Category: Traveling

Leaving Osaka: River Café, Muji Shopping, and Yakitori in Tatsuno

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Photo info: Apple iPhone 15 Pro, 6.7649998656528mm, f/1.8, 1/60 sec, ISO50
 “Chicken Nanban” Osaka, 2026

Time to leave Osaka and head home to Tatsuno. But not before one more good meal. 🍗

River Café specializes in chicken nanban, so of course I had to get the classic set. It was delicious and filling, exactly what you want before a two-hour train ride. Definitely worth a visit, just come early because the line can get long.

After lunch we squeezed in a bit more shopping, including a stop at my favorite store: Muji. I love their clothes because they are simple, good quality, and actually fit me well. This location at Grand Front Osaka had a really cool section with sample home rooms, kind of like IKEA but make it Japanese minimalist. I spotted a pair of shoes that caught my eye and took a photo for future reference.

Then it was time to grab our luggage from the station locker and make the trip back to Tatsuno. Once we got home and dropped everything off, we headed to a neighborhood yakitori spot for dinner and drinks. 🍢 A long day, but a really good one.

Photo info: Apple iPhone 15 Pro, 6.7649998656528mm, f/1.8, 1/60 sec, ISO50
 “Cool Shoes” Osaka, 2026
Photo info: Apple iPhone 15 Pro, 2.2200000286119mm, f/2.2, 1/270 sec, ISO40
 “The Train Home” Osaka, 2026
Photo info: Apple iPhone 15 Pro, 6.7649998656528mm, f/1.8, 1/35 sec, ISO1000
 “Local Manhole Cover” Tatsuno, 2026
Photo info: Apple iPhone 15 Pro, 6.7649998656528mm, f/1.8, 1/5 sec, ISO1000
 “Yakitori Restaurant” Tatsuno, 2026
Photo info: Apple iPhone 15 Pro, 6.7649998656528mm, f/1.8, 1/50 sec, ISO250
 “Evening Drinks” Tatsuno, 2026

A Day in Osaka

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Photo info: FUJIFILM X-T10, 27mm, f/5.6, 1/250 sec, ISO800
 “Shitennoji Entrance” Osaka, 2026

We spent a full day in Osaka recently, and it did not disappoint. 🙏

Our first stop was Shitennoji to pay our respects to Mariko’s late grandparents and father. It’s a massive temple complex, and we happened to visit on a flea market day, so the grounds were super crowded. Rows of old dishes, trinkets, and who-knows-what stretched across the courtyard. Mariko and Bay came away with some new dishware. I browsed through boxes of old watches but didn’t find any treasures. It was mostly junk.

From there we wandered over to the Kuromon area for lunch and a little exploring. I did score a new stamp for my collection book, which was one of the highlights of my day. 🗺️

We wrapped things up with more shopping in Namba before meeting Mariko’s mom for yakiniku dinner. The food was great, and by the end of it we were thoroughly full and thoroughly happy. A good Osaka day by any measure!

Photo info: FUJIFILM X-T10, 27mm, f/5.6, 1/1400 sec, ISO800
 “Shitennoji Pagoda” Osaka, 2026
Photo info: Apple iPhone 15 Pro, 6.7649998656528mm, f/1.8, 1/6400 sec, ISO64
 “Shitennoji Torii” Osaka, 2026
Photo info: Apple iPhone 15 Pro, 6.7649998656528mm, f/1.8, 1/1800 sec, ISO80
 “Okonomiyaki” Osaka, 2026
Photo info: Apple iPhone 15 Pro, 6.7649998656528mm, f/1.8, 1/60 sec, ISO125
 “Stamping” Osaka, 2026
Photo info: FUJIFILM X-T10, 27mm, f/4, 1/220 sec, ISO800
 “Making Sushi” Osaka, 2026
Photo info: Apple iPhone 15 Pro, 6.7649998656528mm, f/1.8, 1/6400 sec, ISO80
 “Dotonbori” Osaka, 2026
Photo info: Apple iPhone 15 Pro, 2.2200000286119mm, f/2.2, 1/60 sec, ISO1250
 “Namba Parks” Osaka, 2026

Umeda Shopping: Nintendo Store, Loft, and Tsutaya

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Photo info: Apple iPhone 15 Pro, 6.7649998656528mm, f/1.8, 1/120 sec, ISO80
 “Inkling” Osaka, 2026

We spent the day shopping in Umeda, Osaka, and it was a really good time. 🛍️

First stop was the Nintendo Store. We were in there for a while, just soaking it all in. I’m a big Splatoon fan, so I picked up a keychain and a notebook. I had my eye on a mini skateboard too, but no luck on that front.

From there we headed to Loft, where I found exactly what I was looking for: the Tomie A6 Hobonichi cover! Just the cover by itself, which was perfect since I can swap it right onto my current setup. Yatta! I also grabbed a Tomie Weeks (March start), which is super cool. I’ll use it for Japanese vocabulary notes. I still need a pencil board and an A5 cover to complete my Tomie Hobonichi collection, so the hunt continues. 👀

The last stop was Tsutaya Books, and wow, what a place. The layout is circular, so you just browse in one direction and loop back to where you started. They had an amazing wall of fancy fountain pens, a solid selection of more affordable pens, and even a camera section where I checked out the latest Fujifilm and Sony gear. Highly recommend if you ever find yourself in Umeda.

