Kobe Field Trip - Tokagawa + Extra Tower

(Round two for the night, here we go!)

So this past weekend, I had a mandatory Field Trip for my Environment class. We walked along the Tokagawa River in Kobe, which is an artificially reconstructed river. What we were focusing on was how many cities in Japan have tried to turn flood management and drastic alteration of natural landscapes into something beauty and recreational. Like Shukugawa, which I walked in cherry blossom season, it was very beautiful but reminded me of a prettier and 'safer' version of the drainage ditches back in Las Vegas. I put the marks around the word "safer" because in times of heavy rain, this artificial rivers can experience flash floods. There was a severe one a few years ago in Tokagawa in which the area flooded within minutes and a group of children playing were caught in the flood. I believe two children and one adult were killed in the flood and others injured. Despite this danger, people are still inspired to go down to the river to play (see what I did there..get it...'cause it sounds like "going to the river to pray"...that awesome song...no?...okay).

We saw a heron (scared off just as I clicked my lens into place), ducks, finches, and families playing in the water. It was very nice but very unnatural feeling. There were frequent blocks sticking up so people could cross, and the rocky riverbed was completely constructed - all the stones connected with cement or some other material. It was an interesting mixture of natural flow and man-made construction.


We left the river for a minute in order to meet up with it again higher-up. We entered the Rokko Mountain Range (which I've hiked a bit when I went to Kobe and Nunobiki Falls last time - but today, we were on a different mountain). Before reaching the mountain in order to see three of the twelve dams in operation for the Tokagawa River we passed by the yakuza headquarters of Kobe. I kid you not, this was the most secure building I've seen in Japan so far: high walls, enclosed by trees completely as well as a fence, and security cameras everywhere. Our teacher explained to us, however, that the yakuza having their headquarters there meant that the neighborhood was one of the safest (of course, Japan is already pretty safe, but even so). There was also a nice view of a different section of the river!

Anyway, I wish I had known that we were going on a little hike because I would have worn long pants. I wore shorts and ended up with three bug bites and I'm pretty sure two of them were from two different spiders...Oh well. (Since I'm typing from the future, I can say that I'm fine now and that only one of the bites gave me any 'trouble').










It was very beautiful. The lush greenery, markings left in certain places from boars' early morning excursions, birdsong, babbling brooks, wind in the trees, and beautiful views. We saw three of the dams in the twelve dam system and each one was different. The first resembled a castle facade, another a large wall, and the third was like something out of Jurassic park - tall, slanted, and surrounded by greenery.

We ended up walking through that third dam, which had a few steep steps (thank you split stretches for letting me take those big steps despite my shortness). There was a rope down the middle just in case and slits separating the sunlight filtering down into the narrow space. I felt like a rebel from a sci-fi movie (and of course a character from Jurassic park, but I tried not to focus on that part). Our teacher was saying that apparently the hike keeps going even further back and you can see more of the dams as well as some beautiful views. Not only was it a beautiful hike, I enjoyed some wonderful conversation with some UNLV students,
a Japanese student, a French graduate who is working on her third or so degree, and a student from Iceland. I love it.


 
Once we were done with the "Midterm" (hike) we hopped on a bus and slowly went our separate ways. The two friends from UNLV and I decided to sight-see a little bit since we were already there and had not seen the famous port and port tower yet. So we headed over. We ate lunch by the port since we could not find Akashiyaki (Kobe-version of takoyaki). Then we walked around. It was very nice. There was also a boy band rehearsing for a concert that would go on later (and apparently AKB48 would also perform - all of us wanted to be home for dinner and were not really interested in AKB48). For those who don't know, they are a large idol group in Japan. I don't really care for their music or how they act (super cutesy and like they are trying to be both like children and sexy at the same time - kind of freaks me out). But, the area had various stalls, one of which was selling beetles, including a Hercules!

