JAPAN NEWS (CHAPTERS: 1/2/3/4)
CHAPTER 1 - SATURDAY 14TH JUNE
Hi All,
Just a note to let you know that we made it safe and sound to Kobe, Japan!!!
After a very uneventful flight and whisk through customs we were met at the Osaka airport by our wonderful organizer Miyuki and a 40 minute bus trip into Kobe and taxi to our apartment we arrived at around 11.30pm a very long day as we had to get up at 3.30am for the shuttle to pick us up from Noosa to take us to Brissy airport.
Needless to say we were pretty tired on our arrival but very excited and overwhelmed at our wonderful little apartment (big by Jappy standards) 2 bedrooms, large bathroom very very modern with switches on the walls for everything. You can change the temperature of the hot water by pressing buttons so we have a 38 degree
shower every time!!!
The washing machine looks like a big blue robot (the directions and buttons are all in Japanese of course, it lights up and does all sorts of things and it dries the clothes too!!) Have not tried it yet..........that will be an adventure. There is a baby urn that boils water in seconds and plays Mozart when it is ready. Don’t even want to know what else the rice cooker does besides cooking rice!!! Now the toilet has a personality all its own. The fan goes on when you sit down and the seat heats up as well. When you are done you can squirt (special places) they have pictures so you know where the water is going and you can adjust the flow, pressure, temp etc to your liking!!! If you know what I mean!!! Then you push another button and you get dried with the nice fan aimed ever so exactly! Then when you flush the water goes through a tap/basin at the top of the cistern so you can wash your hands and not waste the new fresh water filling up the loo!!! All very, very civilized if you ask me!! We were so taken with these loos last time we were here that we bought one and had it installed at home but we have never been able to get it to work (something to do with the voltage being different) we just have to find an electrician who knows about these things). Anyway we have a very expensive loo seat at home with no squirts!!!
Today Saturday we had a guided tour of our local area (fantastic super market 1 min walk from our 5th floor apartment) there is a church just outside our window and there was a wedding there this morning. We have hills and green trees behind us as we are really close to the cable car and only a 10 min walk from the centre of Kobe!!
We are also not far from the harbour and of course lots of shops a cafes.................veges and fruit are cheaper here and we had dinner for both of us for $15.00 with more food than we could eat!!! With the dollar worth more than the Yen nowadays we are doing really well.
This afternoon we took a train into Osaka 30 min and then travelled all over Osaka by subway/train and mostly walking through the underground city which is a labyrinth of shopping malls connected to different train lines............so many people...........especially around peak hour..........fashion tastes here are unconventional and you see everything from 'Baby Doll' girls in there frilly outfits to grungy punkers and everything in between. Love it!!!
It was warm today 27 C and a bit muggy but not too hot. We did allot of walking as we were checking out the venues that we are going to perform the World Fusion concerts in as well as running New World Rhythm Japan and Joy of Singing courses. We travelled from one end of Osaka to the other and got home at around 9.00pm which is where we are now. Just had a 38 degree shower (regulated by our special push buttons on the wall)
So will head of to bed for a good nights sleep and tomorrow we do it all again looking at more venues in Osaka but not such a long day planned.
Stay tuned for our next instalment.
Sayonara
Noeline and Brian
CHAPTER 2 - Sunday 15th /Monday 16th June
I just got back from doing a bit of a reconnoitre around the local area...............we live in the best area right in the middle of Kobe near the rope bridge and a step away from the main Kobe train station called 'Shin Kobe' and a 10 min walk from 'Sannomiya' station. Look it up on this link and you can get an idea of where we are.
http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/location/regional/hyogo/sannomiya.html
It is really pretty right next to the mountains and great shops and hotels very posh area and our apartment is awesome!!!
Brian is in Osaka today Sunday, looking at venues we did that yesterday too but I am stuffed so have stayed in Kobe to get the lay of the land.
We also live right next to the cable car which goes up the mountains which are behind us very green and pretty. We live right next to a big big shopping/hotel complex that has the most amazing shops very expensive but nifty. Amazing kids fashion which I want to buy everything but t shirts start at $50 and bibs at $25 but sooooooooooooooooo coooooooooooooooooooool.
