Hotel Chiyoda Himeji

... this computer.　So far we did a bus tour of the main attractions in the city. Now we are looking for a place for fCub to have some Kobe beef. Tomorrow we will probably go to one of the famous shopping areas in Kobe. More to follow tomorrow. Sayonnara, Cubnelaine

... the time we were finished in there we were quite hungry and so headed over to this massive shopping center called "Mosaic" we saw the night before. We ate the most amazing buffet. It was a little pricey for what we have become accustomed to here, but pretty good deal for what you could get back home. It was 2500 yen each ( so about 29 CAD ) and you could eat as much as you wanted...and there was a lot. There was fresh crab legs, pasta, thin crust pizza, cakes, ice ...

... So many interesting shops and buildings. The first thing we did was went up in the Kobe Harbour Tower to get another view of the harbour area. We then set out to find Kobe Harbour Earthquake Memorial, which I found to be very disturbing / fascinating. They actually kept a piece of the harbour area that had been destroyed during the earthquake and preserved it as a memorial. Around the memorial are numerous plaques and kiosks ...

... anyone makes is -- it's HUGE! Once on the grounds the most common observation is probably - yeah, I can see why it was never attacked. It's a complicated climb up some narrow pathways and if by some miracle the enemy made it past the moat and past the main gate, they'd have a hard time escaping the arrows flying from every opening. It's hard to imaging how the maintenance crew (then and now) made it without getting out of ...

... next door. It was really lovely - despite the giant carp - and included a lovely teahouse where I had a matcha and sweet. Yum! The next day I headed for a last trip to Kyoto where it was snowing! I was delighted to actually see THREE bonafide Maiko (apprentice Geisha). I have now ticked all the boxes on my trip! Off to Tokyo tomorrow for the last couple of days before I head home...

... that it did in Europe, the evolution of the castle as an architectural form was longer and more varied in Japan. On the tour through the main tower there were many interesting artifacts and we spent quite awhile exploring the castle and the adjacent gardens. We ate some delicious udon at this place that makes their own noodles and then headed back to the station to catch the train back to Osaka. Up on ...

... outside in the deluge. I had to spare a small thought to the people who would have been caught in the gardens of the castle, or worse still, in the maze of pathways and tunnels when the rain hit. Afternoon naps, and a quiet night. Tomorrow we move onto Osaka, which is bound to be a different paced city alltogether. Not much on the agenda for tomorrow, but we have Universal Studios planned for Friday ...

We got up at 5am this morning and had what was to become our staple breakfast of vegemite & cheese on fresh bread for breakfast (nothing was open that early in the morning). I bought the vegemite with me and we went and shopped for the bread and cheese. Bread comes in loaves of either 4,5 or 6 slices and they are really BIG slices. I went for the small 6 slice loaf. Packets of plastic cheese came in sizes of 8 slices and was quite expensive but the Japanese don't ...

... En als je zonder veel moeite wilt winnen dan stap je zodra de ander op je af stormt gewoon opzij zodat die door de snelheid vanzelf voorover valt! Werd geloof ik door het publiek niet echt gewaardeerd, maar he, wel efficient! In de box voor ons zat de moeder van 1 van de worstelaars die bekend staat om het feit dat hij zijn benen echt helemaal verticaal strekt. Hij moest winnen om een win-meerderheid te ...

... little as 10 Yen into a container at the entrance, ring the bell, clap your hands two times and bow your head to pray. I didn't pray but did the rest to get into the spirit. When in Rome... I've never even been to Rome. We all part company but bro and me stay up until 4.30am playing cards and drinking red wine. Dats gonna hurt! The next morning... it did. Happy New Hangover. Stayed in all day, watched Extended Version of the first Lord Of The Rings, Kim has the ...