Apa Hotel Kobe Sannomiya

... few things we`ve noticed....<br><br>1. They are exceptionally shy and sometimes even embarrassed that they can`t communicate in english. The customs guards even looked terrified!<br>2. They are probably the most hygenic people in the world and so many of them wear those scary swine flu masks.<br>3. When you buy something from a shop they chatter polite phrases non stop until you`ve gone even though they know you dont understand!<br>4.They have really high voices ...

... at Steak Ron, delicious Sakuyaki at Hariju and more helpings of takoyaki/okonomuyaki/yakisoba.<br><br>S teak Ron<br>1-10-2 Sonezaki Shinchi, Kita-ku | Umeda, Osaka<br><br>Hariju<br>1-9-26 Nishishinsaibashi Chuo-ku Osaka<br><br>Takontetsu (Pizza Ball House)<br>1-9-20 Maru Bldg Umeda 1 Chome <br>

... After a few group photos, things wound down and the dinner guests filtered out.<br><br>Next: up to the rooftop commons for internet...<br><br>-----<br>OLD FRIENDS AND NEW:<br><br>In the commons I reconnected with my "student," Taichi (yes, that's his name, and no, he doesn't do tai chi; no connection).<br><br>Met students recently arrived from India: Akram, Sandeep, and Mansoor. Had nice conversation with Akram and learned a bit more about Indian ...

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... a posh restaurant near the train station. They were extremely courteous, which was nice considering we walked in with plastic grocery bags, in shorts and T-shirts! Our normal uniform for this trip. The experience was breathtaking! We assumed we would just get a good piece of beef. It was so much more. We had our own chef who cooked at a habachi right in front of us. If you have ever been to the ...

I apologise for the lateness post, and of the poor quality of the one yesterday. I have been sleeping badly the last couple of nights; the guy next to me snores horribly. And I have been getting in quite late, when there are many people in the living room, which makes it difficult to concentrate on writing. I have modified the "Kyoto Procession" post today, so there will be some more interesting reading. Today I went to Kobe. There isn ...

... a shower to get clean, then sit in the bath for 30 minutes. Everybody uses the same bath water and it stays there for days. The bath is no ordinary bath, but what you'd expect in Japan - temperature gages, lots of buttons. Oh I don't think I have mentioned the toilets here yet either. They are super toilets, doing everything you could possibly imagine a toilet might do! All the toilet seats are heated. At first I just wondered if the person before me ...

... I'm sure!) - in Japan the students eat lunch in their classrooms (usually cold rice, meat, and veggies from home) - in Japan the students clean the school themselves, every day! - in Japan there is no heat in the schools AND they leave the windows and doors open in the winter, for fresh air!!!! (also students are not allowed to put their hands in their pockets during class to stay warm)

... we arrived at the Silver Pavilion just as it began to rain. It could have been worse. So we strolled, umbrellas in hand, through the grounds of this lovely private residence, originally intended as a retirement home for a prominent official and later bequeathed upon Zen Buddhist monks. The largest pavilion of the grounds, it is said, was designed to be plated in silver, but whether this simply never happened or whether it is just urban legend, we'll never know. What we do know is that ...

... rays, and even a small (for their species) whale shark. Side displays showcased penguins, monkeys, gators, and little fish (sardines?) swimming around with their mouths wide open like they were screaming as they swam madly around in circles. There were otters, sea lions, dolphins, jellyfish, and those giant evil looking deep-sea crabs. Very cool place, and the video camera shot perfect footage through the display Plexiglas that made it look like we were actually underwater. Now I ...