Saw a great pair of jeans for me $165 on special but my thunder thighs didn’t fit (they are so thin here) and tiny tiny feet so shoes wont fit much for me. I can’t believe how all the girls get around in their stilettos and platforms as there is alot of walking to be done regardless of who you are. They love their fancy shoes and wear these long black socks over the knees and lots of sparkle bags and shoes. Lots of make up and blonde and light brown hair all straightened and then ringleted must take them hours to get ready.........false eyelashes too!!!! The girls do it too!!! (That was a joke!!) But not far from the truth I have to tell you the boys are just as particular about their 'look'!! We are really enjoying ourselves and I shopped at the 100yen shop yesterday to stock up on bits and pieces for the apartment. They didn’t have any prices on anything so I was not sure what things cost ended up at the check and EVERYTHING was $1.00 (our dollar is a bit stronger than the Yen) it didn’t matter whether I bought a bath mat or some tea lights they all cost the same price!!! They must figure that you will get a mixture of items and that they even themselves out but it is still very very cheap and nice stuff too!! Got some really nice drinking glasses and wine glasses. Wolf Blass wine at the supermarket was $8.00 (I was surprised thought wine would be more expensive) food is pretty good value too. A bunch of bananas were only $1.75 cheaper than home but a cantaloupe (rockmelon) $30.00 it had a pretty bow on the top so people must buy them as gifts (if it is boxed it costs $50.00!!!!) Alot of food is pre-packaged like sushi so you can get a meal for $3 that will do you for dinner!!
We are having a day off today Monday and resting from all our walking over the last 2 days (looking at venues for the courses).
Will keep you posted on the next exciting instalment t.
Love Noeline and Brian
CHAPTER 3 Monday 16th/Tuesday 17th
We went out tonight with our ‘new friends’ Chieko and Jack they live on the 11th floor (we are on the 5th floor) Chieko helped us find our way around on our first day taking us to the local supermarket and giving us the lay of the land. She is married to Jack an expat American who is retired but still works here as a marriage celebrant. Many Japanese want western style weddings and he performs the ceremonies (not legal just for show!!) It pays really well too he said and I got all excited planning my new career but he knocked that on the head quick smart as the Japanese only like males to perform their weddings!!!
I have to say my short lived career as a wedding celebrant burned brightly brightly and with beauty!! They took us out to downtown Kobe to all the ‘good’ shops………….they all look pretty good to me! Anyway………I wanted sheets for the beds (we have single beds……….Brian wasn’t happy) but we have pushed them together and I am getting good sleep as the beds are very very firm (warning to the team joining us from Aus in August) The Japanese either sleep on the floor (yep right on the floor) with teeny flat type ‘sleep mats’ more like ‘I will need a massage in the morning mats’ or very very firm beds! We only have big thick doonas and are already getting a bit warm in the night so off we go to find sheets!!! OH MY GOD! You would think that buying sheets would be an easy task………sorry no! They have sheets that are custom made for those ‘sleep mat’ things and then other kinds for the other kind of sleep mats and “which size do you want and I think that one is too short!”……..SO I bought 2 big big big type towel blanket thingy’s that I was told are used instead of top sheets in summer (soak up all the sweat I reckon) no its not that bad we have aircon! Then off to buy Brian some ‘new’ headphones cos he broke the last pair………..(why are we not surprised!) They had a BIG WALL of the buggers priced from around $50 to $500 and you can compare them as they are all playing the same music. I got scared cos Brian was listening to the $500 ones wasn’t he.
I kept showing him the cheaper ones (I couldn’t notice the difference anyway) but he said “NO” and decided on a $200 pair (which were on special so that was OK) They a small and fold up and will travel well if they last that long! He is editing ‘Listen’ so it is for a good cause the sooner it is edited the sooner you can all be listening to ‘Listen’.
On our walk back we stopped at Jack and Chieko’s fav little ‘café’ where we ate only chicken………..that’s all they cook. Chicken……….every single bit of the chicken so we had chicken livers in teeny weenie dishes with nice kind of mayonnaise stuff (I liked it but Brian made a face L) Then we had the ‘joints’ on skewers……the grisly white bit of the back bone (crunchy but nice) then skin on skewers (they apparently scrape all the fatty bits off and scrunch it up into little balls and BBQ it (yummy) then we had little wee chicken balls (no not that kind…………do chickens have balls???) Anyway all washed down with Jappy Beer (for Brian and Jack) and Sake (for the girls) I did not realize that there were so many brands of Sake so I have decided to test them all and I will be reporting on my progress!
