Trains were our main transport mode there. I quite enjoyed the Shinkansen rides, largely due to the comfort and the speed, but it's true that commuters won't really feel how fast the shinkansen is moving, until another shinkansen zooms past in the opposite direction and the carriage can literally feel the force of the wind impacting the whole carriage. Our first day started with taking the Narita Limited Express from Narita Airport all the way down to Tokyo city, where we changed to a bullet train which will get us to Kobe, our first stop.

I love the kiosks found on train station platforms. Another thing to note is eating and drinking ARE allowed on the trains, so I had to really get used to not eating or drinking when I take the MRT now..
It is common to see Japanese office workers wearing white shirt and black suits dozing off in every corner. It must be the travelling hours... Sometimes living in a country that is relatively small is good after all.

Big brother is watching over you..

Everytime a bullet train stops at the final stop, cleaners will go in to clear up the carriages for the next wave of commuters. That's service for you over there.

Lunch was rice burger on the train.

We learnt that "Ladies Only" carriage are only applicable during certain times (like peak hours) but it was surprising to see a man casually walking in at first before we knew that.

Caught in the act of jaywalking while making our way on foot to Superhotel Kobe. Japanese are very law-obedient folks (apart from the few psychopaths) on the whole who have an almost equivalent amount of patience as some Singaporeans do when they are waiting for the green light. That said, this is therefore a wrong example of the "dos" when you are in Japan.

I found the kettle very interesting.

A very cool motorbike.

This large clock runs on solar power.

Kobe

Wall with hand prints of the people.

A statue promoting anti-nuclear movement.


Mini Chinatown

Buns going at 90 yen. I tried the green tea flavoured one, although the meat bun is the top favourite.

Kobe Port

Kobe roads

This arty statue thing resembles more of a phallic stmbol..

Earthquake Memorial, to commemorate the 1995 earthquake.

Tipping point..

Meriken Park. No that's not the Singapore Flyer.

Small kids enjoying a game of soccer.

Colonel Sanders has his clones.. That very much sums up our one day Kobe tour. It was funny to ask directions for the first time in many in Japan. We approached this middle aged lady and tried to communicate with our pitiful grasp of the Japanese language, coupled with hand gestures, only to hear her say this after our attempt：“你们会说中文吗？”Well Japanese and Chinese don't look different

We stopped by Himeji on the second day to visit the Himeji Castle. The good thing about train stations in Japan is that they have lockers like these to store luggage or bags you are carrying, to lighten the load and this was such a life-saver, because noone in the right mind will drag a luggage along to Himeji Castle..

Himeji Castle, one of the world's preserved heritage sites. They seem to have quite a few of these in Japan, especially in Nara.



We were deliberating over whether the gold pieces on the parapet are real.

View from the castle walls.
A different angle of the Himeji castle



Meditation. To be one with the force..

The notes looked like some talisman.

The doors of the castle.

View from the top of Himeji Castle after climbing six storeys.

The shrine at the top.

A bird's eye view of Himeji.
The beautiful gardens beside the castle. 好古園 (kokoen)

I love Japanese gardens for their serenity.

Reflecting?
Looking for inner peace

The fish seems to be enjoying their lives.

It's not autumn yet but it's nice to see red leaves..

A flicker of sunlight. A flicker of hope.

动

静

曲径通幽

A mini tea ceremony, comprising of a bowl of green tea and a snack that has green tea paste.



林群侧拥，有亭翼然。无独有偶，不亦醉翁？

A last look at Himeji Castle. This picture was taken on the top floor of a building a distance from the castle. It definitely is different taking a picture of the castle on elevated grounds. All thanks to the suggestion of a kind lady at the tea house.

It was raining on the platform while we were waiting for a train that would take us to Kinosaki Onsen Town. The train was delayed because of that.

Kinosaki Onsen Town.

The train station where we started our little hike to our onsen hotel.

The town is very peaceful and relatively devoid of tourists.

I didn't see a thousand birds on this bridge, though I did see a few couple of love birds near here in the evening that day.

They don't call this place a retreat for nothing.

A very welcoming tea break.

Our dinner spread. This is only half of it.

What can I say? Simply the best meal I had in Japan.

And a platter of beef to make the set complete.

We all love the onsen... especially after onsen-hopping and visiting 3 other onsen places before coming back to our hotel for a private onsen experience. That was really quite a lot for one night. It was definitely a different thing to be walking about the town wearing yukata and clogs (which proved to be a cool footwear, although the clanking can be irritating)

A glimpse at our private onsen bathroom.

Our breakfast was not as exquisite, but equally delightful. The tofu is nice, so is the soup.

Kinosaki Onsen town in the morning. Waking up to this sight is of course, very refreshing.

So starts our day 3 tour to Kyoto. Yes this is only Day 3. Next entry will be on Kyoto where much awaited us.