Osaka: Yo

Tuesday, 1st April, 2014.

Yo-san Suzuki was a systems engineer, then 14 years ago wanted to do more for the environment.  She studied environmental education in Sweden and now works on various environmental projects around Osaka.

Yo currently lives with her mother and grandmother in a typically tiny three-storied Japanese house.  Yo has one floor and has taken her floor off the electricity grid.  Her solar panels provide enough electricity for lighting and her computer, but not a fridge, so she does without.

Chisa (who has translated one of Carol’s children’s permaculture books into Japanese) had arranged for Yo to be our guide for the day in Osaka.

Yo took us to Momo, where the talk was to be held (more about Momo later), and then on a walking tour of the surrounding area.

 

 

Momo is an old Japanese style house in a residential area.  The streets are very narrow, but people still manage to grow flowers and vegetables outside their front door.

Here are Carol and Yo.  Frances and I are trailing along behind taking photos.

 

Yo took us to a tiny bakery, so small the four of us could hardly fit inside.

 

The same family has been running this bakery for about 30 years. 

I bought a carob bun.

 

Frances was intrigued that you could buy sand and gravel directly off a busy street.

 

Then a ghastly thing happened – the SD card in my camera failed!

This kind lady in a corner store sold me a new one.  Back in action again!

 

Outside a restaurant was a tank of puffer fish awaiting their fate.  Yo said they must have had a big party coming up, as there are usually only one or two in the tank.

Apparently puffer fish are poisonous unless cooked correctly.  I’m not planning to test this.

 

Puffer fish up close:

 

 

 

We passed the Asahi brewery.

Across the road from the brewery were the Asahi Brewery Gardens.  Seen from the gardens, the brewery looked quite attractive:

 

The gardens themselves were spectacular!

While the cherry blossom season wasn’t due to open for another two days in Osaka, the flowers looked quite stunning to us!

Here are some shots taken in the Asahi Brewery Gardens:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Frances admires the construction of this fence.

 

 

 

 

And here is the well which supplied the first water for the Asahi Brewery.

Frances checks to see if there is any beer in it.