Return steps,heights and awkward meetings

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My journey started back to the main island again with a short jaunt on the ferry and then a train to Okayama in ridiculous heat. This did mean on reaching Okayama I was completely floored and didn't feel like doing anything at all. I felt quite miserable as I was only there for one night and felt like I should be making the most of every second but the thought of dragging a heavy bag around for hours was just soul destroying so I found a cafe and got a nice cold drink and some lunch..
One quick stop over and onto Kobe which is a very vibrant and quite attractive city overlooking the sea.
There a quite a few fun and interesting sights in Kobe the first being Chinatown which was a bit crazy given that it was the weekend. It is gaudy, busy and oh so touristy but very very fun.
The other place which was just bizarre was Kitano which basically is a neighbourhood with foreign houses that local tourists find fascinating. It does have a very strange European feel and several times I had to remind myself what country I was in. It was a lovely placeto walk around though and it was amusing to see Japanese tourists go crazy about these houses.
The next day I met up with an acquaintance who offered to take me out and around Kobe. We arranged to meet at the station near to my hotel but then the thought struck me that it had several exits and how would he know where to find me. I gambled that a sensible option would be the central exit as that would be where I would head and luckily the gamble paid off.
We headed to Harbour land which was busy with local youths given the day and the good weather. There was also stalls and decoration getting ready for the upcoming star festival with beautiful tanabata hanging from the ceiling. I politely declined his offer of taking me on the Ferris wheel given my fear of heights and we decided to get some lunch and have a break from the heat. After lunch he bought me a ticket to go up Kobe Port Tower,a 108m tower with a glass observation deck, without asking me (bear in mind I had not more than an hour previously expressed my fear of heights). So as not to look rude and ungrateful I smiled, took a deep breath and headed on up the tower. Trying to have a conversation at the top of the tower was an experience as I was trying not to look down and trying to qwell the urge to be sick or pass out (or both).
It was nice to have company however and it did remind me how much fun it would be if there were two people travelling.
We bid farewell at the train station and I wandered back to the hotel to pack for a quick layover at Hikone.
On the recommendation of another Japanese friend I visited the castle and she told me to look out for Hikonyan.
Hikonyan is town mascot and it a big cute white cat wearing samurai headwear.
On arrival to the castle there was already a large crowd gathering ready to see the fuzzy mascot. I joined the crowd near the back and out came someone dressed as Hikonyan to loud screams of 'kawaiiiiiii' every few seconds. I felt for whoever it was as they cautiously (almost struggling at times) negotiated the stairs in their costume. It was 30 degrees and they had to dance around in a heavy costume for half an hour- there is a job I would never envy.
I proceeded to wander around the castle and gardens,had some flavoured shaved ice and took opportunity to wind down and cool off in the shade....it was much needed and appreciated

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