Osaka, Kobe, Kyoto

I love this part of Japan. This area, in southwest Japan, is called Kansai, and with the rail pass I got I can just bounce around. I’m based in Osaka in a capsule hotel, which serves two functions: hilarious and cheap. But, from here, I can make it to Kobe in 23 minutes and Kyoto in 45 (or 20 on the bullet train).

So what have I done with all of this opportunity? Well, Friday night I got in and found a bar. Saturday I went to the Osaka aquarium. Can’t wait to post those pictures. They have two whale sharks in the world’s largest single aquarium tank, along with a manta ray with at least a 20 ft wingspan and tons more. And the spider crabs look kind of like the aliens in the new War of the Worlds. That evening I took the train to Kobe in search of the real deal – Kobe beef. Had to do it. Struggled to find something trustworthy until I happened upon the concierge at the Hotel Okura, where Johanna, the Aussie manager, made a reservation for me at the ideal spot. Dinner was mindblowing. Thankfully I could afford to buy myself dinner with the money I made playing blackjack on the cruise.

Went to a bar in Kobe, played darts with a guy from New York and his fiancé when that same (did I mention she was good looking?) girl from the hotel came in to the bar to meet the people I was playing darts with. Small world.

The night was fantastic although I almost missed the last train back to Osaka. Upon my return I realized I was a long way from the hotel. Tired and not with all my wits about me, I started walking in what I thought was the right direction. Thankfully, I was right. Still quite a few kilometers away with no chance for a taxi (no cash, I’ll explain in a minute), I asked two locals in their car how to get to Shinsaibashi and they told me to hop in. Lucky me. Even better that they, like many locals in this area, are dressed straight out of cartoons. Made it back to my capsule where I passed out until this morning, at which point I hopped over to Kyoto to walk around the temples. Took tons of pictures, relaxed at a perfect rock garden, walked around the geisha district, ate sashimi and duck shabu-shabu.

No snow on the ground, granted, but still an impossibly beautiful site. I’m going back tomorrow to see more, but Kyoto is so rich I could spend weeks and not see it all. Trying to get a good taste of Japan in the limited time I have here. I’ll definitely be coming back to Japan one day. Came back and went to the Umeda Sky Building in downtown Osaka. The building looks like the Grande Arche in Paris on drugs. It’s joined like the arch, but it is actually two complete and separate buildings with a “sky garden” connecting the two. On top of that, the middle of the connecting arch has a giant open circle in the center. Just look it up online. When you get to the top, the walkway around is lit with blacklights and has those funny reflective multicolored specks on the ground. Taking it all in, the only thing I could think was “only in Japan.”

After I post this I’m going back into my capsule. Funny, right? Like I mentioned, tomorrow will be Kyoto round 2. Tuesday I think I will go see the castle at Himeji, then maybe go all the way to Hiroshima. I think that would be a very important thing for me to do. Also, I have some friends at the Marine base 40 minutes from there, so that might just work out. Regardless of what I do, I need to be in Tokyo by Thursday afternoon for my flight to Hokkaido. The base is over 7 feet at the top. So pumped. Fresh fresh fresh powder, tons of backcountry and a brand new park.