Sunday, March 05, 2006

Kobe

Well, today I ventured to a city you may have heard of called Kobe. No, not Kobe Bryant, not even pronounced the same more like "Koh-bay". Anyway, the city is flippin amazing. I was told a couple of days ago by a British couple that it's "not much" in the way of a place to visit...but screw them...I want to LIVE there! Actually, I felt like I was at home in Vancouver. Some of you may have heard of Kobe because of the massive earthquake that was there in 1995. They have a bunch of monuments remembering the event, but other than that, they've rebuilt the city from scratch, which means that its all brand new. In a good way.

Anyway, I heard that Kobe is known for their international cuisine, so I ate some pretty awesome food for lunch, then walked around the harbour. Then I decided to take a boat ride around Osaka Harbour...just for kicks. Honestly, I couldn't help but take continuous deep breaths of ocean air...I've missed it so much!!

So at the harbour there is this huge park and a lot of that park is concrete or tile which means it's an attraction for not only skateboarders but BMX riders. I sat for over an hour just chillin in the park watching these wicked awesome Japanese kids bike and skate. Again...reminded me of home.

After I got mildly sunburned (it was another beautiful day!) I walked around the shopping area. And, although I've told myself time and time again that I'm NOT to buy anything in Japan, I couldn't help myself when I saw a really awesome pair of sunglasses that even my sister would be jealous of. Only $20. I also bought a small backpack from this place called Uniqlo in Kyoto. I just hope that there is a Uniqlo in Canada or the US because I love that store. I bought stuff from there in Seoul too (remember Lydia...go to Meyongdong Lotte for Uniqlo!). I just love it.

Anyway, I have one full day left here in Japan and I friggin love it. I think that had I taught English here it would have been a completely different experience for me. I really REALLY love Japan and already have made mental plans to come back here at some point. I wondered why so many travelers here have been back to this country a few times...it's incredible. So much to do and see. I could spend the entire week lunching and shopping I swear...and that's coming from ME!

Well, I can't decided what to do tomorrow because I've already done everything I wanted to do...including eating sushi from a sushi bar, seeing a Geisha, and visiting one town other than Kyoto. Sooo, there are a couple of things I could do...jump on another bullet train to Nara...shop....(eeeek I really want to!)...or just walk around some more. We'll see.

Anyway, I'm doing well and on Monday I'm headed to Chiang Mai, which I'm pretty excited about. Although leaving Japan isn't ideal. (By the way, Japan is my new favorite country ever if you haven't figured that out...and I've been to a few countries ;)...man I love it).

Keep sending the emails, sorry I don't have much time to reply, but I'll do my best!

Love Andrea

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