Ryo's Report
Ryo's Report: Day 1
Hi! My Name is Ryo Shibata, I am from New York City. I go to school at The Bronx High School of Science. I came to Kobe to help out with The 13th World Transplant Games. I would be working with Mrs. Fujimoto. This section is about my first impression and my experience on Japan. I would update this as much as possible.
I was born in Japan back in 1984 but left when I turned 5. I returned to Japan couple of times back then. It has been 3 years since I have returned here. Japan is really different from New York City. To me Japan is very convenient and the service is great. In Japan every store, restaurant, etc has utmost service. The worker greets you and gives you a maximum service. In addition, Japan has everything that America doesn't have as in technological entertainment-wise. I was amazed at the amount of cell phone that young people had. Also Japanese summer is really different from New York. It is extremely humid here, very unbearable. So this summer AC is a must. I also have to mention the streets. Other than cars driven on the left side, the streets are unbelievably clean. Very little mess compared to NY's street. Overall Kobe is a very nice place to be accommodated, just need to get used to "Kansai-ben" (a dialect that is used here), unlucky for a Tokyo born.
Sannomiya Center, one of the liveliest spot in Kobe
Ryo's Report: Day 2
Sannomiya, one of the liveliest place in Kobe. It is a meeting spot for the young and the old alike. Picture above is Sannomiya Center Street. It has hundreds of stores of all kinds. Clothings, books, food, electronics, groceries, etc. As you can see Sannomiya center street is pretty cool because of the overhead glass roof. But I still recommend bringing along a drink, if you dont have any , dont worry there are vending machines everywhere. The store I especailly liked was the electronic store called "Seiden". Unlike the store they have in America (PC Richards, Best Buys), it has everything you can possiblily imagine. Its around 6 story high excluding basement. Its an ideal place for foreigners to buy what ever electronic they want. From MD players to flat HDTV, computerized refridgerators to colored LCD computer-like celluar phones. Any electronics you want, they have in Seiden. If you want to just rest around and get something to eat, you can go to McDonalds if your short on money or you can go to "Fujiya" when you want good service and nice food. There are tons of clothings too in here. There is also a China Town sort of place in the middle cross road in Sannomiya Center , called "Nankin Machi". Its a great place to get Chinese food and Chinese things. But the con side to Nankin Machi is that the road is made of stone so the heat reflects off it. Well this is a 411 on Sannomiya Center Street, hope it was very informative to you.
The huge Ferris wheel in Mosaic
Me in the streets of Harbor Land at nite
Port Tower in Port Island
Port Island
Ryo's Report: Day 3
Today I'm going to write about Harbor Land which can be reached by using the JR (Japanese Railroad) or the Subway. Harbor Land is also one of the livliest place next to Sannomiya. Semi-tall building, lighted trees and modern art sculptures are filled in this place. The underground is also another amazing spot. It has rows and rows of stores. Its pretty incredible that this much stores could fit underground. This place sort of remind me of the Grand Central Station back in New York City. But i think its lot bigger here in Harbor Land. And there is this part in Harbor Land called "Mosiac". In Mosiac, there are movie theaters, resturants, and small shops. Mosiac is a very fancy place for a good night out. There is also the Ferris Wheel as shown in the picture. It is a very beautiful place at night. The picture above is taken at Mosaic, its picture of Port Island where the 13th World Transplant Games openning would be held. Around in the middle of the island is the Portopia Hotel. When i returned i used the JR system. The train here in Japan is one of the most advanced in the world. Its clean and reliable. Always comes on time scedule. Harbor Land is in the Daywalk tour organized by the university students around Kobe. If you happened to be in the games go to the information booth at the lobby of your accomodated hotel.
Ryo's Report: Day 4
Hello people. Sorry that i did not update for a long time. I was on a short break and soon after very busy again, maybe more. I went to the Japan Sea for 2 days and up to the mountain for 2 days also. The Japan Sea is located west of Kobe to the other side of Japan. It took me about 3 hours by car to get there. The water is beautiful there, fresh and clear. I went snorkling with my 2 cousins and uncle, hopfully able to catch some fish. I got stung by 3 jelly fish but it wasn't that bad. Then at night i played around with fireworks and burnt myself couple of time. Come to think of it, I am accident prone, stung by jelly fish and burnt by fireworks. In the mountains, i went to a Japanese Resort where there were a outdoor hot spring. The hot spring was the main attraction, it was huge. The hot spring use special water which are tasteless and orderless. After i got out my skin became smooth and the silver bracelet i have became more shinier. Maybe if you want a small preview of the hot spring, you can go to a public bath they have around Kobe. Cost few yens to get in.
The games are getting closer and closer, and i have been more busy than before. The WTG office in Sannomiya has moved to Port Island in Portopia Hotel. I have to go to the office almost everyday from now on, so there will be a little more updates on the games. On the 26th, i would be the announcer for the Mini Marathon. I would be announcing the explanation for the Marathon and announcing the winner after the whole thing. Of course i would be announcing it all in English. If any of you who needs help and speaks English and don't know Japanese, you can try to come to me for help. I will do the best i can. I might be also at the Table Tennis and the Badminton games. My schedule is pretty tight and i have 7 days until i return to New York. i would be busy all day. Office work is also tiring to. I must translate Japanese document to English, Correct wrong English into correct English and so on. So if you are happened to be reading a Chinese food menu that the WTF gave you, i typed that up :D
So this is all i have to update today.
Ryo's Report: Day 5 (will be about the games, comming soon)
Any Comments or just want to contact me about my report?
Email me at : NervEva2015@hotmail.com (home) or nerveva2015@docomo.ne.jp (cell phone, please keep it short because the cell phone can only take a small mails)
P.S: Sorry if i cant reply every single email i get...quite busy now.