li, who seemed to appear magically. She and her hubby immediately took me to a grocery store, shopping for the key ingredient for the ski yaki dinner, high-quality beef (雪花牛). They bought so many plates, together with the freshest sashimi and veggies.

Li then took me to the hotel she reserved for me near her house. The room is very cozy with small space but top-notch facilities. I like the toilet in the bathroom the most!

Li's house occupies one single floor in an apartment building. They have been living there for almost a decade. The house is full of photos and artworks of a loving and busy family. Li let Hong take care of the dinner preparation, while took the time to show me around the house. The large balcony is so impressive, with one side as the place for Hong's golf practice, the other as Li's many flower and vegetable garden. The tomatoes are ripe for picking, and the 紫苏 has already been made into the refreshing and nutritious purple juice. Li even made the plum sake half a year ago. It is the perfect drink for the ski yaki, the Japanese hotpot with little broth but loads of veggies and beef. The boiled beef was dipped into fresh raw egg to give the tender beef another layer of smoothness. I have never tasted beef this tender!