Crusing in Kobe on the Concerto

Last night I went crusing in Kobe. Fortunately, one of my private lessons was kind enough to give me free tickets to take a ride on the Concerto. My date, Tomoko, and I decided to take the evening cruise since she had to work in the morning. No, it's not what you are thinking, we are just friends. She has a boyfriend and is a good friend of mine. She is a lot of fun and her English is really good so I asked her if she would accompany me and she said sure. So, off we went to Kobe.

I met her at the station around 5:30 pm and we took the JR line to Kobe station. Neither one of us had been to this exact location but she had an idea of where it was. So, we strolled through the station and did a bit of walking before finding ourselves in Harborland. There was an area with a lot of little shops which we strolled through for a while since the cruise didn't leave until 7:20 and it was only 6:25. There were a couple of restaurants and I noticed signs for Kobe beef. I was already hungry so the sights and sounds of the restaurants didn't help ease my growling tummy.

(Tomoko in a Concerto hat)

(The Concerto with Kobe harbor in the background.)

The view from the Harbor was gorgeous - there was Kobe tower, which is the orange building, another structure in blue, and then the rest of the city behind it. In the above picture, you can see a picture of the Concerto, the ship we took our on voyage. This was Tomoko's first cruise and as we checked in, I could tell she was getting awfully excited. She was bouncing all around and extremely giddy. After check in we walked around for a bit more to kill some more time and went in to a few shops.

(Kobe harbor - I just noticed our reflections in the picture which is pretty amazing and something I was not trying to do when I took the picture.)

Eventually, it was time to board the ship. We stood in line for a couple of minutes and finally made our way on board. We headed straight up to the Ruby room and found ourselves at one of the front tables so we could see exactly where we were headed, right out the front window. The woman who gave me the tickets recommended the Chinese Buffet so that was the course we decided on for dinner. Even though it wasn't Japanese food, it was probably the best meal I have had in Japan. I got to try a few new things, many of them which I had no idea what they were. The signs were in Japanese so I couldn't really tell what I was eating. Nevertheless, the food was delicious - a sweet glazed beef, spring rolls, gyozas, almond shrimp, shrimp in a sauce, fried rice with octopus - just all sorts of delicious goodies.

(The buffet with muscians in the background.)

It was a delicious meal and I was thoroughly stuffed by the end of the meal (in fact, I am still full this morning - I think my stomach must have shrunk while I was in Japan because I didn't eat as much as I know I could a couple of months ago). During the cruise there was live music. In the background of the above picture you can see a person playing the piano and a woman on the flute. We enjoyed the music while we ate desert. The highlight of the trip is the World's largest suspension bridge which connects Awaji island and Kobe. I believe it is 3,000 plus meters and was built at a cost of approximately 50 million US dollars. The pictures I have of the bridge are not really postcard material so it is one of those mental memories I will have to keep. On our way back in to port we went up to the sun deck which was freezing. However, there was a beautiful view on the harbor. All in all, it was one of the best times I have had in Japan thus far and it was a great chance to get away and not think about things - something I truly needed to do. On the way out, I took a picture with the Captain and told him "Thank you."

(Justin and the Captain)

After the cruise we decided to go on another Ferris wheel. I have no idea what the fascination is in Japan with Ferris wheels, but the views have been absolutely amazing. The only Ferris wheels I can remember riding as a child were those at carnivals. It seems as though in all the major cities, except Kyoto and perhaps Nara, there are Ferris wheels. Tomoko told me before hand that she was afraid of heights and I told her the same was true for myself, so she had nothing to worry about. However, I quickly realized that her phobia was far greater than mine. A couple of times she couldn't even look out the window. After the Ferris wheel we headed back to the station and made our way home. It was a wonderful evening - thank you very much Yoko!!!

(Tomoko not looking)

(This photo was aboard the sun deck as we came in to port. In the background is of course the Ferris wheel.)

Right now I am in the middle of updating the blog and watching the Super Bowl. Well, not really watching it but getting the play by play on AOL.com. It's just not the same but at least I have an idea of what's happening in the game. I sure do miss the commercials but I am guessing I'll be able to watch them tomorrow online. Right now it's half time and the Pats are up by four. It looked like the Giants had a couple of scoring opportunities but like I said, it's difficult to tell. At one point, it was 3rd and long, I switched to update, and next thing I new the Pats had a first down. I can go back and see the play by play for the half which makes things a lot easier, but, like I said before, it's just not the same. I would probably be at my Aunt and Uncle's house right now watching the game, if they were having a party. Well, I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the game. I'm sure you have a favorite commerical so feel free to share. Take care and I love you guys. Wish me luck as I am off to the Japanese immigration office to get my stamps and such for my new passport. Should be interesting!!