First, apologies both for posting a stub last week and for then not updating it. Perhaps the worst part is that the last two weeks happened to be fairly eventful and now I'm scrambling to remember it all.

Saturday the 19th I was sent to Kyoto to work an early shift. This meant that I had a free ride (well, a reimbursed ride) and a free evening with which to enjoy the city. It was my hope that I'd be able to catch part of the Gion Matsuri (a big festival in the old gesha district) but it seems that it ended the Thursday prior. Instead, after work I did my usual aimless walk around (in, of course, 95 degree heat) the result of which was my finding the shopping district Sparks took me three years ago (and which, to that point, I couldn't find again.) In my random walking I found a foreign bookstore oddly enough called Random Walk. And, it turned out, they happened to have two books I was looking for in stock. So, after some retail therapy and some dinner I headed back to Kobe.

Kyoto station, looking out over the regular tracks towards the Shinkansen terminal.

Monday the 21st was a national holiday and the first (of many) paid days off. I know I sound like a broken record but again it was really too hot to do anything that involved the outdoors. I did mange walk from the apartment to the front of the Oji Zoo (about 2 miles) but decided that I had no real interest in going in. From the zoo I walked down to the port (another half mile) then back home. The result of the day's travels being nothing but exhaustion and a sunburned neck. The rest of my "weekend" was spent cowering in the air-conditioning, occasionally dashing to the convenience around the corner for something cold to drink.

Palm trees thrive in tropical conditions.
These trees are thriving.
Tropical conditions detected!

Some long-range truckers in Japan kit out their trucks.
This one (spotted near the port) has more chrome than Harley Davidson shop.

Random marquee for a covered shopping arcade.

This past Saturday, the 26th, I got sent to Himeji for another early shift. This is only really notable because Himeji is the 15th different school I've taught at in my two months of work. Other interesting figures include 41 working days in the past 62 and a total of 46,300yen in daily travel expenses (not counting the 3 times I've had to take the shinkansen [which would nearly double that figure.])

Monday this week it rained for the first time in the month of July. As if making up for lost time it poured buckets of rain all afternoon, accompanied by a lot of lightening and thunder. I think I would have appreciated the temporary drop in temperature and humidity more had I not had to walk to work in the middle of the storm. My socks were still soaked when I got home that evening.

Yesterday, while running some errands downtown, I happened upon the Kobe branch of Random Walk books and found yet another book I was looking for.

Today I popped over to Osaka for a bit. I didn't have a plan in mind and ended up walking from Osaka station to Shin-imamiya station (or, cutting a path down the center of the circular Osaka loop line/Osaka itself.) On the way I found Den-den town, Osaka's answer to my favorite place on earth: Akihabara.

This truck is empty and is more or less a moving billboard (the trailer part is empty.)
It's a advertisement for a new pachinko machine.
Seriously, is this a cost effective way to advertise with gas prices being what they are?

This was above the main entrance of the Daimaru (a big department store) in Namba.

Osaka tower.
It was too hazy today, so I didn't go up.

Other happenings in the last two weeks include a certain breakdown in relations with my roommates. Don't get me wrong, they're great guys and all, but it turns out I'm a morning person (who knew!?) and they're night people. This generally means that when I turn in for the night they're just getting going. The problem is compounded by the fact that Japanese apartments have paper thin walls.

This issue, combined with others such as a lack of a nearby grocery store and having to walk up hill (again, in 95 degree heat) to get home every day have lead me to inquire about moving back into the building where I was when I first go here. I just received word yesterday with the OK to move next month. This should work out alright as the date selected is right in the middle of my summer vacation, giving my a week to pack and another to settle in.

Speaking of the summer break. I predict next week's post may be a short.boring one again. Since I get two weeks off in a row I decided to put in some overtime this week on Tuesday, meaning a 6 day workweek and only one day of doing stuff to write about next Wednesday.

In the mean time, and on a lighter note:

A huge moth resting on the netting that covers my balcony at dusk.

Oh, Japan, is there ANYTHING you can't make cute?

That seems to do it for this week. Until next time:

Jaa Mata Ne.

Whoops, I meant to post last night, but it totally slipped my mind. Nothing really exciting happened this weeks either (thank you oppressive Japanese summer) but I will probably post a little something this evening if I get the chance.

Well after last week's episode of living hand to mouth (punctuated by needing to buy Shinkansen tickets to Okayama again on Saturday.) I had a little more fun on my days off this week, having successfully been paid (for the second month in a row) on Monday. 3 cheers for working for a solvent company, "hip, hip, Hurray!"

Oh, let me begin with Monday's "excitement." I went to my usual school downtown (thought it wasn't not a normal shift. Just for the day.) Part way through the shift one of the staff asked if I wanted to help pass out fliers outside. "Sure," I say. I always wondered what is was like to be one of the people handing out things on the corner. It's a lot easier than it looks, especially if you're a 2 meter tall foreigner. I could have been handing out hand grenades with the pins pulled and still run out... but I digress. That wasn't the interesting part. So, I watch as a lady rides her bike into the intersection as the light is about to change to "walk." People often start to cross while it's still "a little red." Anywho, the cross-traffic light is still yellow and some guy guns it to get through. And, yeah, I always herd there were a lot of traffic accidents here, but I had never seen one. The lady goes flying up on the guy's hood as he slams on the brakes. Luckily she got up afterwords and seemed REALLY shaken but physically unhurt. The police came but I ran out of fliers and went back inside before much else happened. Scary stuff, a potent reminder to look both ways before crossing the street, and only cross with the light!

