Isn't that a picturesque photo?? I feel like the only text missing is "Wish You Were Here..." :)
So my two amigos and I went out to Hyogo for gift shopping (me) and baseball (them). And Aside from the small spat Shota and I had, it was fun..! This was my third or so visit to Kobe.

My last two visits to Kobe only included Sannomiya, but this time, we went to the JR Kobe Station, which was new territory for me. It had the prerequisite large underground shopping mall, and a Space Theatre (!! I still want to see what that's about), but that wasn't our destination. We were headed for MOSAIC, which is a shopping center right on the water in Kobe. It sort of resembles a villa with it's architecture, but it's mostly full of tourist shops; Kobe cookies, Sanrio and Snoopy character shops, and food..!

Food was actually the main reason Yuta brought us here.

Access:
MOSAIC Kobe Harborland
兵庫県神戸市中央区東川崎町１丁目６−１
650-0044, Japan
Tel: 078-360-1722
You can take JR, Kintetsu (if coming from Osaka, it will turn into Hanshin), or Hankyu to Sannomiya Station. From Sannomiya, you can walk for 20 minutes or take the JR to Kobe Station or take the Hankyu to Kosoku Kobe Station. For more information, and maps, you can check out the official website here.There is an English site, but the access information is mostly nonexistent.

And what kind of food could be worth the extra train fare and a walk?? A Brazilian buffet of course..! I have to admit, I've not found a Brazilian buffet in Osaka, so it was nice to try something new. AND I didn't catch some bowel-eating disease..! BONUS :D

The top photo is the view from the restaurant, which is on the third floor of MOSAIC and facing the water. The second photo is my plate of Brazilian-style grilled meat. Can you find the shinzou a.k.a. heart?? It was actually pretty good but I do feel like a bit of a cannibal (even though it was a cow). Shota ate the rest of mine. :P








After lunch, we wandered around MOSAIC because I needed to buy some presents for my bridesmaids. And of course I needed to update my Chictopia, so I snapped some photos of my outfit that day. Near the ferris wheel..!! Too bad that amusement park is just for children, I could've used a roller coaster that day..
Also, MOSAIC has no ATM, or at least none I could find. So I had to go back over to the Hankyu Department Store to use the cash machine. If you don't want to be bothered, just remember to bring some cash..!

To Koshien..!

Can you find Yuta and Shota in this pic??

After the shopping and arguing was done, we went over to Hanshin Koshien Stadium, which is another home field for the Hanshin Tigers baseball team. We were still about an hour and a half early, but it was busy with people shopping for some team goodies. Jerseys, megaphones, hats, tails, bats, balloons, towels, anything and everything really. Yuta needed a jersey too, so we were able to blend in with the locals well. :)

Access:
兵庫県西宮市甲子園町１−８２
663-8152, Japan

 You can take the JR or Kintetsu/Hanshin trains to Koshien Station. The stadium is located right next to both stations. More information on the official Koshien website. ALSO, I would highly advise that you buy your return ticket before the game. The lines are ridiculous after the game..!

Yuta didn't buy a jersey like this, but I really want one..! It reminds me of those jackets that bosozoku gang members have. They're really cute though..!

It took a minute (or twenty), but in the end he found a plain one, but they didn't have it in a medium. So he squeezed into a small, purely for the sake of the game that day. True fan right there~

Then we ran over to the nearby Daiei for some snacks. You can bring whatever food you like into the stadium, but you're not allowed to bring in cans or glass bottles (a safety measure I believe). You have to pour the contents of the can or bottle into a big paper cup before you go in. I picked up some ice cream, Yuta picked up snacks like kakipi, and Shota picked up a big can of beer. And we were set..!

There are some bosozoku in the b/g..!

We bought our tickets pretty late, so all the nice seats were taken. We ended up behind the outfield, but almost all the way at the top. The view actually wasn't bad, but it was impossible to catch any balls they tossed out into the crowd.

