One fine day following one late night....

We were so excited to learn one evening that we would be experiencing our first izakaiya. Sorry....I forgot the camera, so I can't show you the fun we had, but it was really a good time. An izakaiya is a restraunt that's best described as such that serves very small dishes for a cheap price. You're meant to share several of these small dishes. My motto for a long time had been to try something new everytime I ate, so I really enjoyed going with Japanese people. They like to order what they think we won't be able to swallow for it's oddity. We go with a large group--for many it's just a night of drunken stuper and they try really hard to get you to reach this point, but we're bigger than them....they never succeed haha!--and end up splitting a gigantic bill. It's really fun. Some izakaiyas have these huge beers....maybe .75L?? hmm....I don't know. Anyhow, we started easy with yakiniku and yakitori (also known as Korean BBQ or fried chicken and beef on skewers), yakisoba, strange salads, and so on.... Easy enough....Then, we moved on to things with irremovable mayonnaise (bleh!!) and fish jaws, weird fish soup and other edible-if-you-don't-think-about-what-you're-eating-things. I have to say we definitely crossed the line with basashi, natto, and raw eggs....BLEH!!!! Basashi is raw horse meat! natto is fermented soybeans (once told that they became a staple when an emperor and his people were starving in a battle with nothing but soybeans and rice. Well, he kept the rice for himself--more pristine?? or something that seems obvious to Japanese people--and gave the people the soybeans. Anyhow, the soybeans and rice eventually fermented, but the rice killed the emperor, whereas, the natto (bleh!) became a Japanese staple. They eat it on pasta!! and call it Italian food!!!! It's like boogers in consistency and bleh in taste!! Okay, we didn't eat the raw eggs, but in a recent conversation with a student who really wants to be American, I was asked whether I'd choose the raw egg or natto. I don't think I answer the question....
Our new Japanese friend showed us a market street near our apartment. I usually still shop at the regular grocery stores even though I could get things here cheap, 'cause I think I'd go crazy trying to compare prices over an entire street of nearly identical vendors. Same market street. I thought the identical old-style street lights were kewl all in a line....
This little dude is prayed to for fertility, really....look closely......




Near our apartment. That's Paulzie, Mike (Aussie roommate), and Masaya. Next picture is Kobe's most wanted.....heehee.....in the park....yes, that third picture of concrete is a park.

Sakura in Shukugawa.....

The "Cherry Blossom Festival" wasn't really that wonderful for us. As I've come to understand, though, is that it's a small group event.... I had a lesson today which included the discussion of the Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington DC. Later in the lesson, the students were supposed to compare the two festivals. It's a really stupid idea for a lesson...they're totally different things and not comparable, really. Anyhow, Paul and I didn't have the greatest time....I'd only just met some of the folks that evening, but here's the photos.....Oh, by the way, it's a nightime event.....just about booze (those are the students' words)...... the river's supposed to be the highlight of the town.....and of this cherry blossom partying spot.....Drink and food are the two events of sakura viewing, but these vendors sell at every event/festival throughout the year--the same food......nothing seasonal about this one.....This is kewl, though. They set up picnics along the river for their evening events..... This guy had too much sake... The door closed on his flip flop......hee hee....

Kobe Festival......

At the end of Golden Week, Kobe Festival. It was really rainy. There's quite a few more people down at Center Gai than there usually are. I just kept thinking, I've never seen more umbrellas in my life.....The festival took place right where I work in Center Gai. The first picture is looking down the mall from the second story. You can see Nova there on the right. I had hoped to have taken this picture when the funky outfits were on display, but unfortunately, it was a really rainy day, so no one look too terribly funny. The second photo is look the opposite direction toward Flower Road. You may be able to read "Kobe" and "Sannomiya Center Gai" and then the street sign, "Flower Road," below. The tents are the festival.... Normally a very busy street, traffic-wise, Flower Road was packed with food vendors, and just at the corner was a parade.....As I mentioned before, I'd never seen so many umbrellas. These are various shots from around the city block. In the middle photo above, you can see the amusement of the day for most guys, these girls singing and dancing in a parade in colorful bikinis. Everyone running across the crosswalk in between parade acts.... And my favorite...These young men and women had these criss crossed pogo stick-type shoes. They were jumping in the air....not really doing any tricks, just jumping.....that's how exciting this parade was, by the way. When watching people jump on pogo sticks is the most exciting event you have to wonder how great the parade is, eh? And the Kobe Fire marching band....
Remember the people running across the cross walk? Well, this is the guy that says, "go!" It's pretty funny, 'cause the streets were just packed with the crosswalk guys that day.....
Sorry, these two are pretty out of focus....It was rainy and I had to wait for them to get to the perfect spot through all the umbrellas.....
These are even worse, but they were very cute with several kids and adult women playing flutes.....
Bad pictures, but pretty kewl site. Y'all had to see.....kewl dudes and flag......
And finally.... the dude with the marionette....the kids were crazy about this little thing.....I was too!

Around town.....

I'll be updating this one a lot, too...... You must see pretty kewl Kobe
This is the very kewl SOL building...if you look carefully, you may see the lime green SOL sign under the over hang of the building. It has a wonderful "market" below that sells tea and has many different spa treatment facilities, and is also a passageway under this cross walk and under much of three or four square city blocks. On the 20th floor or so, there's a international center where you can get arrange language exchange, get help with stuff....Paul went there when he wanted to exchange some money and wasn't able to communicate that.....the international center people called every bank in the area to help him. It has great views of the area and restraunts....And across the street, the JCB building.....our bank's right next to this. Hey...I have a Japan funny: they have ATM machines, here, of course, but yu can only access them during bank operating hours......funnyAnd the ever so strange Paulzie standing next to a subway entrance near Kobe station.....

The routine trip to Costco, of course....

So, this isn't just Costco. In fact, I don't think there's actually a picture of Costco, but there's some Japan background pictures.... Like this here train.....beautiful don't ya think?The sign is not digital at this station, but it does flip, flip, flip and change it's cards.....it's pretty neat. Lookie here.... the gorgeous green velvet seats......We took these two at first, just 'cause we didn't want to sneek a picture of the whole train....... And that's about it folks......