http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Hyogo/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Asia , Japan , Hyogo en-us Wed, 06 Jan 2010 01:59:51 +0000 Wed, 06 Jan 2010 01:59:51 +0000 Oct 14 and 15 Held in Tenmangu Shrine abt.50km westward of Kobe Also westward of Osaka Japan. Although I checked it with Wikipedia blogs and the related websites I came to a question which date 14th or 15th is the most attractive one to me. It seemed it might take more than three hours to reach at the Far West from my house at Nara city Far East. I took a train to Osaka station transited http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Hyogo/blog-446034.html The fivedays holidays came just at the right timing when my two close friends Jane and Cindy visited from Vancouver. It was a funny feeling seeing them in Japan at first. I've done and seen so much since arrival in this country to the point that my brain often fail to connect the amount of events happened with this short span of time. And my two friends constantly remind me that I've only been aw http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Hyogo/blog-439652.html After being folded up on airplanes for 23 hours we enjoyed a nice walk with Ted and Nobu in the neighborhood where we visited a local noodle shop for dinner. It was wonderful. We were even able to walk after sitting on little pillows at a table not more than 12 inches from the floorToday we went to Kobe to visit Ted's Kappore Dancing group what a beautiful and graceful artform. They will be http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Hyogo/Kobe/blog-437815.html He poked a tube down my nose and throat. The screen in front of me displayed some moving respiratory system images. Realizing those were from my own body and with the itchy feeling caused by the tube I refrained myself from sneezing or puking in front of the doctor nurses and my JTE.I felt sick on Wednesday and had completely lost my voice on the second day. So here I was in a clinic in Japan http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Hyogo/Kobe/blog-434130.html So I find myself at the unemployed end of three years and one week of teaching English in Japan. It seems fitting to cast an eye on the whole experience. What's it like What does it look like Who do you work with How are the students Prepare to be enlightened perchance entertained and generally disuninformed.Who did you work forI worked for ECC one of the biggest companies and from wh http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Hyogo/blog-425800.html Mostly quiet here on the Eastern front. We're winding up to leave Japan and had a formal family occasion as an early sendoff. Needless to say as with most family events here it all got entertainingly boozey.Our grandparents mother's side live in Takedao a place which is startlingly remote when compared to where we live. It's only 20 minutes by train but sits up in the mountains with less s http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Hyogo/blog-421586.html KobeHimeji Japan http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Hyogo/Kobe/blog-401868.html Who would've thought that getting on a boat to go explore Phang Nga Thailand a year ago would help me score tickets to a sellout baseball game in Japan Well it did. On that trip I befriended a Japanese family one of whom went to fair lengths to get hold of a couple of tickets to a Hanshin Tigers v Yomiuri Giants game at Koshien Stadium the Tigers home ground during the Golden Week holidays. http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Hyogo/Kobe/blog-400769.html Emily and I woke up early the next morning with a mission. As it turned out I spent the better part of Tuesday in a pissy mood because of my own inability to effectively navigate the Japanese railway system. Emily and I planned on going to Kyoto for the day to see the cherry blossoms and other main attractions but not having a rail pass which cost over 300 USD made the process decidedly more http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Hyogo/Kobe/blog-388646.html So with the possibility of a military conflict much less likely than a few days ago I got off the ship in Kobe planning to spend a laidback few hours walking around the city before going to a Welcome Reception with Japanese students. First of all I just have to say that I did not expect the immigration process to be quite that extreme they had us walk past an infrared camera that took our temp http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Hyogo/Kobe/blog-388644.html Having decided not to go on a photofest in Osaka due to unsuitable weather it subsequently cleared up. I met my friend Pete for an impromptu and informal photography lesson at Shukugawa then unleashed what I hadhadn't gleaned from him while I tried to find my way home. Arrived back several hours later with a greater understanding of the route between here and there slightly sore feet and quit http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Hyogo/Nishinomiya/blog-387300.html Valoszinuleg tudat alatt bennem volt egy ideje hogy el kene latogatnom Japanba de eloszor akkor jott a felszinre amikor 2007 oktobereben elutasitottak az amerikai vizumkerelmemet es arra gondoltam hogy akkor elmegyek oda ahova nem kell vizum. Ekkor ugrott be Japan aminek az epiteszete kulturaja termeszeti szepsegei es termeszetesen a konyhaja erdekeltek mar egy ideje.Mivel jol alakult http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Hyogo/Kobe/blog-386829.html I apologize for the delay in this blog entry 0 262009So me and my friends Ukyun Korean Jennie American and Katsutoshi Japanese headed to Kobe in search of a new pillow for my bed...haha...well that was the primary reason I wanted to go to Ikea in Kobe and I also wanted to remind my self of the Ikea in Atlanta in which I use to frequent. We ended up taking the Hankyu line instead of the http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Hyogo/Kobe/blog-377493.html On my second day in Japan I headed out of the city to Himeji. However for the entire hour's journey I didn't see a single patch of noncity every single square inch was built up Japan's population is over double that of the UK's but I don't think they have double the space so you can understand why it is so packed. I think it also has something to do with the amount of inhospitable land full http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Hyogo/Himeji/blog-370259.html When we got married in May we didn't have the wherewithal to have a reception and didn't think it necessary. However we had second thoughts and decided to take the plunge. We're very glad we did it was a fantastic day...Mitsu left early in order to get her hair and makeup and so on done Maya and I headed out a little later. I practised reading my wedding speech several times at home and on th http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Hyogo/Kobe/blog-343253.html Our last day in Japan. It was a good day We headed out early to go back to Kyoto. At first it was a bit of a buzzkill to have to go back to the city we thought we finished yesterday but it turned out to be one of the nicest days of the vacation for me. Once we got there Nick headed off to the Kiyamizu temple to buy something for Megumi while Mike and I ventured out to visit the golden pav http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Hyogo/Kobe/blog-337006.html Short Stay in Himeji and Awaji JapanThis is my second trip to Japan after I landed in Kyushu Island in 2007. It is definitely a trip worth looking forward to considering the pleasant culture people and food there. Day 1 21 OctIt took about six and half hours in the early morning to fly from Kuala Lumpur to Kansai International airport Osaka. Kansai is actually located on an island off Osaka. http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Hyogo/Himeji/blog-336884.html Kobe turned out to be a really wonderful little city. Some might recognize the name from the 1995 Earthquake here that killed about 6000 people. Since then it's been rebuilt and it definitely feels nicer then an older Japanese city. Wide room streets and walkways and a very cosmopolitan atmosphere makes this a lot nicer I think then Osaka was. Lot's of parks and a nice memorial to the Earthqua http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Hyogo/Kobe/blog-331008.html A collection of facts that I've learned in Japan so far1 English music is everywhere. Commercials. Playing from random stereos outside stores. And it can be in many forms too sometimes without words.2 English celebrities are everywhere. Cameron Diaz Scarlett Johanssen Tommy Lee Jones Orlando Bloom Kiera Knightley... tons...3 Just about everything you can buy you can find at a store http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Hyogo/Kobe/blog-325175.html Well it was about time and we've finally had another guest. DesireeDesi met Mitsu in Montreal and they've been best friends ever since. They hadn't seen each other in three years and the tears at the airport were something to behold Anyway we've naturally been showcasing as much of the area and food as we can taking in Kobe Osaka Nara Kyoto and the cherry on the top a weekend away in http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Hyogo/blog-297305.html