Springtime in Kobe brings beautiful sunny days (before the rainy season) and gorgeous cherry blossoms. It also brings a very important set of holidays for Japan called Golden Week. Japan celebrates the Emperor’s birthday, Constitutional Memorial Day, Greenery Day, and Children’s Day all in a week. Many people travel so tourist areas are very crowded. Matthew had a rugby tournament scheduled, so we decided to stay home and take a couple of day trips. Unfortunately, Matthew’s rugby tournament got rained out. However, our day trips turned out to be fantastic adventures!
On Saturday, April 30, we decided to go to the Hanshin Tigers baseball game. We are fortunate to live in the same building as some of the players, including the starting pitcher for that game. He and his wife were kind enough to help us get 5 tickets. This was critical as the home games are typically sold out. We took the train about 20 minutes to the stadium in Koshien. The train literally stops in front of the stadium. Our seats were along the first base line (closer to home plate), and we had a sweet family sitting in front of us: Mom, 3 kids, and Grandpa. The fans were absolutely fantastic. They were dressed in yellow and black, wearing jerseys, hats, ponchos,… you name it... as long as it said "Tigers". There was a band and a cheering squad (mascots) that kept chants and cheers going throughout the game. Everyone had these “clackers” to keep the beats. We cheered and sang and clapped and laughed. I did have a few interesting observations. First, the stadium serves sushi and sake along with your American corn dogs! Next, the beer vendors were all pretty young Japanese women with Asahi “kegs” on their backs. No cans or bottles. Just kegs and cups! I also thought it was interesting that the relief pitchers were brought out onto the field in carts.
Then, in the beginning of the 7th inning, we saw people start to blow up their balloons. Luckily, we were informed and bought the special balloons from a vendor on the way into the stadium. 7th inning stretch…the band plays the Tigers’ fight song… the mascots lead the chants… and then everyone lets go of the balloons which not only looked cool but also made a cool whistling sound. Imagine thousands of balloons flying in the air! We won the game, and at the end, everyone let go of another set of balloons. The players of the game were interviewed on the field. Most everyone stayed. They cheered and waved big flags. Unbelievable. Phillip and I both thought this felt more like a college football game than a baseball game. What a great experience!
On Monday, May 2, we took a bus to Universal Studios Japan. One word: patience. We had a great time. We just had to learn to enjoy ourselves while standing in line! Some lines were anywhere from 30 minutes up to 115 minutes. Yikes! We got to ride most everything though. Phillip, Jacob, and Matthew discovered the "singles" line which did not have much of a wait at all. Jessica just was not ready to ride alone, so she and I endured the lines. The boys rode the “Hollywood Dream” roller coaster 10 times as compared to the 3 times for the girls. Oh well. Jessica was like a movie star the way everyone stared at her. (We only saw one other couple that was not Japanese, so we must have stuck out in the crowd!) The people would point, giggle, wave, and say “kawaii” which means “cute”. I teased Jess by saying, “They think you are Hannah Montana!” ☺ We finished the day with an evening parade and bus ride back to our apartment.
We celebrated Mother’s Day on Friday, May 6, by going to our favorite restaurant called Kochan. Again, we were able to take the bus and then a 2 minute walk. The chef cooks right in front of you. We had soup, salad, fish, tofu, vegetables, and beef. YUM!
One of the things that we really enjoy in Japan is the public transportation system. It is just amazing to be able to take the train or a bus almost anywhere. For this reason, we actually decided not to buy a car. Procter and Gamble and the Canadian Academy are on Rokko Island, along with grocery stores, hair salon, family doctor, orthopedic, restaurants, … It is really wonderful to walk or bike most of the time, and then to take the train or bus when we go off the island.
We are enjoying springtime in Kobe and also looking forward to summer in Cincinnati.
Peace and Love,
Tina
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