Day 12 4/4/06 - Japan

Kyoto -> Himeji -> Kobe -> Kyoto

Highlight

• Himeji is all that's built up to be and more. I think the whole township of Himeji sprang from this castle. The road from the station leads to the castle and all around are just tourist shops supporting this structure. It's a World Heritage Listed area. The castle is made up of about 5 levels, and as part of the tour, you can go to the very top, where you can look out to the town. The most impressive thing for me, as for all Japanese temples and castle, is the beautiful Japanese garden, especially with the cherry blossoms in full bloom.
• Continuing on the garden theme, we popped into the Nishi-Oyasiki-ato Garden, right next door, and checked out lots of small Japanese gardens.
• Watching all the Japanese reserve their spot from early in the morning on the blue canvas under the cherry blossom tree. It's great to see them really embrace their symbol of spring.
• I wanted to go to Kobe because of Kobe beef. Well, this place was nothing like I imagined - green grass with grazing cows in a village feel. Instead, it's quite a metropolitan city with lots of interesting looking buildings - and not a cow in site!
• We shouldn't have bothered, we couldn't find any Kobe beefs anywhere!
• Slokky went from being allergic to coughing to limping. He never has an opinion on anything and always just go "up to you" whenever I ask his opinion on anything!
• We had dinner on the "Ramen Road" at Kyoto station. It's not a "road" as such, but a whole floor of a building filled with just ramen places. The "Special" ramen is basically a huge bowl of noodles. Very satisfying!

Food

• Chestnut bun (74).
• Green tea pineapple bun with cream and red bean (101).
• Bun with Shiroan (white bean) filling (68).
• Bun with cream (custard) filling (68).
• Almond Porky.
• Red bean cake.
• Taste test cakes + biscuits + department store stables.
• Milk Porky (105).
• Meiji Melty kiss - green tea chocolate cube (105).
• Ramen tonkatsu (750).
• Ramen "special" (1000).