Good ol' Kobe

Environmental Exhibition

Kobe Earthquake Memorial Museum

Chinatown

One of two man-made islands

Harborland

Port of Kobe Tower

Meriken area

[more photos]

Yesterday I visited Kobe for the first time since Meg, Natalie, and I went there in March. I wanted to attend an Environment Fair, an event leading up to the G8 Summit this summer in Hokkaido. I learned never to assume that all stations have tourist maps (like my station). But regardless, I found the site with no problem. It seemed it was targeted to businesses...company booths (like plastic factories) expressing their green protocol and hoping to be contracted by big businesses. I was in flip flops, capris, a t-shirt, and pony tail. As if I didn't stand out enough for being a foreigner, I was the only one in the building not in a black business suit. Regardless, it was interesting and exciting to be there. My favorite part - hidden away in the 2nd floor corridors - was a gallery of children's art work depicting environmental problems. I may have taken too many pictures.

Afterward, since I had mostly just observed and not so much learned anything, I decided to go to the Earthquake Museum to make my trip more worthwhile. On my way to the station, I was followed (One of the typical red haired, skinny pants, cowboy boots, glitter-wearing boys this country is famous for). After quiet pursuit (maybe he thought I didn't notice I had passed him heading the opposite direction?), he finally engaged in conversation and we had a nice talk. He said he'd help me find the station. He spoke barely any English, so there were plenty of misunderstandings. Suffice it to say (I will spare any moms the details), the only English he did know was not very edifying. After 10 minutes of pleasant culture sharing, things got ugly. Long story short (yeah right!), he asked me to go to a love hotel (a hotel where the sole purpose is to have sex). He proceeded to make many crude remarks and questions. He even tried leading me past the station (presumably to a love hotel), but when I pointed it out he took me back. He didn't give up easily, but he did give up eventually. We shook hands and I never saw him again, though I did feel like I was being followed the rest of the night - constantly looking over my shoulder. Have no worries, I could have totally taken him down if it came to that. He was barely my height (with the extra inches his hairstyle supplied) and a good 20 lbs. less than me. And I doubt he would have wanted to mess up his outfit in a fight.

That being over, I made my way to the museum. It was really interesting...a theater that simulated the moment of the quake from many perspectives and locations, a set that looks like the aftermath, tons of photography and wreckage, and even a science lab demonstration of why the destruction was so severe. The downfall? I was the only guest there. Literally. So I sat in theaters by myself, was followed by almost all the staff with nothing better to do (making me feel a bit rushed), and when I did arrive at the last room - the lab - the demonstrator spent just as much time interviewing me as conducting the demonstration. He was my favorite part, however. He kept bragging about his English skills (they were impressive) and forgetting about the topic at hand. Eventually, I did learn how to earthquake-proof a building.

All the clocks were set to 5:46 (time of the quake), so I had no idea of the real time. But by the time I left the museum, it really was about 6pm, so I was already late for movie night with the Parry's. So I thought - might as well spend the rest of the night here then, right? My legs will never forgive me, but my eyes already have.

I somehow made it to the harbor (again, no map...but the giant orange tower is a dead giveaway). I walked the same path the girls and I walked (after Natalie's notorious fall over a anchoring post). This time, it was pitch black so the buildings were lit up and the water was glowing. I visited the same tiny wine shop and even took some of the same shots (Meg, remember the window reflection shot of the tower?). It made me realize my aloneness...but I felt more content than sad. I am homesick...but seeing Kobe without the girls almost gave me a sense of possession and belonging...like this is my city, not just a tourist spot I saw on a trip with friends (though it will always be that, too). Am I making any sense? I mean to say...Going there alone made me feel like less of a tourist and more at home. I just took my time and soaked it in, with no agenda in mind, knowing it might be the last time I ever see it. By the end of my walk, I almost missed Kobe more than America - and I hadn't even left yet.

But I did have to leave, eventually.