Kobe

We arrived in the port city of Kobe today.  Yes, the same as Kobe beef.  And it is not any cheaper here.  Kobe is a city of 1.5 million people.  There are an incredible number of high rise apartment buildings, very modern looking, and some seem to have hundreds and hundreds of units within.

Our excursion today took us to Sorakuen Gardens, in the middle of the city.  The gardens were once private to a wealthy family, but are now open to the public.  Not large but immaculate in appearance with an abundance of large blossoming bushes.  There is also a small pond encircled by a walking path that has meditation stops along the way.  Very serene, colorful and clean (of course).

Afterwards we went to Awaji Island across the Akashi Bridge.  The bridge is reminiscent of the Golden Gate Bridge (not by color)—it is a single span with two towers and the roadbed between them is 1.2 miles in length.  The island, at least what we saw of it, has a touristy food mall, Japanese style, and incredible views across the bay of the city of Kobe.