So I finally found an internet cafe today.  It`s been pretty tough so far, because even though a lot of Japanese people speak English, they are very uncomfortable using it.  I can ask where one is (itaneto cafe doko desuka), but have no idea what the answer is, so it`s kind of pointless.  It`s my first day of work here, so I will know about the job in about an hour.  Kobe is pretty cool so far.  I live right next to a very historical district.  The whorehouse district.  Prostitution is illegal in Japan, but as long as the girls are inside it`s okay I guess.  Plus the police keep my area really clean and safe.  Although, I get very dirty looks if I walk around there at night, because they don`t want gaijin messing with Japanese prostitutes.  The other area I live near is Harborland, which is like megamall city.  It`s a very good place to take people on dates.  The next district over from me Motomachi is the Chinatown.  The really cool thing about Kobe and I will no more about this on Thursday (because it`s what I`m doing on my day off) is that you can walk north from my house and hit hiking trails into the woods.  You don`t even have to drive.  The city is very thin and long, so from anywhere you live you can walk to the water (south) or the woods.  So for little day hikes this is very cool.  This is where I am buying groceries right now.  Food is pretty cheap here, although that`s because I bought Japanese Eggplant, Shitake, Enoki, Daikon radish, noodles.  All under a dollar a pound.  Noodles were like 25 cents a package.  Japanese rice is a little spendy and don`t ever tell a Japanese person this, but it`s relatively flavorless.  I also live near an area called Sannomiya, which is like the Kobe party district.  Japan is strange for bars though, and restaurants/groceries.  Everything is a very small mom/pop type establishment.  Even the music stores I found so far have about 8 guitars and one bass, a few amps, and some assorted pedals.  You go to bars to drink or maybe drink/eat.  You go to another place to play pool.  You go to a Karaoke bar to sing.  Etc.  There are about 1 - 2 bars per block, but they are just like a bar and that`s it.  Because of this it is very hard to walk around without spending money.  You can duck into any bar relatively anywhere.  There are also vending machines everywhere with alcohol.  You can drink in public too, although it is looked down upon.  But no one can do anything if you are walking down the street drinking.  Any drink is about 5 bucks, and up to 7.  But there is no tipping in Japan, so prices are somewhat equivalent.  My roomate is pretty cool.  He is from Tuscon.  He has been in Japan for 1 yr and three months.  But he has been coming here since he was 15.  He`s already warned me about a lot of things (like his Japanese has gotten worse since he got here, because he mainly hangs out with other teachers, so doesn`t practice except for buying things).  He also is very into video games, likes hiking, and likes going out to party a lot.  I guess on days off it is best to go into Osaka.  There are like 2 or 3 really big party districts there with lots of deals on stuff.  There is a place with all you can drink and a ten course dinner for 30 dollars, for example.  But because the train stops at midnight, you either have to drink until 5 am (bars don`t close in Japan) or stay in a hotel (about 20 - as much as you want to pay).  I have been learning very simple Japanese so far to get by, the main thing I want to master is the hiragana and katakana so I can read things.  There are a lot of menus strictly in Japanese.  I`ve avoided meat so far, but it`s been tough, especially when I don`t know what I`m ordering.  Today I ate octopus for breakfast, because Tako was the only word I knew.  It wasn`t too bad.  I also found the awesomest place to get coffee.  It`s called Captain Terry`s Coffee Stadium.  They bring freshness and small-batch roasting to an entirely new level.  You pick coffee greens and they roast them for you right then, while they give you a free coffee, while you wait.  It`s got stadium seating with a view of their large roaster for the coffee they serve there.  It`s 15 dollars for 3/4 of a pound.  But I have a card and when I order 10 I get something.  I have no idea what, no one there knew how to speak English at all.  It was very complicated, but I ended up with a lighter roast, whole bean, Ethiopian coffee.  And the beans were still a little warm.  It was good.  While, I gotta go to work.  More next time.

 

Dan