All of the new things!

Saturday was fun even if it was full of cleaning. I got to sleep lots, which as the semester winds down becomes an every increasing need. When I did drag myself downstairs (at 11:30 or so), I shared a brief lunch with Kayoko and Okaasan. With that done, we started to clear space for the new fridge to come in and the old one to go out. The old fridge was emptied into some cold boxes and the kitchen counter, then cleaned. Next dinning room table and part of the couch were rearranged in the living room area. Then the shelf in front of the large window was cleared of boxes and knickknacks, so the window could be opened to let the fridges in and out. When that was done, Okaasan ran the vacuum cleaner over the newly revealed floor where the table and chairs had been. Finally, she and I pushed the old fridge from its place in the kitchen corner into the living room, and she cleaned the floor behind it. By the time all that was done, it was a little before 3 and the fridge guys were there!

They put a bunch of blankets/pads down in the dinning room, and over the window sill/self. Then they used the crane attached to their delivery truck to lift the box with the new fridge through the window and into the house. Kayoko didn't pay any attention to it-retreating to the tatami mat room and immersing herself on her laptop. I on the other hand sat on the couch and watched the goings on with rapt attention. I probably freaked the delivery guys out a bit with my staring, but I can't help it that I've never seen a fridge come in via a 2nd story window before! It was a strange and interesting sight. They quickly unboxed the new fridge (れいぞうこ、reizouko, by the way) and maneuvered it into place. Then they wrapped ropes and pulley cords around the old fridge and again used the crane to lower to the ground outside. The whole event took about 40 minutes or so, and then they were gone, and we had a new fridge and a dining room to rearrange.

For Sunday's entertainment, I met Kolla at Hirakata-shi eki (which Okaasan kindly offered to drive me to). We set off to Osaka with shopping on our minds! Our goal was Christmas shopping, but we managed to sneak a bit of personal shopping in too! :) The first stop was Shinsaibashi, an area known for its shopping districts and as a gathering place for Osaka's youth. We found plenty of both. Starting with the Sanrio Gallery and feasting our eyes on all of the Hello Kitty merchandise there, then moving on to some music shops, then a  clothing boutique or two, and throwing in a traditional Japanese good stores to round things out, we made our way from one end of the long street to the other, and a bit beyond as well. Around two o'clock or so we succumbed to hunger and joined the line outside Shakey's Restaurant, a pizza buffet place. The line moved quickly thankfully, and we soon got a booth and as much pizza, spaghetti, curry rice, and fried potatoes as we cared to eat.

After lunch, we headed back to the station and slowly made our way to Kyobashi station and from there to Korean town, which we'd been to before, but in the company of Japanese friends who knew where they were going. We found our way there eventually and even found a few of the same shops we had visited last time. All hail the glorious K-pop Boom!

We only spent a few hours wandering around that maze of streets and shops and then admitted exhaustion. We headed home for dinner, studying, and finally sleep!