Journey to Kishiwada, パート１

Reading: Marie Antoinette: The Journey, Antonia Fraser
Listening: "How Far We've Come," Matchbox 20

Saturday, September 15
Despite having collapsed into bed tipsy and red-faced, I woke at 6:00 am for a shower. Thanks to Advil and water, I greeted Chris with a cheery "Good morning!" We packed up Super Windy with luggage and snacks and set out for Osaka!

The trek took about two hours from my place in Miki to 堺市 (Sakai City), the section of Osaka indicated in pink on the map above. Our first stop was a small (we were the only visitors) human rights museum on the lives on burakumin. The exhibit featured several displays detailing the lives of this group of Japanese outcasts.

Burakumin performed numerous tasks--such as working with leather--that were once considered impure.

Leaving the museum, we found lunch at U.K. Wildcats, a restaurant whose owner is deeply in love with the University of Kentucky. I couldn’t care about the name--the food was delicious.

The restaurant was full of Americana decor. And it played KSSK radio . . .

I ordered a plate called "Goodbye Donkey."

The dish includes a generous mound of garlic fried rice and a juicy hamburger topped with cheese, "special sauce," and a fried egg. Soup, salad, and pickles on the side.

I often write like a food snob, adoring the fancier and/or more expensive cuisine, yet this simple food ranks among the best I've eaten. U.K. Wildcats serves comfort food--the amazingly good eats that you wish you could curl up with. Eat with a large spoon.

After U.K. Wildcats, we went to 堺市博物館 (Sakai City Museum), located in the middle of a wide park. The museum provides the history behind the numerous 古墳 (burial mounds) found in the Sakai area, in addition to displaying artifacts--such as haniwa pottery--found in and around the tombs.

Sen-no-Rikyu and Chris. The former is a key figure in the history of Japanese tea ceremony.
The latter, not so much.

Us at the burial mound of Emperor Nintoku.

Image of the Nintoku tomb from above.
(Wikipedia image, not my own, obviously.)
The kofun is enormous! We took our picture at the gates located at the bottom of the keyhole.

From the museum, we drove to 浜寺公園 (Hamadera Park)--quite beautiful grounds for Osaka standards--where we shared a kakigoori at the park restaurant before heading to SATY.

At SATY, we window shopped. We found a cute white Chihuahua who fell in love with Chris. In the evening, I was exhausted and fell asleep quickly.