Kobe

We left Kyoto and met our ship on the morning of the 30^th at the Port of Kobe. We got back just in time for lunch on the ship then quickly had to hustle to the port entrance to meet our field trip bus taking us to a sword fight lesson!

As we moved down the highway, the tour guide explained to us that the sword fight lesson was actually a lesson in “movie combat”! We were going to Japan’s major motion picture studio in…Kyoto! We all loved Kyoto and talked about coming back. We just didn’t think it would be so soon!

The studio is similar to those in Hollywood. Everywhere you look is a set of some sort.  The biggest surprise was when we ran into life sized replicas of the Power Rangers! They film the series at this studio and both boys where big fans growing up. And although they are older now, I could tell on their faces that these familiar characters were a welcomed sight! : )

We were all equipped with wooden swords to learn the various samurai techniques.  Jeremy and Ben had a slight edge over the rest of us in the group having previous knowledge of tae kwon do. Yes, they are two different types of martial arts but some of the basics seemed to be the same.  To prove our screen worthiness after the lesson, we were asked to perform a sword battle on stage using all the techniques we were taught.  Suffice it to say, Ben was victorious in the end with Jeremy, Chris and I lying slain at his feet.

Yesterday we had a few hours before the ship was leaving port so we stayed close.  Jeremy and Chris went to a local 2 story driving range to hit golf balls (supposedly where Tom Cruise practiced while filming “The Last Samurai”…in Kyoto, of course, and Ben and I went souvenir shopping. Kobe is another bustling city, the 5^th largest in Japan, and has such high-end shopping that my head was spinning! And I’m sure the Kobe beef is spectacular but we just couldn’t find the time to fit it in.  We took the Ropeway (gondola) to the top of Mount Maya where we saw spectacular views of the Nunobiki Falls and scenic views of Kobe, Osaka and Osaka Bay where our ship was in port. The view from this vantage point is refered to as, Kikuseidai, “where one can scoop up a handful of stars”.

As we left port, the captain asked that we all go outside to enjoy the gracious send off from the Port of Kobe.  A full band, playing “Anchors Away” and all the employees of the port came outside to wish us bon voyage.  We pulled away from the dock waving and saying our “arigatos” and “sayonaras” to Japan. We hope to see you again soon!

After 2 days at sea, we arrive in Shanghai, China tomorrow!

(Pix coming soon...Internet connection has been POOR for the past few days. Promises of better wifi in China! We shall see!)