A Good Walk

A good walk is a long walk.

  A beginning with no end.

A good walk is a time to think.

  Reflect, feel, breathe and see.

A good walk is a long walk.

I’m typing this pretty early, but with good reason. I’ve already had a pretty eventful day. In case time isn’t your forte or you simply lack the ability to guess when I toped this, Friday be the day we are concerned with. So snuggle in the feeling of a Friday, the day that you most welcome stressful events because Friday night and the weekend are poking their heads around the weekly bend. I believe some of you say TGIF. So put your TGIF reading glasses on, and enjoy what’s to come.

I had one big goal today, and that was to buy my Re-entry Pass. A Re-entry Pass lets you go to the zoo and see the pandas play with each other for as long as you want…or so I wish. No, a Re-entry Pass is a document that allows one to leave a country that one’s current visa has allowed one to enter AND return to said country after the short leave. Firstly, I had to let Kobe University know that I am leaving, so I took a grand 80 minute walk to campus and back to simply tell them, “Hey guys, hope you have a good Christmas!” After that, I packed my bag with my passport, alien registration card, and mullah. I also had to pay my rent for three months, so I packed a little extra cash. After readying myself, I headed to the front office to ask where I could pay my rent, and they told me my bank (I had to register to a Japanese Bank about a week or two ago for some reason or another, probably the Japanese efficient, red tape, crap machine). So off down Sumiyoshi mountain!

My third step was to get on the Hankyu Railway (there are three railways in Kobe. In order from North to South: Hankyu, Hanshin, and JR. I live in the mountains which are towards the north so Hankyu is the closest). This was my first planned trip to Sannomiya, the biggest station in Kobe where all three lines meet and the hot-spot for all your delights. I was a bit excited to check out the place.

I arrived around noon, and headed south from the station (I had a map on me, telling me where the Kobe Immigration Office, the place to get the Re-entry Pass, was. I passed my bank on the way, so I decided that after all was said and done, I’d add an adventure to my adventure. I also passed a guard near the bank and decided to ask him where this certain government building was. Like all Japanese I’ve asked directions for, he was most helpful. One right, pass one road, and take a left on the second. Within 3 minutes, couldn’t help but see the immigration building.

I walked in, and the gaijin alarm went off in every Japanese worker there. Tons of pointing and bits of broken English later, I’m shown to the office I needed to be in. A total of 10 minutes was all it took to get what I needed. At one point, it got a bit odd. I was told to purchase a stamp from a convenient store down stairs and then walk back up to give them the stamp. I guess convenience means something entirely different in Japan. Anywho, I got my pass. (To Rebecca and Jordan, last step now is to actually be standing up on the altar next to you both. J)

I left the building and walked through a pretty park full of people playing. Possibly perfect if I ponder longer on the park. But I won’t, so to SMBC (my bank) to give them money!!! I waltzed myself in there, used broken Japanese, and found myself at the teller giving her my much undeserved money. I went from not having my bank book on me, using a card I didn’t need to, writing and asking dumb questions, and actually giving her normal, hard cash. Let’s hope I have no charges for trying to use a cash card that has no money on it!

So double check. Re-entry Pass and Rent done. Now what? Well, my day was already over and it was nearing one in the afternoon, so I decided to take a cool walk from Sannomiya to Sumiyoshi. Wasn’t entirely the best decision I’ve made, for it was worth it on an exploration front, but it was completely tiring. So explains why it is almost 5 PM and I feel like it is 3 in the morning.

Plans for tonight are still uncertain, but friends and family, Bo is gonna take a nap. Let the night demons come when they will. In the mean time, I love you all and I’ll post more videos and blogs in the near future. Hope life in Knoxville is dandy. Just remember where you’re at and where you’ve come from. Smile every day, and cry with friends.