After staggering home we decided that the reason the Japanese are so thin is because all they do is WALK!!!! (Note: lots and lots of walking always!!! Wear comfy shoes!!)
A day at home Tuesday is planned (NO WALKING!!!) Brian is downstairs in our ‘apartment coffee shop’ Hello!!! Are we posh or what!!! He wanted to do the editing out of the house so that we don’t work at home!!! I am here at home writing this and will join him shortly for a cappuccino……….they make good coffee here!
Then I may stroll (very gently) out to the supermarket to get some Epsom salts for our tired feet!
Stay tuned for the next exciting episode of “Martins In Japan”!!!
Lots of love from Noeline and Brian
CHAPTER 4 Tuesday 17th June/Wednesday 18th
Tuesday saw us having a quiet day until Jack called and said ‘I’m bored wanna do lunch?” so even though I had just whipped up a yummy lunch of gyosa (a local delicacy- a bit like a moon shaped dim sim but nicer- I cheated it comes in a packet) and Italian salad (we like to mix it up a bit!!) we said “Yep lets do Chinese!” We had a great lunch at Jack’s fav Chinese restaurant (Japanese waitress wearing Chinese cheongsam) I get a bit confused as to where I am! Nice food and Brian snuck out pretending to go to the loo and paid the bill as Jack had shouted us dinner the night before (at that Chicken place)…..we left Jack and went down to the 100yen shop………..just hold me back!!! And bought ourselves some nice Jappy bowls and miso bowls (they are baby ones with little lids) so we can eat ‘authentic’ at home. On our way back we stopped at a tiny little café/shop and ordered coffee the lady there sews patchwork and very fine needle work bags and pretty things and I just had to buy a few things to bring home for pressies (so pretty)! The nice man there helped Brian with his Japanese as he insists on speaking it all the time (even to me when we are home on our own!!!) I just look at him and make a faceJ!!!
We then headed off in the other direction to find a café to set up our computers and do a bit of work. Brian editing for ‘Listen’ its getting there and me editing photos so I can send them to you and not break your computer memory. My son Harvey reckons I should get myself a ‘Blog’ and just keep adding to it so you might find that if I keep this up a ‘Blog’ might be the easiest way to go.
Looking into it!
Dinner found ourselves walking down our little street and looking at the local fare. Stopped at a tiny little café (yep everything is tiny in Japan including the people) with only about 10 seats around flat hot plates (Tepenyaki) can’t spell it let alone say it! Anyway its where the locals eat and they look at us funny as they are not used to ‘gaijin’ (outside person- this is an impolite name which they only call us out of earshot)but of course we are very nice and try hard to speak only Japanese and they laugh at our efforts and help us out. I have found pointing is very effective and have learned to wait until someone else orders and if it looks good I order it. Lots of places have pictures but my favorite is the plastic food out the front.
You know exactly what you are going to get! But you don’t eat the plastic stuff.
This little place did not have any pictures or plastic and nothing in English so we work on the ‘wait and see what that guy is having’ method and have the same thing. Well we were in luck cos it was YUMMY. Cooked right in front of us and eaten off the same hot plate. The ‘chef’ scoops the cooked food into alfoil that he has fashioned into a nifty plate in 2 seconds. I am going to go home a practice my ‘origami alfoil plate’. He made it look easy but I’m not so sure. We had these great ‘pancakes’ that are full of lots of good stuff like veges and meat and the art in the way he prepares and cooks it is just as fun as the eating. The other customers were very helpful and even though our Japanese is not very good we all seem to understand each other with gestures and facial expressions. Brian is carrying around a little note pad and writes everything down in both languages. One is Japanese and the other is Japanese/English Brian is trying to learn both…………I’m with him!!!
I find smiling and bowing works really well!!!
We had warm Sake…………..I’m liking this Sake stuff (latest Sake report)…..warm is good!!!
Anyway the food was fantastic and soooooooooooo cheap.$25 for the both of us and we were really full!!! Just 20 metres down the road from home. What can I say we are really enjoying this Japanese experience?
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