The difference 600 odd kilometres makes

Because of the way that Japan is positioned geographically, it results in the nation covering a number of different longitudes, latitudes, dimensions and parallel universes. Amongst other things, it means that within a relatively small country, Japan has a pretty varied climate.

I spent my weekend in Kobe, near the southern end of Honshu which is the main island in Japan. This is was Kobe's farewell present for me on the day I left:


This continues the trend of cities putting on their best show, weather wise, during the last day of my holiday there. Bitches, all of them.

And this was what greeted me when I got home to Aizuwakamatsu:



What a difference 600 odd kilometres makes. After months of grey and dreary winter, I had forgotten how green trees can be, how blue the sky is and how warm the sun can feel. And literally just after stepping foot into Shin-Kobe station, I was greeted by all those things, and more. On an unrelated note, I have been looking at rental properties in Kobe...

In between, there wasn't any Kobe beef consumed; lack of planning (read: zero) meant that logistically it did not work out. However, there was Coldplay and whilst it wasn't the best show in the world, it was still a good show that was worth the 6ish hours of travel time each way to see them. Plus, it was my first proper gig in a long time and I forgot how good it feels to heckle the support band, to cheer when the house lights go out and the band stumble on, and to sing yourself hoarse in a mass singalong with thousands of others.





It seems like I'm forgetting a lot of things these days.