Kobe, Japan

We didn’t do anything today except see a movie (Ronnie’s choice which was “Flash”) and walk around a bit. I’m not too much into superhero movies, but I don’t mind sitting in the theater eating caramel corn. Lol We walked around a small portion of the mall and I snapped a few photos. I’m still not quite feeling myself and I’m trying to save my energy for tomorrow's expedition.

We are very impressed with Japan. Kobe is a nice, clean city with people who try to be helpful like the other cities we’ve visited. I was disappointed that no one we talked to at the theater could speak any English. I thought the younger people might be able to converse. We accidentally chose the wrong movie and it was quite an ordeal to figure out how to cancel that one and re-select the one we wanted. A nice young woman tried to help but I don’t think she understood a single word of English, and we certainly don’t know any Japanese. This would have been the perfect day to use our translator!

I snapped some random photos as we were out. But first, here are some observations I made as we walked around.

*The girls and women dress very modestly. Many of them wear mid-calf length skirts and layer their clothing. If not skirts, then loose, flow-ey or gauzy pants.

*Most everyone wears neutral colors – a lot of black, white and beige. Occasionally a light or navy blue. Rarely I see a printed fabric, but if so, the prints are small and in muted colors.

*Many if not most carry umbrellas, especially the women. Japanese women avoid the sun at all cost, probably explains why their skin is so nice and they age so well.

*Like Americans, many wear tennis shoes but probably more of the young women wear very thick soled (platform-type) shoes and sandals. I didn’t see any tattoos.

*Lots of people still wear masks, including school kids. The air doesn’t seem polluted so I think it must still be for concern of Covid.

*Many people ride bicycles and a lot of them have baby seats with carriers on them. Maybe it’s because of where we were, but it seemed like almost all of the people we saw today were young.

  

sake barrels in port terminal

 

view from our ship

 

Japanese boat docked near us

 

colorful flowers with Oriental Hotel in background

notice the cracking in amphitheater area

On January 17, 1995, a major earthquake struck near Kobe, killing more than 6,000 and leaving more than 45,000 people homeless. :(  Most things have obviously been repaired but we did notice a few cracks in the wall near the amphitheater as well.

gigantic "marble run" art inside mall

one of 2 adjoining multi-level malls

both indoor and outdoor shopping

advertising children's photography

little guy learning to use chopsticks

child's chopsticks with finger holes

umbrella are a big selling item - for both sun and rain!

checking a receipt isn't easy!

 

 

 

 

The one below may be a surprise. This young woman is posing for a photo in a style called Kawaii. It's the Japanese style of dressing like a living doll. We saw quite a bit of this when we were in Japan in 2016. I was quite surprised to see it today. 

Kawaii - translated "cuteness" or "adorable"

same view as top, just at night

ferris wheel's lights reflecting in water