The other weekend I went to Kobe for sightseeing and meeting a friend.
I had kobe beef, which was really good, but had a bit too much fat in it. The most interesting thing though was how they cooked it. Instead of cooking a whole slab on both sides and serving it (with the eater cutting it up as they eat), they cooked it very briefly on both sides, 
then cut it up into cubes while it was still rare on the inside. The cubes were then turned over such that all four sides were cooked. I think this method might be quicker, possibly more tasty, and generally much easier than the old fashioned Western way. Then again it was high quality beef and probably a pretty sharp knife.
I found more strange English in Kobe than in Nagoya. 
There’s even Melborne in Kobe! 
Here’s a slightly blurry picture of me 
There’s more photos in the photo gallery.
Recently I’ve also been spending time browsing through Mixi, Japan’s equivalent of Myspace.