It was raining, so not really the best day to take pictures...but this funny looking bus/boat drove by and I couldn't resist... almost didn't get it in time!
One of my favorite spots in Kobe is the entrance to the Motomachi arcade. 
And of course the place I always visit when I'm in Kobe is the foreign book store Random Walk Books. They are in the Sannomiya arcade and if you look up, you will see this sign. (The first floor is a shoe store.) The web address is an old one...here is the new one: RWB
You have to go up these stairs to get to the second floor. They are narrow and if you aren't on the look out you will easily pass the stairs by!
I remember, about a year ago, when I used to work at this book store, a customer came up and told us that "Darth Vader is standing on the stairs". We never figured out exactly what he meant...
5 comments:
Hello! What a lovely blog you have. I have a soft spot in my heart for Japan because I spent a summer visiting friends in Kagoshima when I was in high school. I did stay a day or two in Kobe, too.
I used to live in Kobe, before the earthquake. I am really enjoying your photos. Peace. Good luck on the novel writing.
I am so happy to have people interested in Japan! We are all spread out over the globe, but it seems like such a small world! So many talented people with absolutely gorgeous blogs!
Thank you for visiting!
Hey Tulsa,
There used to be a really cool old book store in Motomachi. It's probably gone now. The floor was stacked with second hand books up to the ceiling. There was only a small path through the books to wind your way around. All the stairs were lined with books and upstairs a creepy little guy with pop bottle glasses would be sitting at a desk behind a mountain of books and breathing heavily. I went there for the boxes of old Japanese prints. Gorgeous. Sorry I can't tell you where it was, I had to feel my way there.
@Butternut Squash
There were two that fit your description except for the'guy with pop bottle glasses' lol.
I think you are talking about the one that closed in late 2007. The old guy who used to own the store couldn't keep up with the stock anymore and his family seemed to want him to close and take it easy. He wheezed a lot...
But like you say, there are places in Motomachi that you have to feel around for and I have only just started to figure my way around!
However, it seems like each time I go, there is a new store or one that is closing...The scenery changes fast! I'll try to take more pictures the next time I'm there!
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