Osaka

I have never been to New York, but Osaka looks exactly like I would imagine it, just with Japanese advertising. That was my first impression. So here we go 4 blocks straight and then turn right. Then two blocks left, and half a block from there is our hotel. Manhattan distance — rings a bell from the university. The sun is quite harsh today. We are one of not many people who don't wear any SPF.

“This is Izakaya. Japanese-style bar”, the owner says. I am trying to translate the menu using my phone. A salaryman near us is smiling. He helps us choose what to order. We order two of whatever (I believe it was a Takoyaki set) plus a whiskey highball. “People in Osaka are more friendly than in Tokyo!” — the salaryman says. Then he types something on the phone. He shows me the screen. The translation app displays: “I only bother people because I want them to have a good time”. I smile, and we start a casual conversation. He is getting a bit too drunk. One more StrongZero, and we leave the bar and head to the hotel.

We pass an empty market. A worker puts a 10-liter bag filled with expired curry sauce into the garbage truck. The truck mechanisms try to swallow it but the bag sticks, inflates and explodes. My new shoes and shirt are now covered with stains. Thank God we have a laundromat in the hotel.

I spot the koi fishes in the moat of Osaka Castle. Four huge Koi! They are chilling in the morning sun, leisurely moving around and seeking something in the water. People are about as fast and energetic as the koi this morning. A few groups of seniors are doing tai-chi or some other gymnastics. Mom is installing two umbrellas in the umbrella holder on her bicycle. One for herself, one for her daughter wearing a yellow helmet. Daughter gives me an evil eye. Apparently Japanese kids are not smiling to the strangers. An advanced group of Osaka running club members is lapping around the park. The air temperature is slowly rising. A blue sky suggests a hot and humid weekend.

I am thinking of staying here for some time. To take an apprenticeship at the workshop or kitchen. One of those that take the simplest thing and hone it to perfection. Or to become a salaryman who takes three strong zeros at 7-Eleven every evening… I brush these thoughts off. The flight is scheduled, and the fate is determined long ago.