Kobe beef revisted (Day Three and Four)

When I arrived at the Sannomiya Bus Terminal in central Kobe, I was saddened to have to say goodbye to all my friends I met the previous night, and a little overwhelmed that I would have to make new ones in the span of a day if I wanted to have as much fun as I did the night before. Instead of doing this, I decided to become an actual tourist. I made my way down to the pier and visited all the shops, tried some of the foods from the street vendors, went to museums, took a nap in the park and finally rode the elevator to the top of Kobe Tower which gave an impressive 360 degree view of the city in all its splendor.

"Oppai Park" (literally, big boob park) outside of Sannomiya Bus Terminal



A strange looking belltower in one of the parks near the pier




Kobe Tower




I watched this homeless man for 30 minutes while he tried to launch his kite. Stay in school.




As this vending machine suggests, if you had any concern about just how tough Tommy Lee Jones is, the sign leaves no room for doubt.



Since it was a Sunday and Japanese people don't get vacation for Christmas, there wasn't much to do when the sun went down. I decided to give myself a break and booked a room for 8 hours at the Internet cafe for a whopping 1,400 yen (about $10). I slept well, took a shower, had some breakfast and got on the local train to take me back home. Back in Hagi, for Christmas Eve I enjoyed a delectable Nabe dinner courtesy of Mr. Spiller, and spent the rest of the night at a bar with both foreign and Japanese friends. As I woke this Christmas morning, I discovered that Santa did in fact bring me a present: a nice hangover. Not exactly what I wrote on my list, but at least it was something. For those of you in the Western Hemisphere who are a day behind, Merry Christmas.