Regarding December

Let me open with a "Happy New Year!" and a belated "Happy Holidays" to everyone.

I've only just realized that a full month has passed since I've put up any content. Yikes! Well, although I didn't do a lot of adventuring in December, I did manage to see the Osaka Aquarium (sorry, no pictures, as special equipment is needed to photograph fish with any quality.) I waited in the freezing cold for an hour to see two blocks of Italian lights for the "Kobe Luminarie festival". Luminarie is held each year to remeber the 1995 Hanshin-Awaji earthquake. I also found the only authentic oriental garden in Kobe. "Sorakuen" was an estate given to the city upon the owner's death and turned into a beautiful garden. Aside from that I went to to some "end of year"/Christmas parties, kept my nose to the grindstone, and worked towards the sweet-sweet vacation at the end of the month.

The World's Largest Ferris Wheel.
(Located next to the Osaka Aquarium.)

The canyon-like inside of the Namba Parks mall.

Luminarie as see durning the day.

I didn't have my camera the night I went,
and I wasn't standing in line another hour.

Foreground, '95 earthquake memorial.
Background, Sannomiya.

A simple gate with small trees in Sorakuen.

One of the oldest "western" buildings in Kobe, the origonal stables for the estate.

The garden has a beautiful pond.
(winter's here and the trees are looking a little barren.)

Awe, admit it, you've missed my pictures of Port Tower.

If you look closely it looks like Santa.

Now, on to that much anticipated vacation. As a special treat my Mother came to visit for the first part of the break. I had all sorts of plans cooked up to go dashing all over the country. But "the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry" and I was struck down with the flu (on Christmas day, no less.) So instead we had adventures in Japanese healthcare. It's a long (and still a little fuzzy) story but I more or less recovered from the worst of it by New Years.

Now, my Mother has gone back to the States and I have about another week of vacation with which to finish recovering. I don't foresee and big adentures, as I'm focusing on getting back up to 100% before going back to work. But if something comes up I'll be sure to post about it. Until next time:

Jaa Mata Ne.