As planned, I worked from the hotel while Wda went to the convention center where the big event was held. In the middle of work, I could not log in to Internet. It got so bad that I checked with the receptionist to ask if something wrong happened to the Internet connection. She said that it was due to the high usage, after all the hotel was one of the official accommodations for the G20 Osaka.
After the daily work was submitted, I browsed for local Internet cafe and went out to work on my weekly report. It took me a few walks and turns before realizing that the Internet cafe was on the second floor of one of the buildings that I have passed.
Just like the Internet cafe in Shin-Imamiya, this one also served free flow drink. The staff directed me to an empty booth. Next to me was a man, who looked a bit older, but I couldn't be sure because Asians always looked younger than they really are. As I started to work, this man disturbed me with his gas production. Seriously! I believed he farted five times while sitting there. I tried to hold my breath everytime he did it.
I was having difficult time to work with this keyboard in the Internet cafe. Finally used my laptop. But the Internet connection was still a bit slower compared to the hotel.
After I completed the reports, I went back to take a few hours of rest. Then I scrolled IG and saw that yesterday Finance Minister Sri Mulyani was having dinner is Naritaya, a halal restaurant in Namba. I jumped onto my feet and headed to the restaurant.
The restaurant's facade
Signage on the front of the restaurant
Donburi and gyoza. Alhamdulillah for the halal meal.
Since it had been a tough day, I went with rice meal. Actually, today I tried to do fasting in summertime. For me, it was the first time to do a 16-hour fasting from dawn to dusk, plus I had to work. It is not easy. I salute all my Muslim brothers and sisters who have to do the summertime fasting. I feel totally blessed being able to live on the equator, where the day and night always have equal hour timetable.
When I was there, a group of Indonesians was coming in. They were in Osaka also for the G20. I finished my dinner quickly and left to give them seats.
When I was there, a group of Indonesians was coming in. They were in Osaka also for the G20. I finished my dinner quickly and left to give them seats.
June 28
The Internet was in trouble again today. But this time, I did not go to an Internet cafe. I simply went to the hotel lobby and worked there. Last night I tried logging into the WiFi on the hotel's lobby with my cellphone. The signal reception was better there compared to the room. So I figured that I could work in the lobby to save myself from being bombarded by farts.
When I told Wda about the fart incident, she apologized profusely. She said that most Japanese were polite. However, the Osakans are more laid back compared to the Tokyonites. She also said that I would not experience those fart incidents in Tokyo. I was like, hmm, ok, we would see about that.
This afternoon, I met with Echi, a journo who works for a Japanese media. We got acquainted in Jakarta more than 10 years ago. She moved to Tokyo with her family (husband and two sons) a little bit over a year ago. Since she would be assigned to cover G20 Osaka, we decided to meet in Osaka first. And if her schedule in Tokyo allowed it, we could meet again there.
We decided to have dinner at Chibo, a restaurant that specializes on halal okonomiyaki. FYI, okonomiyaki is a dish that originated in Osaka. Okonomiyaki is basically a savory Japanese pancake, made with flour, eggs, shredded cabbage, meat/protein, and topped with condiments.So if you're in Osaka, be sure to have a sample of this dish.
We went to Chibo in Namba and found a long queue. We asked the waitress who stood in front of the restaurant if there was a table for two, and no, we did not have any reservation. She told us to wait while she checked. Then she said that there would be an empty table for us in 5-10 minutes. So we waited. When we were told to enter the restaurant, the people who still waited in the queue line glared at us. The waiter explained to them that we had special seating for halal dishes.
It turned out that the seventh (or was it the fifth) floor was dedicated to Muslim customers. The menu on that floor did not use non-halal ingredients. Also, there is a praying room. The Japanese is truly a kind host who will go the extra mile to make the guests feeling comfortable.
We had okonomiyaki and fried soba. The waiter was an Indonesian student who works part time in the restaurant. He helped us with the hot plate stove and then left us to enjoy our meal. The stove got hot quickly, so we had to finish the dish in a hurry.
Okonomiyaki
Fried vegetarian yakisoba
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