Here are few things we saw in the port, besides the beautiful water, stage, and fascinating sculptures including female figures, a giant fish, and a raptor with a fish in its talons.

 The famous Kobe Port Tower! It was neat in that it was red, slightly hour-glass shaped, and had a beautiful external framework, almost looking like a digital 3-D model. There were also these large white architectural structures that my friend and I described as "broken roller-coasters of certain death." We didn't go up to the top of the tower, but it was interesting to go from Tokyo Tower to this.

 A double-decker street!!! So cool and futuristic! Also, there was this intricate, modern-style cathedral castle building in the background. We saw later on that it had a French name so it may either be an extremely fancy hotel or some sort of French embassy (the latter is probably more likely).

I just liked this picture.










We saw a few seagulls, pigeons, and crows as well as some sort of raptor (I didn't switch my lens fast enough *sigh*, but its silhouette was very pretty). We also saw a huge bird. I mean huge. I didn't get any pictures of it because I was taking a picture of my friends at the "Be Kobe" sculpture, but I am honestly wondering if it was an albatross because it was quite a ways out but was ginormous. And that broad wingspan was stunning.

Frustrated at our failed attempts to find Akashiyaki, we had Baskin Robbins. (Double-scoop of Blood Orange and Temptation Island (basically a bunch of tropical fruit flavors) in a waffle cone - divine). They were having an event where if you got a three-scoop bowl of these three new flavors, you could also get ice cream-themed planner stickers but...I was tempted by Temptation Island. (Turns out, we learned about two "temptation" islands in Japanese Religion - rasetsukoku (women seduce you and then eat you) and nyogogashima (island of women that want to have sex with you until you die)...I think this Temptation Island was better than either of those).

After spending much of the day walking around in the sun, we were all happy to have had ice cream and head home. I did take another photography break in the station I get off at, however, since there was a rare opportunity.

What are those ugly fuzzy things I wonder? Oh, wait, they are baby birds! There were a whole bunch packed into that little nest. They were pretty much sleeping with their little eyes and large mouths shut, but every few minutes they would begin to twitch and open their mouths, pleading for food. Then, their parent would fly in swiftly, taking a sharp turn over the ticket scanners and around to the light fixture of their nest. I honestly only noticed the nest since the parent flew right in front of my face, inciting my shock and curiosity.

The parent had a lot on their plate: all those babies, but flying on their own and being able to only feed one baby at a time. It was amazing to watch though.

 Overall, it was a very nice day. I accomplished a field trip, some nice photos, and some homework. The day after was much more relaxed - I focused on homework and studying. I did take a "break" before dinner and studied at the nearby Shinkansen park surrounded by clovers and tall grass (as well as children and puppies). Two of them were looking for four-leafed clovers and I saw the remains of flower-crowns. Another pair of siblings kept calling to their dad and I couldn't tell if it was a game or they just kept asking him to prolong the time they spent there. Either way, it was pretty cute. (However, at one point, a different kid was hysterical about leaving the park). I also took a break around lunch-time, helping make okonomiyaki with my host mom. It's relatively easy and I think I'll be able to make it in the states. Takoyaki is a different story though.

After dinner, we had a very interesting tea. It was a gift from their sister/sister-in-law and no one really knew the flavor. The dried leaves reminded me of a dark forest and, once brewed, they were brownish green with an unusual broad shape. There were also dried red fruits in the tea. I'm pretty exploratory and since it was in the tea it is safe to ingest and I tried them. The small more pinkish fruits turned out to be goji berries and the one single large red orb that we were all nervous about was a dehydrated apple. The tea came with cinnamon sticks, so that was an added flavor once we stuck them in our cups. The tea itself was very sweet and had a strange, slightly numbing taste. I kind of liked it, honestly. It seemed to me to be an Alice in Wonderland tea (which I rather like).

It was an interesting day, to say the least! It was also a nice way to relax after my Tokyo weekend without feeling cooped up.