Day trip to Kobe

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I apologize for the delay in this blog entry : 0

2/6/2009

So 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 famous and expensive JR line. The trip there and back was around 1200 Yen converts to about $12.80. The train ride was smooth and we made it to the station without getting lost. There was free shuttle bus to Ikea waiting there just for us....and all the other people going to Ikea...haha...so we hoped on and took the 15 minute ride to Ikea. We had to cross a bridge onto what seemed to be a seaport which is where Ikea is located. So the place where we crossed the bridge is actually called Port Island and it is also a shipping port for the Kobe/Osaka area.

When we got to Ikea we didn't hesitate to snap a couple of photos outside the store. It was quite surreal to step inside the store because I felt like I was back in Atlanta shopping (sometimes window shopping) around the store. The smell, the look, the goods, were nearly all the same for the most part. So we spent some time playing "House" on the Ikea showroom floor....its was so much fun!

After I found the perfect pillow for my bed we headed downstairs to the eatery to pick up some food. I ended up getting two hot dogs, a doughnut (that was not what I expected), a coke, and some ice cream. Almost the same exact thing that I would have gotten if I had been in Atlanta.

After Ikea we headed to the popular Chinatown....( I know what you're thinking....Chinatown in Japan?---yes it exist!) On the way I found some shoes (Puma) that I had saw in a store on sale a month earlier for around 2,300 Yen. They were 2,900 Yen ($32.00) at this store and they had my size so I ended up getting them. We then browsed a couple of shops and found random and interesting items in the Chinese style stores until we grew hungry. We ended up eating at a buffet style place but its not the buffet that you would think of in America. When you order something it could not be the same thing that another person at your same table ordered and you had to finish a dish before you replaced it with another. A little different I know but I think that's part of the culture of it...the food was ok for the most part though.

Around 8PM we decided to head back to Kyoto for drinks at Katsutoshi's apartment. We played video games for about an hour and then decided to watch the Last Samuri with Tom Cruise because we felt the need to watched a Japanese themed film. When I watched the movie a couple of years back I did not think about the Japanese culture and its accuracy...however this time when I watched it I was actually able to understand some of the Japanese and the customs in the movie! Pretty interesting take for sure!

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Photos

On the train to Kobe
Me, Jennie, and Ukyun

Kobe
An interesting looking building in Kobe.

Boarding the Ikea bus
Just before boarding the Ikea shuttle bus

On the shuttle bus
Me, Katsutoshi, and Ukyun on the Ikea bus.

Executive Power
Pretending to be an executive.

Breakfast at home
Eating breakfast around the kitchen table.

Executive power 2
A busy day at the office.

Everything is automated.
It is very common to purchase food items from a machine before you interact with a person.