This game was the last game for the season, and if the Yomiuri Giants had lost their game, Hanshin would have been able to go to the championships, so it was pretty crowded. You could feel the excitement in the air :)



This was my second baseball game in Japan, but my first Hanshin game, and it was really a lot of fun..! I memorized Murton's, Aoki's, and Toritani's cheer by the end of the game, and was cheering with every play. The guys were teasing me because I was cheering more than they were :P. But I was really trying to keep myself awake... ;D

Hanshin ended up winning the game, but so did Yomiuri, so we couldn't go to the championships, but it was still a good game. I think the guys have made arrangements to go to one game a month for the next season. I don't really know how I feel about that, but I feel like I won't have much of a choice in the end. Well, if I can get a cute bosozoku Hanshin jersey, I'll be happy..! :D

★Peaces★

Shota is a big sports guy, but I've been putting off going to any sports games (for over 2 years!?) with him because I get really bored. I'm much better at playing sports than watching them. But finally, we got an offer we couldn't refuse, free tickets. So I had to suck it up and make the trip out to the Kyocera Dome for my first baseball game in Japan. We brought extra alcohol. ;D

The game we got the free tickets to was any Orix Buffaloes game in September, and finally made it out on a lovely autumn day this week, the end of September (that shows how long I put off going to a FREE game D:).

Kyocera Dome is home to the Orix Buffaloes team as well as Hanshin Tigers team (sort of), both of which are "Osaka" teams. Though technically, Hanshin's main field is in Hyogo and the Buffaloes also represent Kobe. Let's just say we like to share in kansai ;). If you need some directions to Kyocera Dome, you can find them in this post (which is actually about taking place next weekend in the dome).

Kyocera Dome is pretty big, I think. It's where a lot of pop group hold dome events (I went to a SMAP show here last year), and is often used for other large scale events. There's also plenty to eat, like any stadium, but expect inflated prices D':, per any stadium anywhere. The fatty in me was a little sad since they had "American Dogs" a.k.a. corn dogs and I wanted to eat a ton. I really love corn dogs :D.

Because these were freebie tickets, we could choose any seat within a specified area. I think a lot of people were probably using up their freebie because there were a lot of seats taken in our area, and lots of space elsewhere.

I feel bad for the Orix team because from what I see on TV, they aren't that weak in the Pacific League, they actually do pretty well, but they just don't have the popularity of Hanshin Tigers. This unfortunately leads to somewhat vacant stadiums, and in this case, the visiting team's fans being much louder than Orix fans.

I did try to scream a little, though it was usually at the wrong time. I kept getting caught up in the Chiba Mariner's fight song (it's so catchy!).






At the beginning of the game, they had a traditional Japanese dance performance by some young ladies from Kumamoto Prefecture. I took a video, but I was so far away, it's really hard to see them at at. I'll probably upload it anyway after checking out the data :).

I think the best part about the baseball game was hearing the old people cuss each other out. We even had an old man and woman get into it right behind us. The old man was cheering for the Mariner's, and the old woman told him to shut it. Then he told her to go home and she told him to get to a bar or something. I just like hearing them call each other "boke." :D

Overall, it was pretty good. I finished my two cans of chu-hai before the fourth inning had begun, so I started getting antsy and.. well bored. I know I'm a bad baseball (and sports) fan, but damn if Shota isn't trying to change that :P. He let me get a corn dog, then we decided to leave after the 7th inning, though he declared that was the time it was going to get really good. I was quite happy to leave that all behind and get back home to my work and soft indoor clothes :3.

I'm getting forced to another baseball game this month (October) though. Lucky me..! I need to find an English speaking friend to drag with me because being stuck at a baseball game with two Japanese dudes sounds like the antithesis of fun, plus I'll be vetoed on any idea to return home early D:. Though it is a Hanshin game, so hopefully more dancing (by me) and shouting (by them) will be involved :D.

Oh, I couldn't let the other young girls show me up either..!
Trying to keep it jazzy neo-urban rock or something. Sliding down those handrails like a pro.
Though that sounds kind of nasty when you read it out loud.
D:


Oh, and Orix Buffaloes lost, if you were wondering ;).

★Peaces★