Kobe Chinatown and more

Nearby Kobe has the only other Chinatown in Japan I believe.  The one in Yokohama is very impressive so I didn't expect much from the one in Kobe.  Which is best really since the former can get pretty crazy with people.  Kobe is also a great place for old western style architecture since it was one of the cities open to foreign trade after the policy of seclusion was removed-

Crashed cars and nice views

Luckily the crashed cars mentioned in the title was not my car.  You will see.

One a beautiful Saturday, Yukino and I headed off towards Meihan Sportsland for a car race.  On the way we stopped again at famous Japanese car tuner, HKS Kansai.  And, again we were not given permission to take pictures.  Ha!

Right before the entrance to Meihan was this poor NSX.  Ouch!

Sneaky Power Rangers, prohibited octopus balls, and the day I got my car

While I was walking to the train station near my place, I couldn't help but notice these three sneaky "rangers" getting ready to surprise someone.  Funny but not really surprising.  That is Japan-

Yukino getting some udon in a shopping arcade in Kyoubashi-

A Doghouse Hanami party

Our friend and owner of Doghouse Inn, Osugi, organized a wonderful hanami party at the nearest park a while back.  The park was packed with families enjoying the cherry blossoms but Osugi obviously had thought ahead and somehow was able to setup the most lavish picnic spot I have ever seen-

Of course Henry was there-

Cherry blossoms by day and night

It was cherry blossom season and Yukino and I did our best to see as much as possible.  While this area didn't have any, it is a really nice place to hang out and have a coffee-

Osaka Castle Park is one of the most popular areas for cherry blossoms and it really is an amazing place to see them-

Dinner in Osaka and a night in Wakayama City

While walking around at night I thought this was a cute shot-

Not as cute but much more delicious-

Hidden evil amusement park on top of Ikoma mountain

Continuing on from where I left off before, I went closer to check out what the sounds I had heard and what the buildings were.  A little bit closer-

Exploring Ikoma mountain to the extreme

On a nice weekend day, I took my scooter out for a ride up nearby Ikoma Mountain lying between Osaka and Nara.  The old route 308 is an extreme road for any mode of transportation and I received quite a few looks as I slowly but surely made my way up the insanely steep road.  I stopped for a moment to take a photo of a waterfall however and give my scooter's engine a break-

On Google maps there seems to be tons of small roads winding all over the place on the mountain. I tried my best to find them but it seems that most of them are blocked off or turned into hiking trails. I was really hoping to find some haikyos but didn't have any luck. Here is a nice viewpoint I had visited before at night-

NYC deli my butt, around Osaka Castle in Spring and the car I almost bought

 A friend tipped me off to deli in Kobe called New York Deli.  As you can see on their site, they bill them self as the only REAL deli in the Kansai area.  If you know me, you know I love sandwiches. REAL sandwiches.  So, I was quite excited by this news and planned a little bike trip out their.  By little, I mean a three hour bike ride.  I had time so I thought it would be more fun than the train. It was but booooyyyy was it NOT worth it.  I got all the way there by taking backroads.  Sure, taking the main road would have only taken an hour but that is no fun right?  So, after getting lost dozens of times, not being able to find the place, finally finding the place and then!? It was CLOSED! BOO!  The surrounding area is very beautiful however and quite popular for rich expats and Japanese to live in.  This was the only picture I took-

An Osaka Nijikai

A good friend of mine, Dancho (which means "boss" and isn't his real name), had a much belated wedding party here in Osaka.  While the first party was reserved for family and very close friends, the second was open to all of his friends and was held at the Hard Rock Cafe here-