Day 13: Museums, and festivals and spreadsheets - oh my!

Today was unusual in many ways.  Not bad mind you, just unusual.

Last night the rain started at one in the morning and continued without break until noon, having two important effects;

1. The rain itself leeched out a great deal of stored heat energy from the city.  This city has been so hot the last few weeks that leaning on the outer walls of buildings, even late into the night, filled you with the heat of the day all over again.  The city has been bathed in heat, and a nights rain drew so much of that out and let it rundown the drain.
2. The cloud cover itself stopped the sun from penetrating down to the asphalt and starting the convection cycle over again, giving the city a chance to linger in this cool period.

By noon the city was only 25 celcius and cloudy. Despite the rain spiking the humidity, the city felt a relaxed shady cool for the entire day. 

With this I set off down the road from my HQ in the south of Osaka to visit the natural history museum.  It was a relaxed wander there, and through the various exhibits as well. 

Probably 6 feet wide!

After the heady highs of the aquarium yesterday the natural history museum was a tame affair. Aside from a few stand out pieces, the overall impression was sedate.  That said, for ¥300 ticket, it wasn't a bad experience either.

Included in the ticket price was access to the Nagai Botanical Gardens. A huge and sprawling plot of land filled with countless plants, animals and sections to explore.

Admittedly, visiting the gardens in the fall meant that I had missed the most spectacular blooms, but wandering the grounds was none the less relaxing.

As the sun set I headed back to the Banana Hammock, showered and checked in with Takanori. He assured me that the owner of the building would not be stopping by with a meal this evening, so I popped out to grab a bite.

Feeling lazy I set my sights on the 7-11 across the way and picked up a simple batch of premade udon and some gyoza to heat up back home. Upon returning I discovered that Takanori had stepped out, so I set about operating the microwave as best I could.

Not a minute after my food begun is slow spin towards warmth a Facebook message from Takanori popped up.  A photo from Sumiyoshi Taisha, the large and ancient Shinto shrine nearby.  There was a ceremony being performed. If I wanted to see it I had to get there ASAP!

Hastily the microwave was interrupted, and food slap-dashed into the fridge.  I popped off my slippers and half hopped out the door as I jammed crocs on my feet.

By now it is well after dark, and I instinctively head towards the shrine, not needing to check my map in this neighborhood any longer.

I arrived half way through, but this has not hindered my ability to understand what was happening, as I had none to begin.

Quietly I slipped into the crowd and watched.  The music a controlled chaos of wind and percussion instruments, and those involved in the ceremony move with a slow steadiness of those tracing the steps taken in this place for hundreds of years.

I moved around to the back for a better view and attempted to record further, to try and capture the impact and atmosphere of the moment, but I know my phone would simply never be up to that specific task, so I eventually slid it into my pocket and took in the moment for myself. 

The power of the music and the slow and purposeful grace of the ceremony in such an amazing place was inescapable.  The meaning may have been lost to me, but the intensity of the scene was not.  I felt lucky to have been able to see it with my own eyes. 

Things concluded and a short announcement news made, the crowd began filing out, and I stood still and let them file past me as I watched for a few moments longer, letting the heavy wood smoke from the now extinguished braziers fill my lungs and help imprint the memory into my mind.

The crowd now all but gone, I too turned and made my way back towards home.  I decided to walk through the neighboring park, and in doing so stumbled into a beautiful open-air concert.

A woman on the harp and a man playing guitar were performing for a small crowd across a small pond while surrounded by candles.

My stomach grumbled, insisting to keep moving, but their music was too beautiful to pass by.  I stopped and listened to what would turn out to be their last song for the night, a fraction of which I managed to capture for you;

Their song concluded, the audience cheered, and I continued on my path back to my udon, as my stomach was making its dissatisfaction audible.

Returning back I found the microwave already in use and had to wait. As I sat there, staring at a Japanese television program, Takanori shot off an innocent question "James-san, do you know how to used excel?"

Those who know my professional life know that I have probably lost many solid years of my life to excel.  I'm not good with it, but I know how to bend it without breaking it. 

So with that I dove in and we spent the next couple hours hammering away a spreadsheet for a new business venture he was working on. 

Normally I don't have too much trouble with Excel, even after extended periods away from it, like the one I am in now.  It comes back to be pretty quickly.  But to no one's surprise, trying to work in excel when everything is in Japanese, well, that slows things down.

But after much collaboration, with me suggesting ways to try and sort out his work, and then asking if those ideas actually made any sense when displayed in Japanese, we finally pounded it into shape.

It felt good to be able to spend time giving back to Takanori in this way.  He has repeatedly gone above and beyond to make my stay happy and comfortable.  His guest house became an unexpected safety net and security blanket these past few weeks.  So working for an hour or two at his side, using one of my few practical skills from game development, was very gratifying.

Tomorrow, very early, we will wake up and head to Takanori's home where I will meet his wife and children, and we will attend a festival together.

I am looking forward to it.