Drunk cows and empty wallets.

Only in Japan...

I slept for 12 hours last night. I'm still a teenager at heart.

Yesterday was a big travel day, meaning we spent more time in train/subway stations than anything else, or so it seemed. Even so, we eventually reached Kobe, another major city of the Kansai region that sits on the southern coast. There is no real distinction between Osaka and Kobe as the buildings and concrete stretch on and on and on... I did, however, see the Pacific Ocean (briefly) from the train and also from atop a mountain. I still have never touched its pacified waters, which seems to be one of those things I would get emotional about.
Did you know that 60% of Japan's entire coastline is paved over in concrete? Ah, those beautiful Japanese beaches...


We rode the ropeway to the top of this here mountain. They let us off at the top, where we could explore a "European"-esque fake village covered in potted flowers.

This is Kobe, or a small section of it. See the ocean back there kind of?



If you are an expert of fine meats, as most of you are, you will have heard of Kobe beef. They treat their cows pretty well here in Japan, feeding them only the finest of beers and giving them daily massages--before, you know, slaughtering them for our benefit. Anyway, supposedly that is why their world-famous steak is so world-famous. Truly, it was the best steak I have ever eaten. I paid about $64 for the combo meal of steak, rice, potatoes, beans, soup, salad, and one half-glass of white wine. A plate of Kobe beef has been known to run at about $150, so we lucked out with our "deal", which was still the most I've ever paid for food. Worth it, though, I'd say. The picture is of me looking awkward in my baby bib.

The rest of today will be spent learning how to conjugate my Japanese adjectives. Muzukashii desu yo!