Osaka - in the Hotel

Hi hi my dear sisters ....... I really like to thank you for reading my 1st Osaka post and gave me so much encouragement. We all love Yong Joon in our own ways. I guess in my own little way, I feel connected to him in my heart (just like you have your own special connection with him too). Honest, I was not upset or disappointed at all after the long wait, I was just tired and in pain. What touches me the most is you sisters, even though my story is nothing spectacular nor a successful sighting, still you are willing to read on and drop me a comment, for that I am really grateful.

It’s 4 pm on Saturday May 31 by now, I am actually a bit relieved that we can finally check in. Haha, seems like quite a few sisters are in the same boat. We are happy to have the graceful Pallet joining us on the Imperial floors (19/20/21), which have its own special badge-access. ‘HRH & company’ occupies the entire 19th floor and we are on the 20th floor, just 1 floor above, wakaka (laughing like the princess :)


Now, if you think we then have the liberty of weaving in & out of the 19th floor, that’s not the case. There is such heavy security outside the 4 elevators, well, unless you know how to speak Korean (just kidding). Otherwise if you stick your head outside just to have a peek, you are immediately told by a stone-faced guard to get back in or else ....... (believe me, I tried :)


We were greeted by a kimono-clad hostess in the room. After serving us some green tea and juice, she offered to prepare bubble baths for us. Cloudnine is so considerate, she decides to go with kiyomi to check out the situation at the Dome and let Pallet and I rest and relax.


Mishio calls from her room inviting me to join her friends for a quick bite before checking out the Dome. I sooooo want to see her again but I have a massage appointment later. I suggest maybe we’ll meet for a coffee after dinner. So sorry mishio, I hope you don’t think I am rude, this 'old set of bones' just have very weak willpower :)



How can I resist? I pick the ‘orchid and blueberry’ fragrance, the bubble bath is so relaxing and rejuvenating! As I close my eyes and reflect, "I get to be the laziest Bae fan ever! Every sister out there is diligently mapping out Yonsama’s next move and trying to catch a glimpse of him. And here I am, coming all the way to Osaka to hide in the bathroom!" Pathetic, isn’t it?

Oh btw, this is the view from the hotel room – which is the same view that Yong Joon looks out at Osaka. Poor thing, as Moon Soori pointed out later in the NHK press conference, he stayed inside his room most of the time.


On our way to the massage salon, Pallet and I passed by the lobby. By now, the café is quite deserted as most of the fans have already left.


The 4-storey high atrium of the Imperial Hotel is quite spectacular. The design and the construction of the walls and window panes are in Mission style from the Arts & Crafts Movement. You can clearly see the influence by Frank Lloyd Wright’s philosophy in ‘organic architecture’. Once desired to be an architecture student himself, I think Yong Joon would enjoy seeing this.


Kiyomi-san has made dinner reservation at the Japanese restaurant on the top floor of the hotel. Cloudnine told me this is a famous family of ‘kaiseki ryori’ called Kitcho – meaning ‘sign of fortune’. Hehe, is it a hint about tomorrow?


Kaiseki ryori (懐石料理) is an artistic Japanese cuisine that balances the taste, texture, appearance and colors of food. Dishes are beautifully arranged and garnished, often with real leaves and flowers. Only the freshest and seasonal ingredients are used and each dish is presented in small servings for appreciation.


Hehe princess, wish you were here to enjoy all these!





Oishii desu ne!

We enjoy the dinner so much that we are actually the last table to leave! When we walk out of the restaurant, I notice there are a few tall and big guys walking in front of us. Now wait a minute, isn’t that Yong Joon’s Mr. Shin?! Does that mean Yong Joon is around, has he just finished dinner here too?? I look around, no, no sign of the gorgeous man. Besides they look and walk too relaxed, doesn’t look like they are guarding anyone.


We quickly follow Mr.Shin & the rest of the guys into the elevator. Don’t know why, but just anyone close to Yong Joon is good enough. Boy, these bodyguards are really huge, we feel like little midgets standing in the middle of these giants. Well, they are not going back to the 19th floor, they press the 'Lobby' button. I guess it’s mutual understanding among us sisters that we’ll just follow these guys, so for a moment, we are frozen there too. Hahaha, this very kind Mr. Shin! I thought he has seen so many fans chasing after Yong Joon the whole day. The last thing he wants to see at night is more crazy women, but he is so friendly and patient. He smiles and takes pictures with many fans, so we become brave and go up to him to ask for a picture taken too. It’s around 10 pm and he tells us that Yong Joon is already sleeping in his room. Hmmmm, sweet dream Yong Joon, we know you have a BIG day ahead of you!


Hehe, my day is not over yet. I still have a ‘date’ with mishio. It was pretty late by then, as we sat in the smoke-filled bar and started our Yong Joon coversation. To be frank, I ‘know’ mishio but I also ‘don’t know’ mishio. I know her from her famous blog and her brilliant writing – from there, I can deduce that she is a very intelligent, learned, quick-witted and a strong will person. Of course, she loves Yong Joon very much, otherwise she would not even be here, right? But the mystery of the author behind such splendid writing does intimidate me a bit, not that I worry about how others view me, but what do I say to a gifted person like this?

Fortunately, Wenny (xiaoyi’s friend) from Taiwan byjfamily.net (she wrote a great write-up of the Premium Event in Chinese which bb has translated to English in her blog) broke the barrier by sharing her experience waiting at Kansai Airport. Thanks Wenny, it’s wonderful to meet you and hear your story. That night, mishio shared very briefly of her experience with Yong Joon's encounters. I listened attentively like a rookie to a senbai :) She comforts me that most often the result of these long waits for HRH amounts to nothing. As we have a long day ahead tomorrow, I reluctantly have to end our chat and grab my few hours of beauty sleep. I was hoping I can see mishio again in this trip but unfortunately we don’t get to meet up again. It is a pleasure meeting you, mishio!


As I go back up to the 20th floor, 2 men walk into the elevator and slide their card into the 19th floor! When they leave the elevator, I am so tempted to follow them out. Hehe of course I do not, Yong Joon's family will not intrude his privacy, right? (besides I do not want to be thrown out of the hotel!) All I can comfort myself is, hehe, I have never slept so close to HRH as tonight, hahaha!

Next - the BIG day