After two classes of singing “Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer”, I was ready for a break, so after school I took the train into Kobe to see the “Luminaries”, a Christmas light show that they have every year in downtown Kobe.
The teachers all day said that it was way too crowded, and it wasn’t worth going. Miss Kageyama was the only one who said it was worth seeing, and she tried to get out of her tutoring appointment to join me, but no luck.
When I arrived downtown, I could see the giant lines forming for people that wanted to see it. Instead of getting in line, I walked over to Chinatown and ate just about one of everything. The street vendors were making good money, and everyone was in good spirits. Most of the food was fried, but overall the flavors were great.
Afterwards, I walked over to the line, but it was just people standing there – nobody was moving. The roads were closed off, and the line formed in the middle of the road. Strangely, the sidewalks were open, so I just walked along the sidewalks, passing thousands of people in the road. I made a few turns, just following the big lines of people. Finally I turned a corner, and the street was lined with lights. Right when I walked towards the lights, they let the lines of people go, and I just kept on walking with the crowd and through the arches of lights. I probably saved an hour by walking along the sidewalk. Weird.
I took lots of pictures, and the lights were nice, but not super-impressive. I wasn’t paying anything, though, so no reason to complain. There were concession stands everywhere, and the local economy was booming. Lots of souvenirs were being sold, and it was a zoo.
After walking around a bit more, I walked back up to the train station and headed home. I made a brief stop at Like, Like for a couple of beers. I think the secret to successful public transportation is to have a good bar or restaurant at every transfer point.
Anyway, I’m back home getting ready for bed. Tomorrow night I have to buckle down and pack for my trip to Australia on Thursday. Woo hoo!
