Kobe Ferry Trip

Taking photos on the Kobe ferry with my Canon 60D.

Credit for this shot has to go to Mary Thanh Vo.

A Kagawa JET tradition which has run for many years is the Kobe Ferry Trip, where the group gets themselves on one of the ferries from Takamatsu to spend the day or night in Kobe.

The year I arrived, however, this annual event was called off due to a typhoon warning. Luckily, it came back around the following September, and so I was keen to get myself on board.

Chatting with the ALTs.

The times for the ferries are a tad unfortunate, as the first leaves around six in the morning (!) and the second in the early afternoon. This is because the ferry takes around three-to-four hours or so to arrive, so you either arrive in the late morning or you arrive in the early evening. A small group decided to head out in the early morning to go and do some hiking on a local mountain area in Kobe, while a second group (which included myself) planned to head out on the afternoon ferry and join them in the evening.

Getting ready to depart. Slightly sweaty.

It was a terribly hot day, and I was already sweating pretty badly by the time I arrived at the bus stop next to Takamatsu-chikko station that would transfer us to the ferry port. Plenty of water was consumed by myself before we had even departed.

The ferry trip makes up the bulk of the excitement on this trip, and is intended as an easy way for people just to spend time with each other. The facilities were very comfortable, and it was a very relaxing experience. Upon departing, we made our way directly up to the roof, where we enjoyed the sea breeze and took plenty of photographs. We sailed around and saw plenty of the Seto inland sea islands, including making a brief stop at Shodoshima (where we acquired a few extra ALTs for the trip).

Islands in the Seto Inland Sea.

Mary Thanh Vo photos the scenes.

(A lot of the photos on this entry were taken by her!)

Justin's hair was fairly noteworthy at times on this trip.

Pose to sell bottled water.

The downstairs facilities were equally as comfortable. Lounges were provided, as were an amusement arcade, sleeping area and cafe / bar area. My fellow JETs and I ordered some Sanuki udon (of course) followed by ice creams. Mostly, we just sat down in the lounge area and enjoyed playing card and iPad games (including a two-player Fruit Ninja HD tournament - outstanding).

We're on a boat! With Lorriane, Justin, Ryan and Mary.

Hugs!

When we arrived in Kobe, it was already the early evening and night had come in. We took taxis through the town to meet the other ALTs at a famous Brazilian meat restaurant on the water front; Brasiliano, in the MOSAIC building.

Brasiliano.

Looking bewildered at the steps of MOSAIC.

As the other ALTs made their way inside, Mary and I stood on the balcony for a while and took photographs of the beautiful waterfront area. There was plenty to see, and I regretted that I wouldn't be staying longer in Kobe to explore some of these areas and see them up close. The unique buildings were a gorgeous spectacle, and it was difficult to tear myself away from photographing them.

The waterfront in Kobe.

Some sort of party takes place on the veranda.

Stunning.

The other ALTs were knackered from their day of walking, but we had an amazing all-you-can eat dinner with cheerful Brazilian men coming over to the table and cutting off countless cuts of meat.

The seasoning on the meat was - without exaggeration - some of the best I'd ever had. It was an incredible meal with great company, and we stayed until we were the last people in the restaurant; the food was so good, we simply didn't want to leave! I absolutely, completely recommend this place if you want to have some Brazilian food in Japan.

Fannying around with Justin and Luke.

After dinner, we had a brief stop in town at an area affectionately known as "Tits Park" (or Oppai Kouen), due to the mounds in the ground that local a bit like, er, breasts. It's right next to Hankyu station in Sannomiya.

Sitting on a "tit", apparently.

When we arrived, the area was full of young people, and there appeared to be some sort of live music event which had been casually put together. The crowds were drinking their beers while musicians casually strummed guitars on the Saturday evening. It was a very relaxed affair which we simply strolled into, taking up a seat on one of the "tits". As an added bonus, I ran into an ALT I'd met on my time water-rafting in Tokushima on the WhyNot trip back in May; Andrew Foley, an Irish ALT who I'd gotten on immensely well with at the time. It was great to chat to him and the local Kobe JETs in the area, though sadly we couldn't stay very long.

Drinking in "Tits Park".

Justin's hair was certainly noteworthy.

After this small rest, it was pretty much an immediate journey back to the ferry port. We would be taking the night ferry back to Takamatsu, arriving in the early hours of the morning. A lot of the ALTs who had been hiking in the morning were knackered by this point, and passed out almost immediately on board. It wasn't long before most of us were doing the same thing.

We were woken up just as the first dawn was breaking in Takamatsu. It felt like a long journey home that morning, with very little sleep behind me. Still, I stopped off at a McDonalds on the way to treat myself to one of their breakfast McMuffin sets. Even though I'm trying to enjoy as much Japanese culture as I can, some things remain simply essential.