Photo info: Apple iPhone 15 Pro, 6.7649998656528mm, f/1.8, 1/160 sec, ISO64
 “Nintendo Characters” Osaka, 2026
Photo info: Apple iPhone 15 Pro, 6.7649998656528mm, f/1.8, 1/120 sec, ISO100
 “Splatoon Things” Osaka, 2026
Photo info: Apple iPhone 15 Pro, 6.7649998656528mm, f/1.8, 1/120 sec, ISO100
 “Tomie Cover” Osaka, 2026
Photo info: Apple iPhone 15 Pro, 6.7649998656528mm, f/1.8, 1/60 sec, ISO200
 “Fancy Fountain Pens” Osaka, 2026
Photo info: Apple iPhone 15 Pro, 6.7649998656528mm, f/1.8, 1/60 sec, ISO250
 “Pretty Kakunos” Osaka, 2026

Travel Day Two

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Photo info: Apple iPhone 15 Pro, 6.7649998656528mm, f/1.8, 1/35 sec, ISO250
 “Olympics in Haneda” Tokyo, 2026

Day two of my journey to Japan was blissfully uneventful compared to day one. My United flight was comfortable, the food kept coming, and yes, there was complimentary wine, which certainly helped set the mood. I read quite a bit, did some journaling in my Hobonichi, and watched a couple episodes of Frieren. Not a bad way to spend a long flight across the Pacific.

Landing at Haneda was a breeze. I made it through immigration quickly and headed off to catch my flight to Kansai International Airport. That flight was delayed about 20 minutes thanks to a snowstorm sweeping across much of the country. Still, I was very happy to arrive today instead of tomorrow, when the weather is supposed to be even wilder. Better or worse depending on how much you love snow, right?

Once in Osaka, I sent my big suitcase ahead to our house in Tatsuno and began the long train journey west. It was a little confusing since Google Maps was not completely accurate with the train line names, but I managed. What I loved most was tapping through the ticket gates with my Apple Wallet. No paper tickets, nor fumbling at the machines with cash! So smooth. I have not been to Japan in ten years, and it is really neat how much has changed.

At Himeji Station, Mariko and Bay picked me up in their rental car, and we made the final drive to our house in Tatsuno. It was past 11 pm by the time we arrived, but I still managed a few pieces of sushi before slipping into the ofuro for a quick soak. Then it was straight to bed.

After two very long days of travel, it felt like the perfect ending. Japan, at last!

Travel Day One

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Photo info: Apple iPhone 15 Pro, 2.2200000286119mm, f/2.2, 1/30 sec, ISO1250
 “Lounge Time” Austin, 2026

Today was day one of my journey to Japan. With the 15 hour time difference, this little adventure will stretch across two full days. It all started at 4:00 am so I could make my 6:30 am flight to LAX. Coffee was definitely required. I actually wanted to celebrate with a glass of bubbly at the lounge, but the bar didn’t open until 7 am. Oh well.

The plan was simple enough: LAX to Haneda, then a quick hop over to Itami. Easy, right? Not quite. My flight out of LAX was delayed, and just like that I was automatically rebooked for the next day. Not exactly the plot twist I was hoping for.

So I made my way to the American Airlines lounge at LAX, where a very kind and capable agent worked her magic. She managed to get me on a United flight leaving just two hours later. Crisis averted! Well, mostly. The only catch was that my connection from Haneda would now take me to Kansai instead of Itami. At that point, though, I was just happy to be moving in the right direction and end up in Japan.

Here’s hoping the rest of the journey is smooth sailing. Japan, I’m on my way! Woohoo!

All Packed and Ready to Go

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Photo info: Apple iPhone 15 Pro, 6.7649998656528mm, f/1.8, 1/40 sec, ISO640
 “Packed” Cedar Park, 2026

I’m all packed and ready to go to Japan! ✈️🇯🇵 It’s hard to believe that I’m finally going to visit our house there. If you didn’t know, we bought a home in Hyogo prefecture, and the renovation work has just been completed. It still hasn’t fully sunk in that we actually own a house in Japan. Honestly, it feels like a dream come true ✨

I’m traveling with a full suitcase and a carry-on. The carry-on is carefully packed with dishes and pottery, while the checked bag is filled with tortillas, salsa, Mexican spices, and some Austin beer 🍺🌮 We’re planning a small party at our house for the craftspeople who worked on the renovation, and it feels really special to be able to share a little taste of home with them.

I can’t wait to finally see everything in person and celebrate this moment. It’s going to be such a fun and meaningful trip 💛

Back to Texas

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Photo info: Apple iPhone 15 Pro, 6.7649998656528mm, f/1.8, 1/60 sec, ISO200
 “Lounge Drinks” Los Angeles, 2025

Our holiday break in SoCal came to an end today and we returned home to Texas. It was such a fun trip filled with good food and fun. Cheers until next time!

Photo info: Apple iPhone 15 Pro, 6.7649998656528mm, f/1.8, 1/50 sec, ISO320
 “Runway Bus” Los Angeles, 2025