We arrived at the beautiful Sheraton Miyako Hotel on early Tue
sday evening. After settling in, we ventured next door to the Kintetsu Department Store for our first culinary experience. In Japan, the basement floors of department stores are a surprisingly gastronomic experience, with countless food counters for commuters on the go. Make no mistake, this is not y
our typical food court experience. The foods are delicately prepared and packaged as little gifts too pretty to open.
In Japan, grapes and cantelopes are an extravagent treat, usually gifted on special occasions. Can you believe this bunch of green grapes and a single cantelope costs about $120 (US) dollars??? We'll get our cantelopes from Safeway, thank you :)
The food counters are endless here! The top floor is dedicated to savory treats, while the bottom floor is filled with artistic pastries!
After taking a quick tour of the basement floors, we headed to the 12th floor. Here, we find a selection of fine dining establishments. This is where we have our first meal in Osaka. While we chose this one, the meals for the remainder of the week have been hand selected by the JCCNC committee to spoil us with the best that Osaka has to offer.
At the restaurant, T shows off his artistic collection of cold soba noodles and accompanying side dishes. The next morning, we meet bright and early for our first official group tour of the Osaka castle. Smile B-O-B!
After the Osaka castle, we head over to the Osaka museum for a quick lesson on Osaka's history. Here, Dale and T find a new (silent) partner.
After the museum, Ha and Roy decide to give news casting a try. Did we make the cut? After delivering the daily headlines, Ann does a wonderful job of informing us that we have a week of gorgeous weather to enjoy during our stay.
After a morning of running a muck, we're ready for our first culinary treat. With a group of 70+, we overtake a traditional udon house, where we take off our shoes and sit on mats for a delicious soupy meal. B-o-b is about to throw in this poo
r, live shrimp! (Notice how he can barely fit under the table at 6'2".)
After lunch, we head to the Doguyasuji, which is the restaurant supply area. This is where restaurants get their culinary tools, supplies, and ingredients. Knives are a big item here. You can
find over 70 different types and pay well over $1000 for one. Of course, we couldn't help but sample more food here as well. It has been about 30 minutes since our last meal after all!
After returning to the hotel and resting for about 45 minutes, we head out once again. This time, we get dressed up for a formal welcome reception at Taiko-en. Here, we get specially designed hopi coats for the 50th sister city anniversary. Don't you think the hot pink look esp
ecially nice our men? Oh, and the food was spectacular...Say, where's Gary? I think he's camera shy. I'll have to make sure we get a shot of him for our next blog entry.
See you tomorrow! 
