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Reading: Poet of the Appetites: The Lives and Loves of M.F.K. Fisher, Joan Reardon
Listening: "#1," Nelly

Saturday, March 22
In need of gym shoes, Chris and I went outlet shopping. Not at the nearby Tarumi or Sanda Outlets. That would be too easy. We prefer challenges involving distance and large amounts of gasoline, and for our Workout Gearゲット! Adventure, we drove to りんくうタウン(Rinku Town) in distant Osaka.

We stopped at a service area for lunch and views of the water.

We’d been watching back episodes of America’s Next Top Model, and I told Chris to strike a supermodel pose.

Osaka is famous for kushikatsu, essentially fried food on sticks. My shrimp have been rear ended!

After crossing many an expressway, we arrived at Rinku Premium Outlets! I ooh-ed over the Gap and BCBG, and nearly collapsed over discovering a Le Creuset store. Chris pulled me away from the glossy French cookware, however, and we spent our time and money at Adidas and Nike. We found deals on shoes and I picked up several cute gym outfits. Chris argues that what I term “the cute factor” shouldn’t matter when it comes to what you wear to work out, but hey, fashion isn’t his field. I’m now obsessed with the Stella McCartney for Adidas line. McCartney, a major designer whose runway looks I already love, has created ethereally feminine, yet highly movable pieces for sporty chicks.

For dinner we moved to the nearby りんくう AEON Mall, yet another behemoth of an AEON center. Unlike my much-loved Kita-Kobe version, however, this one has theaters. We stayed overnight at a nearby hotel whose brochures praised the convenience of the new Kansai International Airport. (Actually opened in 1994.)

Sunday, March 23
The following morning, we were ready for new adventuring involving local sightseeing and the acquisition of 道の駅 stamps.

At this riverside stop, spring was clearly in bloom. We also saw an enormous white dog.

Who does this to trees?!

Despite worries over bad weather, we visited a history park. The grounds were いっぱい with senior-citizen hikers, blooming flowers, and whimsical haniwa figures.

Just a peek.

In the evening, amidst a downpour, we returned to the AEON Mall, where Chris treated me to dinner at a “bakery restaurant” called BAQET. I nearly carb-OD’d at the bread bar (such a heaven could never exist in America), eating a total of nine fluffy rolls in flavors like garlic, cheese, butter-sugar, and raisin. My favorite bar selection, however, was the mini croissants. Paper thin, melt-on-your-tongue crisp layers enveloping a pillowy pocket of buttery softness. Mmm.

My butter-shoyu mushroom pasta.

Chock full of bread goodness, we headed home, clearly in need of hitting the gym. The diet begins later.