Hotel Monterey Amalie Kobe

Yesterday we made the trip back to Honshu, leaving our Okinawan experience behind us. It is quite nice to be back on the 'main land' and in the great city of Osaka. We are now definitely back to the Japan that I know.

Osaka is certainly a busier place than Naha -- definitely not as laid back here! There is obviously work to be done, people to see, and food to eat. The thing that always strikes me about Osaka is the sheer scale of eating establishments of all ...

Seconds please. I had to go back to Osaka, one way or another (my return flight was leaving from here). Ate just as well if not better than the first go around. Went to the Takoyaki museum at Universal city walk but it was more tako vendors than museum, not such a bad thing. Had simply amazing Kobe ...

Meaning to ruin oneself by extravagance in food. Heard another translation - "Eat, eat until you fall down." Why Osaka is my entry point to Japan. It also translates to eating as much Takoyaki and Okonomiyaki as possible. BTW Takoyaki - Octopus balls. Okonomiyaki - Pancake-ish dealies. Oh Osaka.

... the earthquake's effect on the harbour as well as the harbour's reconstruction. The Great Hanshin Earthquake was the second most devastating earthquake in Japan and killed more that 40,000 people.

After taking a bit to ponder the magnitude of the Great Hanshin Earthquake, we decided to check out a market that had been set up around a cultural event with dancing a music that was going on nearby. We grabbed something ...

一期一会 -- Ichi go ichi e means "once in a lifetime" We had a really special day yesterday. We landed in the Kobe port and were greeted by a taico drum group. Funnily, our cabin deck looks smack RIGHT AT the port terminal so we had a good view of the drummers, and the giant neon sign at night. We had to ...

... of the scientists. This is the first time that the all of the tuna RFMO's have gotten together to discuss and eventually try to solve some of their common problems. It was a baby step in the right direction. Too little too late? Perhaps. That's what WWF is telling the press. I made a speech during the meeting about protecting small cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises) from bycatch and strengthening rules against shark finning (cutting the fins off sharks and ...

... I have been getting by. Today we went to Hiroshima. Saw some sights and went to the museum. It was very hard to see all the stuff there. Very imformative and depressing. It was a good thing to go to though. It really opens your eyes. We also stopped by this garden before we headed back, so I included some pics of that for you. Tomorrow we are heading to Kyoto and then to Osaka, so I will have more stories after that!!

Himeji Castle is known as the most beautiful castle in Japan. This is partly because it is really beautiful and partly because it is one of the few left in its original manner. Most castles today have been refortified, rebuilt and restored with modern materials, but when they restored Himeji they used only techniques from that era and so there are no concrete or steel reinforcements. Himeji was a stop on the way to Kyoto for the specific purpose of seeing this ...

... i don`t end up in japan next summer. i`ve already been offered a job teaching music next summer, and have plenty of friends that are offering me their homes to stay. so who knows?!?!? i just might put summer-stock auditions on hold for another year so i can get back here next year. THANK YOU ALL for the e-mails! i`m sorry i haven`t had a chance to respond personally but please know that i miss you all and can`t wait to see you in the fall! ALL MY LOVE! misser kebin

... ourselves from laughing...needless to say though that we got the family discount!! I also went back to Minoh National Park this week b/c, apparently, with the leaves changing colors it's totally different and it definitely was. It was beautiful there, the pics tell it all. (see photos from two entries previous) I have run out of books to read, but found a pub with a book exchange, but, unfortunately, the selection is very limited. I grabbed an Anne Rice book, Tale of the ...