takeout

I heard myself saying to my travel companions today, that if I were ever to return to Kobe, I would feel like home.

I know my way around, I know my places, I know how to find new places.

I have places that I said I would come back to or that I would get down to visiting for the first time, but that now seem like I will not make it to them before continuing my journey tomorrow.

I arrived in Kobe on Sunday, and it's now Friday evening. One more dinner, one more breakfast and then I'm off again. Semi-planned, semi-not. Together with my little sister's family we all liked the idea of going to Hiroshima for one day of hiking and one day of visiting the Peace Memorial Museum. After that I'm thinking of braving the hanami tourist masses in Kyoto before spending a few quiet days in the countryside of Tokyo. This time next week, I aim to be at the foot of Hokkaido's tallest mountain (still cled in a showcap, I hear) for a last few days before chunneling back with the blueberry express to my working table

a table now sorely missed.

Kobe gave me a sense of presence and stronghold within that wavery, windy feeling that I always have when somewhere else than where my stove is. I'm missing a table though. At this point any library will do. One with a simple lunch place nearby.

Maybe one of the better alcohol-free beers. My favourites have been (in order of preference):

1. Asahi Beery
2. Sapporo Puremiumu
3. Unnamed 'non-aru biiru' at the waterfront in Kobe
4. Kirin
5. Suntory All-free
6. Asahi Zero Dry

(in order of cleverness of names)

1. Zero Dry
2. Beery
3. Puremiumu
4. All-free

(in order of consumption by approximate percentage)

78 % Zero Dry
15 % All-free
5 % Asahi Beery
2 % Kirin
2 % Puremiuru

Luckily I'm on my way to Sapporo eventually.

If I will start a bar that serves only non-alcoholic beer, I will become the importor of Zero Dry (tasty in large quantities!), Beery and Puremiuru (come for the lack of voltage, stay for the surprising kick it gives you).

I have no problem buying these at whim from vending machines, since they don't ask for my Japanese ID-card. Which I don't have. Yet.

As the hotel breakfast costs us 21€ per day, we've gone to the same café round the corner every day instead. The owner was fascinated by our language, and asked me to put a pin on his map of gaijins that have visited his cafe. Someone had cancelled Helsinki out by putting a particularly fat pin leaning north on Tallinn, so I placed mine on Kitee instead.

They have oat milk. I was fine for a week but now I have to have it daily again.

Never look back.

Speaking of cafes, taking coffee out to go has a slightly more special aura here than back home. Some places don't do it (out of principle? this I like), and some that really don't look like they do, like this cafe I went to opposite the aquarium yesterday, especially advertised that they do.

He made my coffee with a meticulousness I haven't seen for a while. I felt bad I was going to leave with it. I made sure I watched most of his moves.

He gave me the cup in a small plastic bag.

Either to say: if you want trash, let's make it proper trash.

or

this way you won't drink it while walking but will walk until you find a beautiful spot and then you stop, maybe sit, and drink.

a shokunen either way.