As we toured the museum, we saw pictures of the aftermath, belongings of those that died, and other artifacts such as the helmet that saved a man from a falling brick and a newspaper made by children who survived the earthquake. The museum also included a disaster prevention section, which showed what items one would need in case of a natural disaster. There were exhibits of water bottles, rope, canned goods, flashlights, batteries, etc. As I looked at them, I realized that I don’t have an earthquake survival kit.
But another that hit me as I was walking through the museum was how little coverage I felt the earthquake received. This earthquake killed over 6,400 people and thousands more were injured. 9/11 killed around 2,900 and received endless press coverage for the next several weeks. The recent Sichuan earthquake killed more than 69,000 and was important for a week or so. I just feel sometimes that the American press focuses so much on itself and does not give equal importance to regions around the world that have far more people and that suffer in so many more ways. The American press needs to expand its international coverage. This isn't a thought or suggestion; it's a reality.
On a different note, we went to Chinatown for lunch. Yes, Chinatown in Kobe. It was rather an interesting experience to walk down the strip and see Chinese foods and snacks but to have Japanese people talking to me in Japanese trying to sell me Chinese food. A couple of them actually saw that I was Chinese and tried to use Mandarin to sell me stuff. It was cool to see and experience, but I felt a little odd eating Chinese food as opposed to Japanese food while I was in Kobe, Japan. I was really happy though because I had been craving Chinese food and it was really comforting to see it and feel a slight sense of belonging and pride about my Chinese culture and heritage.
Kobe is a beautiful city with a port, which is where all the business and trading happens. The day we went, though, it was slightly muggy and cloudy, but the cloudiness added to the mystical look of the mountains surrounding the city. We got a better look at them when we took a ferry ride around the port. While a lot of the stuff we saw was drills and shipping canisters, the backdrop of mountains against business buildings was breath-taking. We circled around for about 45 minutes, and I was just in awe at how beautiful this port city is.
Walking back from the port to the city centre was truly a long trek. It probably wouldn’t have been as bad if it didn’t have this horrendous pain in my back, which slowed me down and kept me at the back of the group. I was sad I couldn’t keep up with everyone and talk with them, but it gave me time to really look at the city. Sometimes I feel like, as tourists, we feel like we have to get from one place to another really quickly, but I think that takes away from just looking and observing the city and the people. We all just need to slow down and absorb, like sponges, the environments we are in. This, in turn, distinguishes a good journalist from a great journalist.
We walked through indoor covered malls and they were really packed with people. I feel like based on what I have seen of Japan, people like to eat, drink, and shop. But there is so much emphasis on shopping because everywhere we have gone has been all about the different shops and things we can buy. All the indoor malls and underground malls are about shopping and food, respectively.
We ate a traditional Japanese dinner at a very fancy restaurant. There was cold eel and potato salad for appetizers. Then we had regular English salad, tofu, egg rolls, fried chicken, chicken sticks, and tempura. The best thing I ate though was definitely the Kobe beef. I only had a small piece but it was tender and soft and simply just melted in my mouth when it touched my lips. I was really happy and glad that I got to eat Kobe beef while I was in Kobe.
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