the farmer in the field, Otoosan returns to the garden

today is supposed to be the warmest day of this year (so far)(here in Minoo) and it is quite a beautiful day starting out on this tuesday, my 2nd to the last day in Japan (on this trip). Noriko has gone to work. Noriko`s Mother is still in the hospital. and Noriko`s Father is...i had better check...is working in the front garden... again. the farmer to the east of us has begun to prepare his field for this year`s rice season. this morning Noriko`s Father and i were doing some yard work...i thought we had finished. soon it will be time for me to walk to Kikuya for our obento lunch. and then a nap would be nice but i think it will be time
for some singing. and around 3pm, a family friend will stop by to check on us.
she will either bring something for dinner for us or we will go to a nearby restuarant as Noriko will not be home until after 7pm. this and that so far is my April 15th. 　(not monday the 14th as the blog date shows).

yesterday i walked to see how Sakuradori had changed since last week`s rain. most of the cherry blossoms were gone and in their place was fresh green leaves. i did find a couple of blossoms left to take photos of as well as thousands of cherry blossoms petals はばびら on the sidewalk and street. Tony posed with some tulips i found and also with some cherry blossoms petals. i took the train to Umeda to do some sounvenir shopping but...the one shop i wanted to go was closed. i walked up and down some of the neighboring shotengai (shopping streets) but didn`t find what i was looking for. i ended up
at the Tiger Shop in the Hanshin Department store. i bought a few things and then on my way back to Hankyuu Department store i came across some street singers on the pedistrian overpass near the Osaka JR station. they were called Mild Seven. (not my favorite name for maybe obvious or not obvious reasons) but they were entertaining. they had me signed their "hata" (flag) and gave me a sticker with their band`s name on it. so back to the Hankyuu station and the 30 minute or so train ride back to Minoo. from there i walked to one of my favorite 100 yen shops but it was closed. the story of my day. i arrived home at 7pm but Noriko and her Father were still out running their errands and visiting Noriko`s Mother in the hospital.

let`s go back a little. on sunday, i talked Noriko into going to see the tulip fields at Banpaku Koen (Expo Park). she and her Father and i had a picnic there for an early birthday...for me. of course, we had takoyaki from Takozo for lunch as we sat close but not really next to the tulip fields. and they were almost in full bloom. i will have so many photos to add to my homepage and blog when i return. we had apple pie for dessert next to the tulip fields. after the park we stopped by to see Noriko`s Mother who has been in the hospital for my entire visit. she has lost weight that she didn`t need to lose. hopefully she will be home soon and for sure by my next visit...in a couple of weeks.

on saturday, i went to Namba Parks shopping area to hear Tozy(T-O-Zed-Y) and a few other singers. very entertaining. one was a cute 17 year-old from Fukuoka now living here in Osaka. i bought her demo cd and Tozy`s dvd which was filmed at Osaka`s Big Cat concert hall. avocadon! very entertaining. on the bus ride home from Senri-chuo, i met a sweet girl named ありさ. we have begun to exchange emails. it was her first time to speak English to a gaikoku-jin...foreigner. she likes music so maybe she will want to join me enjoying the music at next month`s Takatsuki Jazz Street festival which is scheduled for the 3rd and 4th of May which is during the busy (busy for most Japanese and their families) Golden Week weekend.

and last friday night, i finally listened to some of the Tom Morton Show (see links section on the right of this blog). it was good to hear his show again but a little overwhelming to hear so much English all at once. he read part of my email so that was nice. perhaps, i am one of his first listeners in Japan...at least the first from the south bay of LA. never found any Creamola Foam but i did find something similiar (perhaps, perhaps not) that i will send to him. it is little "cream soda"-flavored tablets that you add to water. i found it at the shop which has all the old-time candies and toys...not sure what it is called but the word is "なつかしい" in Japanese for the feeling that you get when you see something which reminds you of something/something special from the past.

time to check on Otoosan. i think he is back in the garden...