osaka metrolife

...thanks to claire's uncle and aunt who live in nara (about 1.5 hrs away), yesterday we enjoyed an evening of fine music and food in bustling osaka...it was a good window into osaka metrolife...first, frustration: we tried to meet claire's aunt in osaka station, but, even with multiple cell phone contact, it was hard to spot her in the hurried crowd...



...so we taxied to the symphony hall and met them there...what a magnificent setting to hear the kansai philharmonic orchestra play haydn, mozart, and beethoven...an all-star lineup of classical genius!...

...blending acoustics with aesthetics: don't you love the ephemeral touch of the hall's ceiling...

...claire and her aunt...deepening our relationship with claire's uncle and aunt is a paradox -- a growing answer to (yet continued need for) prayer...

...following the concert that was filled with several encores, a special treat: because claire's uncle and aunt (pictured left) are good friends of the philharmonic (and outstanding musicians themselves), we went out to dinner and talked music with a handful of their orchestra friends, including the first chair violinist (far right), one of only ten croatians in japan...

...the visual elements of the restaurant were striking...