Whirlwind In A Mama's Head

Cute photo op at the factory If you are ever in Tokyo, rather than staying at the overcrowded Shibuya and Shinjuku, I would highly recommend trying the Hotel Villa Fontaine Shiodome. The rates are very reasonable, and you get a nice, comfortable room. If you're lucky, you will also get a view! This picture below is of goodies I received from my friend the night before, perched on my room window sill. I was very fortunate to have tasted apples from her brother's apple orchard!  

Miss Kiki and her Melon Pan We left Kobe on the morning of our 6th day in Japan and headed out to Tokyo. We took a regular train to Shin-Osaka Station and hopped on a shinkansen (bullet train) from there to Tokyo. I had made plans to have lunch on the Shinkansen, so when we arrived at Shin-Osaka Station we rushed to Kobe Bifuteki Deli to get some Ekibens (train station lunch boxes). The Kobe Bifuteki Deli can be found in the Eki Marche inside the station and has a variety of beef steaks to choose from for a fancy bento. At Shin Osaka Station

Kobe Luminarie If you are ever in Kobe in December, check if the Luminarie is going on. The Kobe Luminarie is a light festival commemorating the victims of the  Great Hanshin Earthquake and is an annual event since 1995. The hotel gave us a map, and Miss Kiki and I decided to go check it out. We had to line up and it was a massive amount of people lining up with us. However, it was a moving line and we got there fairly quickly. The lights were beautiful and they added classical music in the background for an elevated experience. Oma originally wasn't going to come but when DH and Opa decided to join in, Oma came along. When you pass the lights, you will find a night market with a variety of vendors. We tried a local warm wine that we liked a lot. That evening, Miss Kiki and I had a pretty awesome dinner. It was at a Red Rock, the restaurant famous for their Gyudon, but this time they sell slightly different things and we had a delicious pork rice bowl. Kobe Luminarie Map

  Himeji Castle On our 5th day in Japan, Oma, Opa, DH, and I went to Himeji, a city near Kobe where you can find one of the nicest white castles in Japan: Himeji Castle. Also called the White Heron Castle, this castle is both a national treasure and a world heritage site. It's very easy to get to, though it takes about an hour by train. Meanwhile, Miss Kiki who was a Potterhead at that time went to Universal Studio in Osaka. The castle itself is within walking distance from the station, but there is an option to rent bicycles by the hour.