T&J Travels #10: Japan 2018 (Part 3)

+ Yoshinoya +

I have 3 fast food joints I would like to try out in Japan. From our trip we only got a chance to try 2/3. The first one was Yoshinoya, the nearest and the only open fast food near our Osaka apartment (it was almost midnight already). I have ordered their beef bowl  with miso soup. I was hoping that the claim of being the best bowl in Japan would be true here because it clearly wasn't to me in the Philippines. I have tried my best to like what they offer back in Manila but no matter how many times I eat there I still find myself pissed after every meal.

I braced myself and ate a spoonful. Damn it. Why?! Even in Japan I still find it bland. The only redeeming factor of this meal is how their miso soup (as we realize later on) have tiny clams on it. At this cold we are both very grateful for any soup.

+ Konbini! +

We're regular patrons and for our stay in Japan we've visited all 3 major konbinis: Lawson, 7-11 and Mini Stop. All have the same offerings as far as I'm concerned. We didn't get the chance to try out their meals except for onigiri which I miss already! I also got myself different ice cream/popsicles whenever we could. We also bought neck warmers and gloves which is very convenient to fight the cold.

Because of the cold, on our every visit we make it a point to buy hand warmers (kairo) and try out different kinds. Unfortunately we only managed to get one to work properly and I forgot what brand it was! It was so effective that it was still warm when I discovered it on my jacket the day after.

But even with all the wonderful new things I see on their konbinis, I could not wrap my head around the thought that there are two things that are quite hard to find: body lotion and plain water. Mineral water is quite tricky even if it looks like one. One time we bought some weirdly flavored water that looked so innocent. Body lotion is hard to get by too. They have hand creams and HAIR LOTION of different types, I swear in one beauty drugstore (a lot like Watsons)  we went to, there are shelveS of hair lotions but not a single body lotion in sight.

So we walk all the calories away the entire day but how can anyone resist a sweet night cap?

One of the things we also notice is how easy it is to acquire adult magazines. You can't open them sure, but the covers are really suggestive. They share the same shelves with the latest manga editions, one of which was One Piece. I bought one on our first konbini trip for my sister (who I don't know how she's going to read) but what the heck, she was already ecstatic when I told her I found one. She's so excited in fact that I haven't even come home yet and she has already posted the photo I sent on Facebook.

++

We went home in silence. It's rare to find people around midnight unlike here in Manila where people are still abundant no matter what hour. Even the pachinko building near Kasai station is already closed. It's comforting that even at the lack of people you won't feel unsafe.