32nd DAY: Kobe & Himeji

There weren’t many choices for accommodation in Kobe in my price range. The hostel I wanted was fully booked and a small ways out of the city so I chose convenience. I was right in the city center but it was 3800yen for a capsule hotel. The beds were definitely small no doubt but it had great facilities. There was an onsen, a sauna room and a cold pool. A room with TV, internet, comics and magazines. The bathrooms had all the toiletries you needed. Your sleeping space was so tight that they provided lockers and best of all, it was clean. As a matter of fact, most public space is clean. I’ll miss that!

After I dropped off my stuff at the hotel I was supposed to meet Akmed, a guy I met from Nagai Hostel at Himeji. It was a 45 minutes ride but the train was a shocking 950yen each way. This made me so glad to have a scooter before, just wish I still had it then. I was supposed to be there at 2pm and I was late 30 minutes. Later I found out he had been there since 1pm, seen everything, and was hungry. That meant I had to do it alone, which was fine. We were to meet back up at the train station and see Kobe together.

It looked like the timing would be perfect. Nigel called and was supposed to arrive 30 minutes after us in Kobe. We hung out near the station at an optimal position for some good sightseeing. There were plenty of sights to be seen, arguably the best in all of Japan. They were well dressed and were left, right and center. They say Fukuokua is quite scenic as well with bigger chests as an added bonus but I’ll have to see it to believe it.

Nigel still had all his luggage so we dropped it off first. We checked out the China town, had dinner and strolled down to the mosaic, where all the action was. Kobe is a port city so their harbor is quite the sight at night. We got some amazing pictures, heard some live jazz, saw a light show, and wandered around the small amusement park for kids. Now that I found out where all the talent is, I wish I had gone there earlier.

31st DAY: Nara Park

I decided to spend the last day with my scooter to drive 45km each way to Nara Park. It was much different driving without any luggage and Nigel. He is very cautious when he drives so I have to tone it down while driving with him. You could say I like to take more risks but I still feel like I drive safely. I guess you can say it depends on if you are used to driving in Asia or not. I had a route picked out via google maps but when it came to it, all the signs pointed to Route 25 to Nara so I changed my route. Nearly the entire 2 hours was heavy traffic. There wasn’t much of a shoulder but I still had enough room to squeeze through and make my own lane. It was a good feeling to drive past car after car and avoid the traffic jam.

The park was very nice. I saw a multi level temple, pagoda like temple, a bigger typical looking temple, a few shrines, many many reindeer, a pagoda in a lake, artificial waterfall and river, and a couple Japanese gardens. I even got my picture with a couple cute girls in kimonos. There was much more to see but I ran out of time and the park is big so I was getting tired of walking anyways.

I had to drop off the bike at the shop by 7pm. It was already 4:30pm so it would be tight. I knew that but I was starving so I had to scarf something down quick along the way. Traffic was worse on the way back but in a way that was better. That meant that the cars weren’t moving so I could pass by them more safely. This time there was the jam was never ending except for a 3km stretch through the mountains. I almost felt sorry for the people in the cars as I scooted past in my scooter.

I stopped for gas in the city because you needed to bring it back with a full tank. I looked for the company phone number to tell them I'd be 5-10 minutes late. I couldn't find it. Luckily, I was close and I knew exactly how to get there. I arrived at 7:05 but there was no point to worry at all. They were still busy doing stuff. I walked in with the bike before they even noticed me. While I was emptying my seat of my things, I realized I forgot to bring my receipt to the headlight I had to buy. I knew it was in the high 2000's. He offered me 1500 yen because I didn't have my receipt, I laughed. After some research he came up with 2625 yen, I accepted. I found out when I got home that it was 2940 yen but that was my fault so it was ok. I walked away from the bike shop glum. I now had to take the public transit.

I got back to the hostel, took my onsen bath and prepared for my next day in Kobe and Himeji Castle. I would be my last day in Honshu. My trip was coming to an end and it was time to go to Taiwan to do the Taiwan Best Trip contest.