Japan
Trip Start
Apr 10, 2008
1
Trip End
Apr 14, 2008
Kobe, Japan
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
That night we took the Japan Rail to Osaka to visit a foreign exchange student originally from Osaka that studied with one of my friends back in the states. He showed us around Osaka and took us to a great dinner where we didn't hear or see one word if English. It was authentic and just what I was looking for. We returned to Kobe that night and continued partying and stayed on the ship.
Early the next morning we got on our 3-hour train to Tokyo. When we arrived we got a delicious sushi lunch on the 35th floor of a high-rise overlooking the city. After lunch the 4 of us walked around Tokyo and worked on finding a hotel for the night. After everything was settled we head to the Tokyo Dome for the Giants vs. Swallows baseball game. The Giants were the local team and comparable to the Yankees I was told. Naturally, that was who we rooted for. It was a great game and so much fun to be at a baseball game and see it from another cultures point of view. Everything was pretty similar obviously, except for the food and the fact that they had cheerleaders, unlike American baseball.
After the game we went to the district of Ropungi. We were told this was a seedy area and to not go here or be careful if we did. All of Japan was extremely safe and people were friendly. They have one of the lowest crime rates in the world. The area wasn't that bad and it was where you go if you wanted to party, so that's where we went. The only thing off was the mix of people and being hassled to go into the different clubs and even being offered prostitutes.
The next morning we went back to Tokyo Dome city and walked around. There was a lot going on there, kind of like Yankee Road, only nicer. After getting lunch we took the rail outside of the city and went to some markets and the electronic district. I was hoping to find a nice camera and a PSP for cheap, but everything was unfortunately priced the same as in the states. I wasn't sure why considering a lot of the stuff was actually made in Japan.
That night we took the Rail back to Kobe, but stopped in Kyoto for dinner to break up the ride. Dinner here was wonderful and the city looked pretty nice, although we didn't get to see enough of it.
Once we got back to Kobe it was pretty late but we still managed to go out for one last night in Japan. There was no way we could stay in considering this was our last night to really party before beings at sea for 9 days then in Hawaii for one and back at sea for another 8 days. This is going to be the longest, toughest stretch. I have a feeling a lot of people will be getting cabin fever.
The last day I spent in Kobe. I wanted to try and hike a nearby mountain but I didn't have enough time because I had to be back at the ship early. I went to a Sake brewery and learned about how to make Sake and got to taste different types. After that I got Kobe steak for lunch and it was probably the best meat I have ever eaten in my life. The two things I had to do in Japan were eat sushi and Kobe beef and I did. It was amazing. They brought the steak out on a hot skillet and literally in flames. The meat wasn't fully cooked when it came out so it sat on the skillet and cooked in front of me till I decided to eat it at the perfect temperature for me. It was the most tender and juicy piece of steak I have ever had, and I've had a lot of good steaks before.
That was the essence of my time in Japan and it was great. I was really amazed with Japan like I was with South Africa. I think it's another one of my favorite ports on this voyage. Now it's off to sea for too long and nothing but school. The whole semester is basically over because all that's left is one day (about 12 hours) in Hawaii and two nights in Costa Rica then we arrive in Miami. I am dreading the end. I never want this to end. It has been the single most thrilling experience of my life. I have grown and learned so much without even considering the actual classes.