Yesterday (Tuesday), after paying some bills in the morning, I decided to check out Rokko Island. Rokko is one of three large man-made islands in the bay next to Kobe (along with Port Island and Kobe Airport.) You may recall from a previous post that I went to Port Island (but didn't bother getting off the train for lack of interest.) As with Port Island, there's not a lot that's of interest on Rokko Island. I did find a water park (though I didn't have my swimsuit with me.) The layout of the Island is more or less an outer ring of port facilities (ridiculously large cranes loading and unloading stupidly large ships), a ring of high-rise apartments, and a half-un-occupied retail core. One thing that did strike me was how devoid of history the place was. Everything on the island was built less than 20 years ago, so there weren't any 500 year old shrines waiting to be found in the back alleys. Sort of a weird vibe.

The aliens have landed...
And parked their spaceship on Rokko Island!

Today (Wednesday) I wasted most of the morning hours playing video games. Some time after lunch I decided I should probably get off my butt and actually do something. The easiest thing at hand was my old "pick a direction and walk in it until you find something cool" routine. I ended up climbing one of the mountains in the range behind my apartment. Turns out there's a walking bridge called "Venus Bridge" that's fairly famous for its view at the top. It was a fairly clear day today (not too hazy anyways) and I got one of the best views of Kobe yet (it was actually clear enough to see Osaka.) After climbing down the mountain I made my way south past my old apartment to Harbor Land and finally back home. Probably a 5km day, but most of that was vertical.

Sick of my pictures of the Kobe skyline yet?
(It's my new Fuji-san!*)
(*see the pictures in the last 1/2 of my last blog)

Another perspective on Port Tower

I think this is the third week in a row of my posting at this time. It seems to work pretty well, so I think I'll (be attempting to) stick to it. Also in the realm of posting, the Japanese summer is nearly upon us (well, those of us in Japan.) With temps easily creeping up over the 100 degree mark for weeks at a time and with humidity like a rain-forest at the bottom of the ocean, I will be toning down my adventures to things that will probably be inside (air conditioned but not as photograph-able.) I know some of you really enjoy the photography part of this blog but please bare with me until typhoon season gets here (the end of August) and takes some of the temperature edge off.

Alright, I think that's it for now. Thanks to "Marine Day" on the 20th I get a four day work week this week and a "three day 'weekend'" next week. Now... what to do with my bonus day off... Until next time:

Jaa Mata Ne.

P.S. As of today I've spent 69 days in Japan, 1 day longer than the time here with my last company.

P.P.S. I'd like to wish my Father a very Happy Birthday.

A very quick and boring post this week. Due to several factors, not the least of which; that it has been raining pretty hard the last two days, I didn't do anything the least bit exciting on my days off. Funny story (related to not doing anything) most of my weekend budget this week went to fronting for Shinkansen tickets to Okayama and back on Monday. On the plus side it's not every day I get to travel 150km in 30 minutes on the company nickel. Oh, and last Friday I went 80km in the opposite direction to the other side of Kyoto (via regular train, taking an hour) to a picturesque town up the the mountains called Yamashina. It's Thursday morning now I should get ready for work. Until next time:

Jaa Mata Ne.

What's this then? The second post in a week!? Yeah, I'm surprised too... don't get too used to it.

Anyways, I'm wrapping up my "weekend" here and gosh was I busy. Yesterday I headed over to Himeji (40 minutes away by Special Rapid train) and today I went into Osaka. The main purpose of both trips was to check out the castles in each city.

Japanese lesson for the day: "Jo", when attached to a place name, usually means castle (i.e. Hiroshima-jo, Himeji-jo, Osaka-jo.)

Himeji-jo is, perhaps, Japan's most famous castle.

Needing stones to build the foundation,
the lord of the castle put out a request to the people.
A woman donated her only mill-stone to the construction (seen above.)
After hearing the story of her noble deed, the collection of stones hastened.
Although many stones were collected from the people, some were stolen from various shrines, temples, and even a few stone coffins from local cemeteries.

From a distance the foundation looks to be made up of large stones alone.
Upon closer inspection the gaps between the larger stones are actually filled with smaller stones.

'Pan-o-ramic' view from the top of Himeji-jo.
Even today it remains the tallest structure in Himeji city.

They happened to be filming something in one of the courtyards.
With all that equipment (movie magic) it'll look just like it was made in a studio!
...wait, then why...

On the way back from Himeji I stopped took some pictures of the world's longest suspension bridge. The Akashi Kaikyo bridge is 1991 metes long at it's center span(833m longer than the Mackinac bridge) Turns out pictues don't do justice to the sheer size of this behemoth.

There was a bridge museum (which I skipped) and an... observatory(?) under the roadway of the bridge. Here for your bloodthirsy American viewing pleasure is me risking life and limb (again, the photo doesn't quite do justice to the 9 story drop to the water.)

Hey, look, another castle! This one's in Osaka. Pretty much right in the center of the downtown area. I didn't pay the 600 yen to go inside (I assume that it looks like the interior of both of the other castles I've toured.) Osaka-jo is cool in that it's got a two-tiered moat (one moat sits inside and above the other. Pictured is the second, higher, moat and the castle building.)

The Office of Silly Signs (Kobe Branch) brings you this.
Honestly, if is this "relaxation", I don't want to know what stress in Thailand is like.

... and some store names just wouldn't fly elswhere in the world...

Not pictued this week: the wicked sunburn I got walking around today. Yesterday was perfect, not too hot OR humid with some light cloud cover. Today was sunny, hot, and humid. (Yes, yes, should have worn a hat, blah, blah, 20-20 hindsight and all that.) Well, for the time being it's okay, but I'd better go find some aloevera before it really starts to itch.

I think that about covers it. Back to work tomorrow. Nose to the grindstone and all that.

Jaa Mata Ne.