Tokyu Inn Kobe

... twenty four hours were a complete write-off. We just sat in our depressing box room feeling a bit sick and washing our clothes in the sink because it was too expensive to do it in the hotel! Oh dear....<br><br>Osaka is a bit of a nothing city to be honest with not very many sights but it was a pretty good introduction to Japan. It was also nice to spend some time getting to know Japanese people who are sooooooo different from the Chinese and, indeed, any other nation ...

... 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>

... Basically, it's shredded cabbage with egg and "fixins" grilled ("yaki") in front of you, or even by you.<br><br>By the famous Shinsekai (New World) Tower we found a nice okonomiyaki place. I chose the squid, octopus, and shrimp combo.<br><br>Our server brought us each a bowl of raw ingredients. She showed Rowan how to mix the raw egg and other ingredients into the cabbage, then formed it into a big circular patty on the large table-top hot plate ...

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Yesterday we made a day-trip to Kobe, site of a disastrous earthquake thirteen years ago in which over 6,000 perished. To learn more about the quake we visited the Disaster Reduction Museum. It begins with a multimedia presentation that recreates the experience of the earthquake. It is hard to believe that much of the footage is documentary, but given all the security video cameras operating these days ...

... to Japan was the food. Though it is easy to find vegetarian Japanese food in the US, in Japan they put at least a little bit of meat/fish in almost everything, and of course Kobe is world famous for its beef. We did go to one Buddhist restaurant in Kyoto which was vegetarian and to one buffet restaurant in Tokyo with lots of vegetarian salads and relishes, but it was usually a struggle. It was especially hard to find hot dishes without meat, and the concept of ...

... Park as a rememberance. This is the worst earthquake in Japan since the 1923 earthquake in Tokyo. We did managed to visit Kobe mosque, the oldest mosque in Japan. The Kobe Mosque was completed and officially opened for prayer in October 1935. This is the first mosque that were built in Japan. Had our lunch at one of the Indian restaurant here and then headed back to Sannomiya Station before we were to depart to Osaka for our next stop. Until then, everyday is a new discoveries...

... word intense. Never before have I seen so much gear produced to support a sports team. They have thought of everything! Cell phone charms, tissue boxes, water bottles, noise makers (which are a prerequisite pretty much to enter-everyone has them), tiger ear headbands, sweat towels (the Japanese love those), jerseys, and much much more. We had a great time at the game even though the Tigers lost. The constant organized cheers, huge flag waving, 7th inning stretch ...

... out in search of food, two things hit me about this place like a rock, firstly it is very expensive, just buying a bottle of water made me realise that! Secondly it is so quiet here, even where there are lots of people they just move around very quietly, even the cars are quiet and no-one uses the horn. I went out nearby first and ended up walking into this market, there were places to eat there and they had pictures and fake dishes of what they sold, I went into a couple, but they didn't ...

... everyone rides a bike - to the market, train station, etc. Well, I already wrote about the women and their stylish tendencies to wear ho-boots and fishnet stocking, but it's pretty damn funny to look up and see a decked out woman in fishnets and ho-boots heading for ya on her bike! The men too...you'll see guys in high-priced suits and trench coats swerving through traffic on their bicycles...and we're not talking fancy mountain or road bikes here, we're ...