This is the sign I lovingly made and dragged to Kobe with me today. The corner had snapped in by a sudden wind; foam boards don't hold up well against aggressive elements. It simply reads "please give me a w-inds. ticket." This is the standard phrased used in Desperate Ticking Begging maneuvers here in Japan; the top mentions that I'm only searching for one (many people try to hunt out pair tickets) and the bottom declares, to any frightened Japanese, that their native tongue is fine by me. Don't fear the gaijin. Give her your tickets.
I left Daikokucho at around 11:00. I got to Sannomiya, Kobe at 11:45, wandered around lost for a couple of minutes before finding the Kobe International House -- that day's chosen venue. I found where the main entrance to the hall was. I stood by the escalators, sign in hand, entirely aware of how much of a tool I looked like but not really caring.
1:00 came and left. No luck. Nobody even came to talk to me. 2:00. A few people had asked if I needed tickets for OSAKA, but no, I already have two of those, I just needed Kobe. 3:00 started creeping up and I made the decision.
( I declared the mission a failure. )