Road Trip

I drove up to Kansai with the wife and kid so I could make my yearly visit to the famous eye surgeon who reattached my retina and restored my vision about 7 years ago. We stayed at the Kobe Bay Sheraton on Rokko Island. Rates were cheap at the Sheraton and the island a bit removed from the bustle of downtown Kobe and has a large pedestrian mall and fountain complex that is perfect for kids to explore. The weather was balmy and we had breakfast outside in front of a Tully's while Ray fed pigeons and sparrows with crumbs from our bakery goodies. Across the way was a Subway franchise. That's what living in Japan has done to me: I yawn at sushi and drool at sandwiches.

The next morning I headed for a hospital in Sakai on the other side of Osaka. The morning commute through the Umeda station in central Osaka was impressive as I was processed and spat out by the Osaka subway system. I joined the zombie army of commuters, got caught in the current and was swept past my subway entrance through a series of underground passageways. It would have been impossible to retrace my steps, but I saw a different subway line up on the left, the Yotsubashi Line, and found I could transfer back to my subway of choice, the Midosuji, at Daikokucho.

I made it to the hospital on time. The waiting room for the opthalmology clinic was packed, all seats taken and people lined up, leaning against the walls, out in the hall. I got called in for an l eye checkup right away. I was thinking that my stay in the antechambers of purgatory might be short, but I had to wait almost 3 hours to see my doctor for a consultation that barely lasted 3 minutes. The good doctor peered into my eyes and pronounced that all was well. He scheduled an appointment for the following March and I was a free man in Osaka. I met my wife and son in front of the Daimaru department store in Shinsaibashi and we celebrated with Vietnamese food.