As I've been living in Japan for about two months now, I figured it's long past time that I wrote something about it. In list form!
1) Osaka! To my unending glee, I currently live in Osaka, my favorite city in Japan and my third favorite city in the world (silver goes to London, gold to New York). Most people are surprised or baffled when I mention this, because - according to others - Osaka's not all that remarkable. It's not known for being a particularly beautiful city, not like Kobe or Sapporo, and I've even heard it described by more than a few people as one of the ugliest cities they've ever visited.
I've tried countless times to explain why I love Osaka so much, but it's always been a challenge and ultimately I've never really communicated it well. I can only say that when I studied abroad in Kobe two years ago, I took the train to Osaka almost every day after class, and I'd usually stay until nightfall. I'd get lost on purpose, spend hours wandering the city, and at the end of my summer in Japan, I missed it more than Kobe. (However, now that I actually live in Osaka, I can appreciate the relative peace and greenery of Kobe compared with the harried pace and generally gray landscape of Osaka. All about perspective.)
Why Osaka? It's the people. It's the Osaka dialect. It's the views at night from Umeda Sky Tower and the Dotonbori Bridge. It's Namba Walk and the mini Fifth Avenue in Shinsaibashi and Amemura. It's Osaka Castle, Hep Five, Osaka Aquarium, Spa World, and Shitennoji Temple.
And it's the octopus balls.
2) My apartment! It's about average size for a studio in Japan, which means that in only ten economical strides, I can cook breakfast, take a shower, select my daily attire, check my email, vacuum, turn on some background music, open the window, hang some laundry, and still have nine steps left over with which I can jog four laps around the footstool/coffee table.
3) Transportation! I've owned two bicycles since arriving in Japan. The first one was stolen while I was at work even though I left it locked with two chains. I now own a second bike that's protected by three locks and a decently-sized, if possibly illegal, clone of Cerberus.
4) Hair! I've had two hair colors since I got here two months ago. When I got here, it was dirty blonde, and now it's dark brown. I went to K Salon (http://www.ksny.jp/en/staff.html), a fantastic salon run by Keiko and Hiroshi Fukumoto. They lived in New York for twenty years and owned a salon on Madison Avenue. They're both extremely kind and they were happy to talk to a foreigner who considers herself part New Yorker. I got a 20% discount since it was my first visit to the salon, an especially awesome addition to the experience since the price was already reasonable. I'm really happy with the color and I loved hanging out with Keiko and Hiroshi, so I'm definitely going back.
5) Summer! Summer in Osaka is wretched. Like, think every word that means awful or uncomfortable or Apocalyptically dismal. I mean, my love for Osaka is pretty damn impressive, but so too is the heat. Temperature on September 10th: 94 degrees; humidity: 70. Please repeat: GAH.
6) Linkin Park! I fully expect their new album to be stellar, so I plan on getting two: the one I'll download from iTunes once it's released, and the tangible one I'll buy here in Osaka.
9/15!
9/14!
9/15!
9/14!
(The album I preordered comes out on 9/14, but the Japanese release date is 9/15, and I'm a colossal dork for looking that up.)
Seriously, finally having the entire album on iTunes will be a great relief. I've been listening obsessively to "Blackout" on YouTube where I have to manually restart it every time the song ends. I need the song on iTunes where it'll repeat automatically. I need it like I need air conditioning, a dish of cookie dough ice cream, and seven down pillows spritzed with lavender.
