Kobe, Japan

I love Kobe, Japan a lot - there is the old Kobe and the new Kobe - and of course the new Kobe consist of high rise and all the modern stuff - from water pumps and water fountains in the park.  Kobe Bay is one of my favorite places to show off to visitors who have never been here before.

The Kobe Port Tower and the Carillon is another place I like in Kobe.

And of course the earthquake measuring thingie  - to remind everyone of the huge earthquake that Kobe had in 1995.  But like I said - this is the modern side of Kobe - where all the high tech amenities are all over  - but wait till you see the old Kobe - where water pumps are not something they commonly use - they use wells and hot tubs.

Avid Gardeners In Japan

My girlfriend from Canada - who moved to Japan permanently became an avid gardener after seeing what her neighbor did with hers.  In Japan - space and a garden is rare - but those who own their own house definitely took the time to beautify their home and garden themselves and we all know that the Japanese are meticulous and they are quite artsy.  I loved their garden for they are so zen like - so calming - and of course they are into the recycle thingie and compost bin is a big thing for them in Japan.  I never knew much about compost bins till I came to Canada - and now everything needs to be separated.  But with the right compost bin - you can even save on the fertilizer for your garden.  Pretty awesome right !  no wonder the Japanese loved the compost bin so much and of course gardening has never been easier.

Avid Japanese Golf Players

For those of you who are not aware of this - the Japanese are avid golf players - but there are not many golf course in Japan and it is very expensive - to play golf - therefore when Japanese friends comes to Canada to visit me in Canada - they ask to play golf all the time and some even go to golf resort around Canada.  Here in Nova Scotia - we have many golf resort - and most of them supply the garmin gps for golf - and that’s what the Japanese golf players loved.   A dear friend of mine - who is coming home from Japan asked me to look for a golf resort for his family - that provide this garmin gps for golf - and I’ve found a few that have this gps for golf.   You can sell just about anything to a Japanese golf player - when they are in town - I know that this Japanese friend of mine - will even buy a whole range of golf clubs to bring home to Japan - the yen is so strong - they shop like lords here.  So if you are playing golf with a Japanese - don’t under-estimate them.

Kyoto Famous Tea House

Famous for its tea since the 1900s - this teahouse called the Kaboku in Ippodo in Kyoto is a must to visit and not as gloomy as it looked from the outside.  Tea making workshop is also available here - but if you want to have a piece of cake and some good tea - here is the place.  It’s bright and modern inside - well not exactly modern - but nice and japanese modern.

Matcha

tea setting

Sumo Show

I found pictures that was taken many years ago - when I was still living in Japan for 6 months while working for a hotel chain in Asia.  i remembered vividly - how excited i was when my co-workers told me that got me tickets to see a real sumo wrestling show in the sumo stadium called the Kokugikan.  I had never seen a sumo wrestling show before - so I wanted to take lots of pictures and experienced it for myself.

It was a full house night that night and the banners on top of the stage - was the Japanese sumo wrestling association thanking the patrons for filling up the seats.  I saw many tourists and foreigners like myself - and my co-workers were very kind to explain what was going on during the whole event.

I wished we had better seats but for $50 - you can’t really asked for a lot.  The capacity for the stadium was said to be 10,000 - and it sure looked like there were that many people there.  Taking the subway to the stadium is not difficult at all - check with your concierge - and I was told not to book a tour - it’s a waste of money.  Don’t forget to visit the Sumo Museum while you are there - entry is free - but so small - not really worth going - but only my personal opinion.  But I did have fun - even though I didn’t really understand all those huge men trying to throw each other down.

Working Abroad

Teaching English in Japan is a big thing for people from the West going to the East - but did you realized that there are many Japanese going to the United States to work too.  Ironic ?  some - but it’s true - I have a girlfriend who is a Japanese and her spouse works in United States - I think in an oil rig.  While teachers teaching English in Japan may not have much insurance for any kind of accidents - it is totally different in the United States.   Plus in United States they have injury lawyers - just for people like my girlfriend’s spouse - lucky him !  so why is there no injury lawyers in Japan as much as they have in United States?  Does it mean that in Japan - you don’t get into as much accidents?  afterall, they do have huge construction company in Japan too and fishing is also a big part of Japanese lifestyle?  so how come they don’t have lawyers like the  Texas Work Injury Lawyer ?  who specializes in helping those who are injured at work that could have been prevented and the same for death at work.   So no wonder we see so  many Japanese working abroad while the Westerners flocked to Japan to teach English - the Japanese on the other hand - works in the West.   Interesting to note.

Fushimi Inari

Thought I would share more pictures of the Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto here - for those who haven’t been there recently.

100s and 100s of prayers and wishes from both locals and tourists.

Good luck water ?

Ramen In Japan

The Ramen in Ikebukuro is the best I’ve tried thus far in Tokyo - I love the miso Ramen very much - and according to my friend - she said that this is not a chain restaurant.  It’s small inside and seats like 10 - 15 - the Ramen here cost between 750 - 1000 yen - approximately  $7.50 USD.

Yums!

Trendy Japanese Exchange Students

We currently have some exchange students from Japan and during the multi-cultural festival recently I was privileged to have met some of them.  They were as usual - one of the most trendy group amongst the various I’ve met during these festival but that’s to be expected.  We exchange conversation and shared my love for sushi and sashimi and of course the fact that I loved maguro more than salmon sashimi made them laughed.  We talked a lot about fashion and I asked one of them about the shoes they were wearing from Nike and they told me it was for skateboarding and they were so looking forward to skateboarding this summer at our newly build skateboard park.  The skateboard shoes looked really light and trendy - I wonder if I can wear them just for walking around?   The students were extremely friendly and we promised to have lunch soon.

Health Care In Japan and USA

While health care is quite different in Japan and the United States - I have to say that it can be quite devastating if one needs to go for detox in Japan - because  drug detox center program are not as readily available in Japan as they are in USA.  Like they say - you can find Miso soup in Japan but not always in United States - and health care is just like a miso soup - a necessity for any Japanese in United States but not always available.  So what do the teachers in Japan do - when they have a health problem?  I know of many who would fly back to United States to get treated.  Seeing a doctor in Japan if you are a local can be a problem - therefore, if you have an addiction problem in Japan - I think it’s even harder to get help.