Where’s the beef?

Kobe, Japan home of the sake fed beef. I reckon if I was gonna be a beef cow and be slaughtered anyway a Wagyu Kobe cow would be the best. You get eat great food, drink sake, get massages and basically ive the good life before getting whacked. Been here for two days but haven’t eaten it yet. I’m building up for a good climax, well not really, just haven’t had time to go out and eat yet. So for now it’s shitty ass cold bento boxes.
I did however, manage to make it out to the last night of the Luminare festival in Kobe. This is in memory of the 94 earthquake and the special lighting was designed and made by a some Italians. Why Italians? I have no idea. We actually happened upon this by mistake while walking around downtown Kobe. At around 5:30 we saw the cops blocking off the streets and a huge crowd walking in one direction and so like the sheep that we are, we decided to follow. We turned a corner and the giant crowd was at a standstill. At this time we still didn’t know what the hell was going on. We ended up waiting for half an hour before the street opened up and we were allowed to proceed. Once we turned the corner, we saw it in all of it’s Disneyland electric street parade glory.
This light-brite arcade stretched on for two blocks and although it was a bit cheesy, it was impressive in it’s scale.

The arcade led to a park where this thing was sitting…a giant lit-brite house!

Look at the crazy tension wires stabalizing the structure.

Something totally different…Japan is the only place where I have seen people adhere to the, “Stay to one side if you’re not walking” rule on escalators. In the States or in HK people are strewn all over the escalator and then they give you dirty looks if you try and get by. But Japan is about order and respecting the rules.
My only question is: In Tokyo people wait on the left but in Kobe, they wait on the right? Why is that? Is there some historical significance? Was there some kind of schism between Kansai and Kanto that caused the people to choose sides? Like many questions I have about Japanese culture, I may never know and may never find out.