Osaka, April 2005
"Sugi wa Sakuranomiya. Sakuranomiya desu. The next station is Sakuranomiya."
Delicious, I told myself as I browsed through one of those BEST 100 RAMEN SHOPS IN KINKI, SPRING 2005. Just a few stops more before the transit. I loved travelling on the Osaka Kanjo-sen. In a loop, I was able to see some of the most colourful sights of this Tokyo-rivalling city. And it was also on this train, at this particular moment that I saw you standing there, beaming under the sunlight, through the window.
I knew I had to make a stop here. I knew I had to see you. Perhaps a short konichi-wa, just. Ramen (and okonomiyaki and takoyaki) at Shinsaibashi can wait.
You blushed. Against your porcelain skin. It warmed my heart. My Ohana-chan, spring never felt so good. Until now.
We spent many a day together and I could go on talking about the hanamis, the picnics and sake that filled our spring. You made me believe in April's Snow. Live and die gloriously, that's your way of life. But acceptance was a painful curse of the cruel summer.
I read of your rebirth and now, you are back in Osaka again. But this is the closest I can get to you and there's no way that I'll be able to fill that empty, colourless space in me again. So, my Ohana-chan, let me dedicate this whole month to you. Let me drown my sorrow in Japanese food. Let me relive those beautiful, eternal days. Let me feel close to you again.
For you are worth every moment of this torment.
Every single moment, my Ohana-chan.
19 comments:
was wondering who was ur ohana-chan..hahah...when you plan to go back to see your loved one?
Oh Wow~ Lovely picture of the sakura!!!
Oh, how i long for a holiday... My heart yearns for thee...
err... so what's red?
Er... your Ohana-chan is the sakura blossoming season issit? Or am I reading too much into this? Maybe there is a fair Japanese maiden awaiting you in Osaka? ;)
(Blog readers can't help but be nosy-nosy ma...)
wanna fill your empty colourless space? sakura mochi is the answer. or sakura gelato, sakura cupcake...
sakura sakura....*singing*
joe, ohana-chan in japanese means "dearest flower". hehe. i would love to visit my ohana-chan again but...sigh...fuel tax is more expensive than the ticket itself...
jojo, i took that pic in 2005. yupe, go for a holiday, after your exams..haha! visit osaka and kyoto. my fave :)
fatboybakes, cherry blossoms are pink mah. so, it's slightly red lar. definitely not a sweeney todd thingy...haha!
kenny, guess it's a combination of both. the blooming season plus the lovely, beautiful maidens. basically, it's about the cherry blossoms lar. i was awed the first time i saw them.
haha, i also nosy-nosy at other ppl's blogs... :)
xiu long bao, i think i will equate that pink mochi with durians...taste like medicine..*horrors*...miss the steamed sakura cake in kyoto...
mimi, haha, i love the japanese version of that song. in fact, that song by moriyama naotaro is one of my fave Japanese songs.
Must've been a trip down memory lane for you, blogging about this. Great photo too!
Aiya... pai seh only. Sorry lor... didn't know 'ohana-chan' means 'dearest flower' --- My Nippon not so terror. Lol.
By the way, thanks for your, uhm, 'sweet' comment on my blog. I was finally inspired enough to reply in rhyme... But nothing like the terror-terror ones you and LL and FBB spin lah... :P
omg the flowers are breathtaking!!! (sorry la but they trump ur latest profile pic of trying to look like a celebrity ;p)
pretty!!! i love the sakura!~ love japan and very much wish to enjoy the sakura view in japan but the ticket to jp is real.... >_<
hazza, thanks! yupe, it was definitely an unforgettable experience. not just the cherry blossoms but also the food and the people. and the maikos too!
kenny, yay!! welcome to the club! hope we'll be able to inspire you to do a food post...terror? i've read your writings before lar. your poetry makes me sound like kristy lee cook while you're that talented david archuleta..hehe
jun, darn, i was "this" close..haha! i covered my face so that the readers wont run away..haha! the cherry blossoms were quite a beauty, werent they?
ai wei, yeah, the tickets are very expensive now. back then, the flight (including tax) cost me only about RM1200. I think it's much more now. wait for the MATTA fair!
nicely said:) i hv bn2 japan lk 10x in the past 6 yrs (for work).. but never caught the cherry blossoms.. wrong timing. how sad:(
Aiya... I really can't handle rhymes lor... No joke... You should read my latest response to your poem... It's a Rub-a-Dub sorta poem, haha.
(I miss the epic poetry slams you and LL and FBB used to launch...)
But. This post of yours did inspire me to write about poetry. Not write poetry, mind you. About Poetry. And Beauty. :)
such breathtaking view..i'll fall in love with it too
so lovely so lovely! drooling!
i always like the way you tell your tale : )
brother..i thought you just came back from Japan..hehe ;)
cumi & ciki, yeah, me too! that's the reason why i had to go back there again for a holiday..just for the cherry blossom...it was worth the air ticket!
kenny, hehe...will read in after this. and i'm sure it's good lar!
(yeah, that was fun! but quite taxing and i was not very productive at work that day...haha!)
i inspired you, a great writer, to write a post??? Wow, I am deeply honoured! *big grin*!!!
kampungboycitygal, yupe, yupe. absolutely breathtaking! if only we have this in this part of the world! hey, let's not forget bunga kertas! haha!
bigboysoven, it is lovely, isn't it?? hehe...stay tuned for a month of japanese food here. nothing else but j-food! haha!
ladyironchef, thanks a lot for the compliment! i hope you enjoyed reading as much as i enjoyed writing it! more to come!! :)
ekeng, haha! no lar, that was a few years back but the images are still very fresh in my mind...but i know someone just got back from a vacation lar..haha!
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