I didn't think I'd see the day, especially so soon after our arrival in Osaka, but yes, the culinary food tour brought the SF delegation to its knees. At this point, the adrenaline that was pumping through our veins upon arrival has lost its potency, and our bodies and mind are numb with sleep deprivation due to the jet lag many of us have been inflicted with.
Being true foodie soldiers, that did not prevent many of us from participating in the optional tour of the Chuo Ichiba, Osaka's fish market. We marched ou
t of bed, donned our elastic-banned foodie attire, and embarked on our next adventure promptly at 06 hour. Upon our arrival, we lined the busy sidewalk, awaiting directions to enter this foreign territory of fish bidding wars.Our march was halted upon arrival by an official that declared our e
ntry was forbidden. Diane, our JCCCNC general, explained that we had obtained the proper autho
rization from the city officials to allow our delegation to tour this fishy land. (Our noses confirmed that we in fact had arrived at the correct destination!) However, the Japanese soldier was unconvinced, and Diane was unable to contact her city contacts at roughly 06:30. Refusing to accept defeat, Diane led her foodie soldiers in a new direction to the Namba market, a smaller yet still fascinating fish and food market. Temporarily discouraged, the soldiers bounced back with 
enthusiasm as we toured this alternate venue. At about 08:30, we headed back to the Sheraton Miyako Hotel, where we enjoyed a delicious breakfast buffet of American a
nd Japanese fare.After breakfast, Ann assumed her position a
s a the purple group leader, waving her purple JCCCNC flag to lead her troops through an official tour of the Kintetsu Department Food Store. (Yes, our family cheated on the first night and took a sneak peak and taste!) Our purple delegation was assisted by Kenji, an official city volunteer interpreter
that allowed us to interact with the food venders. We started with pastry floor first, where Ann and Ha tasted their way through the beautiful dessert displays. We then marched upstairs, where we then sampled savory treats. See how Dad is enjoying his piping hot fish and shrimp cake? Yum! It's just about 10:30 when we finish our department store food tour. Recall that we've had a full breakfast, proceeded by a tasting food tour. What next? We gather in the hotel lobby, where we go to lunch of course! Unknowingly, the foodies are paving the inevitable road to their own pathetic surrender...
