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I heard they feed Kobe's cows with 'foie gras'...or is it the other way around? ...maybe neither, who knows. All debbie knows is that she wanted to have a taste. So on the way back, we decided to spend an evening in Kobe, since it wasn't too far away from where we were staying in Osaka..."I want to eat some Kobe Beef!", so off we went.
I take it this is the kobe port tower?...
...and this the kobe ferris wheel...
...a kobe hotel...
...and a kobe mall.
this is the kobe "calatrava" looking kobe sea museum...
Sorry for the few pictures in this post...apart from the slightly blurry port building night shots, when it was time to take the most interesting part, the platter, my camera died. But i guess that doesn't matter because even if you see the meat, you can't really see the difference, and besides, you can't photograph a good new taste, you can only close your eyes and remember it. So, remember this: it's not like foie gras.
Oh, and obviously, there is more to kobe, than just it's beef...everybody knows that there is the milk too, but i guess i'll have to come back and try that some other time.
...as we followed the sakura blossom wave towards the north, we made a brief stop through the city of Himeji; so brief that we only spent one after noon there...
this post is going to be pretty pink!
...but it was the perfect time to visit.
It's not white, yet it's not pink. It's not as dark as purple either...it's sakura!
Quick shot of the mote surrounding the castle grounds...no, no boat ride...please.
sakura blossoms everywhere: the castle grounds turns pink only once a year...
castle in the distance: when you pass the mote and enter the grounds, you are welcomed by a huge field...a place to gather or pretty much do what you want...
but you can also choose to stay on the path, and enjoy the blossoms...
...or sit down and enjoy them too.hanami (picnic under a cherry blossom tree) : Everyone does this at some point. very nice.
the castle: probably one of the most famous, and visited in japan....
...again, sakura: they have special areas around the castle where there are just sakura trees everywhere. literally covering the sky.
view of the city from the top of the castle.
heavy stuff: kabuto also known as a shogun uniform
as promised...: " wow ben, look at this birdcage!" - anonymous.
"Himeji serves as an excellent example of the prototypical Japanese castle, containing many of the defensive and architectural features most associated with Japanese castles." -wiki.
ok, riiiight. 
and more sakura (桜 サクラ, cerisiers ornementaux, cherry blossoms)slightly different shades of color depending on the region, the sakura tree for many represents the light, temporary side of nature...the beginning of spring.
Could the color come from the blood of the earth, slightly diluted, passing through the soul of the tree??
The downtown part of the city is pretty funny because as soon as you get out from the station, your faced with one big boulevard that leads to the city's biggest attraction: Himeji-jo, also known as Himeji castle. So because of time, that's pretty much all we saw!
yup...moms got the local picture virus too. uh-oh.
On the way back from the castle, i awoke from my deep slumber...when suddenly- what?!...was i still dreaming or...was i back in the bay already?!
to be continued...
Dontaku: i guess this looks like another festival...japan seems to have many occasions to "celebrate" one thing or another... But this time it wasn't just another parade...the particularities around this one deserve to be shown and mentioned.
first of all, i have to say that this festival is one of the three biggest festivals in the country, population wise...so just witnessing it is pretty impressive...the number of floats, people marching, camera crews and general spectators everywhere, wow. it was pretty intense.
early afternoon at a park in tenjin, many different groups warm up...seen doing last minute checkups and rehearsals...
different groups of all ages, getting ready for the big walk...
gangsters of all ages.
like i said, this is big: gathering people from all over...
various marching bands...
Secondly, why was i here exactly? the truth is i got invited by my school to participate in one of the floats...witnessing first-hand the parade...with the crowd around me...
'Nichi Nihon Ginko' group: So yes, we got to wear orange jackets and hold flags...and dance around like fools following these cute little ladies...
It was nice; it was my first time walking through Tenjin like this! it had been a while since i didn't get this feeling of been alone, a feeling from massive amounts of people just watching you...
being apart of the Hakata Dontaku festival, following the same group of people, well... i didn't really get to see much of the parade!
so after we reached the finishing point, we have a little time to enjoy the normal festivities...such as the food stands, music and people... Tenjin was packed. imposible to move...for two days straight.
accros building park...i forgot the official name.
finally, right before leaving...another surprise? a roda di capoeira in fukuoka?? no...can't be...you know i had to play a quick game! zoom zoom...
'
'Amigos di bahia' is what they call themselves...they are now my third group of capoeira. Now if thats not world wide...
