Life in Osaka.

You have only one hour to walk from Kawaramachi Station to the Kyoto Tokyu Hotel, leaving you about 30 minutes of free-time. It's a bit too chilly to wander around that entire hour, so you decide the best option is to find a cafe and take a much needed break. You go down a few weird little back streets, find yourself in a residential neighborhood and are about to give up hope, when you see a traditional two story Japanese home with a sign board beckoning "Cafe Marble."   Hurrying inside, you sigh a breath of relief: the best table next to the courtyard garden is open! Verdant green moss, tsubaki camellia flowers and maple leaves quiver in the cool air as you scan the menu for something fast and sweet. Not much time. You quickly decide on the the pudding and black coffee set, and are happily surprised when the giant slice of flan pudding tastes just like the Flan de Leche your Cuban aunt used to make for the holidays. It's a simple, no-frills cup of coffee, bu...