TELLING TALES OF AVERAGE LOVE

(photos from Osaka)

We finish the ride from Tokyo to Osaka and begin the last part of our trip:

- We show up at 3am at a friend of a friend's place in Osaka and wake up our gracious host John, who then gangs out with us till dawn. He also has possibly the only tall bike in Osaka.
- Our first day in Osaka = sleeping in/recovering, a flea market at a temple, cooking dinner at John's place.
- Wandering around Osaka late at night and getting caught in the rain. I take shelter under trees in a park, which works, sort of.
- It turns out I picked up some poison ivy while sheltering in the park. It spreads all over my arms and back (where I am scratching the scabby jellyfish wound).
- We ride around Osaka with Bike Summer and another friend of a friend, May-Z, a messenger in Osaka. She is rad, and also turns out to have grown up about right next door to my hometown. Random.
- After riding around Osaka, there are games of blindfolded-smash-the-watermelon (or fancy new track bike, dependingon your friends' sense of humor), and water gun foot down.
- We go to the opening of another "Piss bike" (slang for track bikes, from "Pista") boutique.
- John kind of kicks us out, due to our now mostly nocturnal schedule (I think).
- Almost walking into traffic while watching two guys practicing their "hip-hop dancing" on the street in front of the mirrored windows of an office building.
- Going to check out the Osaka Cycle Center (bicycle museum).
- Going out every single night in Osaka to shoot till 3-4am, and pretty much striking out. When you don't got it, you just don't, and there's not much you can do about it.
- May-Z takes us in on our last night in Osaka.
- We have to wrap up our bikes to take them on the bus back to Tokyo, so we find some "leisure tarps" and make nice little packages.
- Back in Tokyo I am still amused by the trains that squeak/sigh like someone having sex.
- "Have you ever heard of a knuckle-rice-ball?"
- Spending my last day in Japan going to and from the airport to confirm that we will not be charged another exorbitant fee to check our bicycles. We tried calling, but the phone number for the Japan Airways office at the airport is not available for the public to use.
- Conrad DJs a Cumbia party in Roppongi, all of our friends in Tokyo come out. It's a great send-off.
- The reputation of the Japanese as being polite and patient completely dissolves as soon as you enter rush hour on the subway, or waiting in line at the airport.
- I leave Japan and head home to NYC. . .

Learn Japanese:
"Onaka Suita" = My stomach is empty (I am hungry).
"Yo" = Good.
"Oishi" = Good taste.
"Imaichi" = Not so good.
"Yokunai" = Bad.
"Shashinka" = Photographer.
"Hori shi" = Tattoo artist.



MP3:

• The Antlers - Two

A band's place at last.