To Be In KoBe (The Best of Days)

Tuesday 11 August [Kobe]

Today, alongside with sunday (Nara) was really one of the best days so far in Japan. Although the first day Osaka and the Friday-Kyoto were quite nice too.
Anyway, today we went to Kobe where we were gonna meet up with Kana-san and her sister Aki-san. They were so nice to take us to see Kobe, their hometown. Kana-san, Frits' ....eeeh friend ;) came to Holland a few weeks ago. So there we switched emails so that we could meet up once we get to Japan.

So it was a great day. Guided by people who know the place makes it so much easier! That's one of the reasons we aren't so tired as we used to be on other days.

What we did today?

First went to "Weathercock House". A house built in a traditional german/europe way.
As you can see below in the photo with Homan, Kana-san and me.

Turns out there were even more of these kind of houses. You got the "Holland House", the "Denmark House" and more of these. Seemed like Kobe was the place for overseas traders back in the days.

After all the nice architecture we went to eat Soba. Look at all those Soba's!!

You needed to take of your shoes before you sat at the table.

Once our belly were full, it was time to go shopping!! One of the places we went to was Tsutaya, which sells music/film/dvd's/cd's. I bought the dvd "Shonen Merikensack" with my fav. actrice, the lovely Aoi Miyazaki!!

okay after we were done shopping we continued to Kobe's ChinaTown!

Hurray for the peacesign!

The ChinaTown was better/larger than that of Amsterdam (well duuuh, any ChinaTown is better than Amsterdams). But the biggest ChinaTown lies in Yokohama.

Next stop was the KOBE PORT TOWER, or KOBE TOWER.

Which was located along the shore.

So time to go up to this famous touristspot in Kobe!

Walking the stairs!!!

...

Noo, just kidding ;) there were elevators which we lined up for like 15 minutes.

Once we got up to the top, there was a chance to enjoy the faboulous skyline of Kobe.

Skyline again...=)

After the skyline viewings, it was 'resting time'. A short walk back to the shopping streets took us to a cafe where we had some drinks. Whereafter we went to walk again, saw a little shrine where I made some wish, and ended in foodplace somewhere hidden upstars. (Just like the Soba-place which was somewhere hidden too, but underground. We could never had found these places if we were by ourselves.)

Forgot what it was called, but we had some small dishes each time. (Small dishes like yakitori etc.)

Good times always fly by, so it was already time to get back to Osaka again when we finished our diner.

I would like to thank Kana-san and Aki-san for taking us around to see a wonderfull city. We had a great time. Even though sometimes the english communication wasn't that good, we still managed to talk =)

Thanks for today.

Arigatou!!

~~KinGuuMan~~~

If You Put Kyoto Backwards, it's Tokyo!!

Kyo - to
To - kyo

See =)

Today's plan was Himeji-Castle. But we didn't make it. So we end up going to Kyoto again!
This is my 4th time. I rather see Osaka. I've been to Kyoto 4 times now, but Osaka, the place I live, just once! (I mean the central area ofcourse)
Tomorrow we'll go to Kobe, and maybe in the evening I'll try to go to Osaka.
I've found out that RUIDO is actually a Live House!! Maybe I'll check it out.

Wallpapers of male-idols-popstars-artists and the like.
No girls?

I took this picture cause today I haven't made enough. So I just made one to fill up the post. =P
This was at Shin-Osaka station, if I remember correctly.

Sayonara.

There will be some general Japanese related posts coming up ahead, rather than just report-style.

I'm going to sleep now =)

Bye Bye, Ja Mate!

My Deer

Retrospective blogging continue (almost done)
Sunday 9 August [Nara]
Nara would become the best thing that we went to in Japan so far.
The road to the park
Some scenery...

My photocamera's battery ran out. This were some last photos I could make...

Some more nice scenery...

The Deers are really awesome. You could feed them, pet them, hug them. Everything.

Trying to connect with the soul.

Beautifull...

It felt like Jurassic Park, when I walked through the trees and saw all these deers running there across the people.

Last photo with my camera.

