New Kobe Sun Hotel

... we got a private double room for the same price. <br><br>We slept for a bit more then wandered around the local streets and walked into a little cafe and ordered some food - a big bowl of noodles, a bowl of soup and a beer for 80p! We then had a quick wander down the main shopping street which was lit up by thousands of neon lights and then headed towards the Bund for to see the famous skyscrapers of the financial district - unfortunately the entire waterfront was ...

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 ...

... set out together in search of the feline phenom...<br><br>So, that's it, a place where you go to hang with cats - for a flea... I mean, a fee.<br><br>The support columns in the small room were near ceiling-length scratching/climbing posts. There was a little luxury apartments and even a rooftop, open-air penthouse. One cat was enjoying Perrier dripping from the faucet (well, maybe it was just tap water, but let's not spoil it for him).<br><br>My favorite was ...

... if she could please be excused to go to the bathroom. She asked my permission!!! WTF! I of course refused her the right to go.... Also, it was her birthday and people were sending her messages and trying to call her and she asked permission to reply to text messages!<br>Choc also explained how hard work is here. They work form early in the morning until late at night. She even stays in a work dormitory. It is very cheap though. About 100 bucks a month. But, imagine ...

... us joined in as their choral component singing hits from the Ramones, Beatles, Steve Miller Band (especially nostalgic for Pat) and other classic American bands and artists. When they were finished, we divided into 4 groups and went to check out a few attractions. I was in the C, or "Cool" group, with Pat, Debi, Dagmar, Tim B, Junko-san, Jim Domingo-san, and a couple of other SJI associates who I unfortunately and rudely don't recall their names! We first went to the Hollywood ...

... to find it was a souvenir shop...no drinks there! Found one eventually anyway, then wandered round a bit more before heading back to the train station via an indoor market and getting back to base camp, again with minimal confusion. Had 'sukiyaki' that night which is a very traditional Japanese dish made up of beef, rice, and other stuff - reminded me of a casserole actually. You dip your meat in raw egg too - was very nice. The Japanese seem to have a real thing for all ...

... they are taking the challenge of learning a new skill in their spare time. Some of the lower level students are really nervous and shaking when they are in the lesson. I just try to have a laugh with them. It's not hard to make Japanese people laugh, all you gotta do is say something stupid. I also really admire this 21 university student called Ashia. She is one of the coolest people i've met since i've been ...

... to us, but then again, we'd already purchased nights at the capsule hotel in Tokyo using a similar method, so we shouldn't have been surprised (indeed, seemingly everything in Japan could be purchased through vending machines, from hot and cold beverages, to snacks, to magazines, to, for the more raunchy-minded, dirty panties ... although this is rumor, since we never saw it ourselves). Fed, dried and warm, we proceeded onward to conduct a brief biking tour of the old Imperial Palace ...

... It was one of the most gorgeous things Ive ever seen, and of course I had to the s*it loads of pictures. Hopefully you`re able to view some of them. All of the computers here are in Japanese so sometimes you just have to click buttons and hope for the best. Anyways, my cold is nearly over, although I still have a bit of a coughing going on.&#12288;Last week I actually had fever for a day or so, but it`s all good now. At the moment my biggest problem is the lack of sleep, but ...

... of fine and imaginative architecture. Not that it's Osaka's fault entirely. Much of the city was, after all, razed during World War II, and the unspectacular style of architecture - or lack of style, I suppose - that dominates the city is a symptom of the rapid rebuilding and industrialization that Japan underwent in the post-war years. The focus was less on making a pretty city than it was on making a functional one, and in that endeavor at least Osaka has succeeded ...