I really really like Nara. The deers are so cool. For 150Yen you can buy some cookie-kind of food and feed them.

The following photos are taken with HMT's cam.

After the deers, we went to Todai-Ji. Temple with a giant Buddha in it.

Surrounded!!All the cookies are gone, but they still want more.

Todai-Ji.

Giant Buddha (Supposed to be Golden). But not so giant, I've seen bigger. And when we go to Kamakura later on in Tokyo, there would be a Buddha too. I wonder which one is larger.

Every time you come to a temple, it felt so peacefull. Even though there like a thousand of other tourists around you...

Deers are nice =)

Yukata Is The Way

Retrospective bloggin' again

Saturday 8 August [Kyoto, ShinKyoGokiDori]
Saturday we went seperated ways. I still needed to go to Kyoto to buy some stuff (Yukata's and some other things) and HMT was going to Osaka.

Funny thing, that day a lot of people wore Yukata's. Must be some special day.
Every girl should wear a Yukata. Well guys should too actually. But A Yukata looks really nice. It's tradional and fashionable too! Even Gajins can where it.

Before I go, ofcourse some Lipton Ice Tea Peach.
View from the Shinkansen.

Back to the popular youngsters area. SHINKYOGOKU

A youthfull couple walking in Shinkyogoku.

They also got Claire's.

Manga shop too.

Different shirts with different text like: "Basketball Spirit" " I play my music with soul" and more of these kind of text.

Back home, bought something to eat at 7Eleven.

Time to show my new shoes!

Pretty cool ne~~?

Bye.

(I really really thought this was my last day in Kyoto, I had no need to go to there again. But it turns out I was going to see more of Kyoto than Osaka...)

Kyoto's Story or How To Sidetrack on Your Vacation

Retrospective bloggin' continue...

Friday 7 August Kyoto by day (Teramachi, ShinKyoGokuDori)

So the next day we went back to Kyoto, determined to visit all the Shrines, Temples, Castles and all those other things we are so interested in...

And the rest is history...

Cause we sidetracked!! Like always. But there's this funny thing, when we side track we always end up somewhere very cool.

Our first day in Osaka, we somehow ended up in Osaka's Youth District ShinSaiBashiSuji.

Now in Kyoto, again, we end up in on of Kyoto's Youth area, ShinKyoGokuDori.

It must be our youngsters instinct that led us there.

But before we got there we walked through, what I would call "trademark" japan streets. With all those typical houses and electricity poles.

Too many wires, but it makes a nice photo. =)

Shopping area with Teramachi and ShinKyoGokuDori. These streets are along the big road Kawamarachi-dori. (At the crossing with Sanjo-Dori)

Teramachi got a lot of traditional cultural Japanese stuff...

Like windchimes.

Others...

More...

And right at the moment we didn't expect it, we saw this. A shrine...err...of some sort. Rather small one, but still. It was right in-between the shopping streets...

Traditional...

The local cinema...with a lot of films like HP6, but also this new anime film. Which I don't know.

Guitar shop...Grabbing machines!!

As you might have read on HMT's blog, he wanted to SlamDunk bag (like all of the SD fans) Well unfortunately for him, it was a &*#()@$& Scam. The CDbox which you should try to get off the platform is STICKED/TAPED! I can't believe everyone is trying it. Well maybe you CAN get it off, but it will take some time.

I myself, also played these grabbing machines. But the ones I choosed are not taped. And guess what, I won!! I've won a Suzimiya Haruhi figure!! Yeah Suzimuya Haruhi S.O.S Brigade Go For The Win!!

A toy/anime/manga shop with a lot of small figures and stuff.

There were that many, You couldn't even find the one you just saw.

Afterwards it was time to go back, we were hungry. There is this very small foodplace, but it's really popular. Everyday I see people lining up for it (I know this cause I've been to this place a lot). I never tried it myself, but it seems to be fried fish (like in Fish and Chips) for 2oo yen. I should have tried it.

Back in Osaka >>> Curry Rice, just around the corner.

Watch manga while you eat.

I never expected me to come back to Kyoto for the 3rd and 4th time...

(See next posts)