After spending a day in Osaka and seeing everything I felt I needed to see, I decided to make a spur of the moment trip to Kobe, and I’m so glad I did.
This town is probably known best for its fantastic Kobe beef, however, I found the city of Kobe to be utterly charming and one of my favorite stops in Japan. It’s a little calmer than Osaka, but offers plenty to do when spending the day there.
Once I’d arrived in Kobe I decided to head to Chinatown which oddly enough really did remind me of my very recent trip to Beijing. It was fun to roam the streets and see all of the food stalls selling some the the tasty bites I’d just been eating in China. That said, I was on a mission to find one food stall in particular.
The previous day I’d read on a few blogs that there was a budget friendly food stand selling delicious Kobe beef for about $15, perfect for a backpacker’s budget. Following the blogs’ directions, I found myself right in the center of the market ordering a plate of Kobe beef which came with a little side of corn and green onions. Not being much of a beef eater, I hadn’t been expecting a whole lot, but, oh. my. gosh. was it divine. Unbelievably tender, and the sauce that they add on top is incredible as well. It turns out that the stand is a small street branch of a larger restaurant which, I’m assuming, is how the quality is so good.
After that delicious lunch I wanted to visit the Nunobiki Waterfall which lies just past the train station. It’s easily walkable, but also happens to sit below an herb garden that seemed pretty to visit. It also looked like it had a very Instagramable greenhouse that I wanted to check-out. I decided to take a cable car up to the top of the mountain, wander through the herb garden, and then walk back down hoping to come across the waterfall.
Okay, let’s talk about this cable car ride… Before heading into the building to buy a ticket and board the glass walled cable car, I met a bumblebee that was absolutely no smaller than the size of a U.S. silver dollar. Luckily I was close to the front door and able to quickly sprint inside. Crisis averted. I naively boarded the cable car ready for a peaceful 10 minute ride up to the top of the mountain.
Roughly 90 seconds or so into the journey I was soaking in the beautiful Kobe skyline outside when I felt an odd buzzing sensation to the left of my topknot. I turned to the side only to see that the formerly mentioned Megalodon of bumblebees was back, and staring me right in the face. What unfolded over the next two minutes included some prayers, some screams, and ultimately a lot of swatting. Finally, I was able to get the mega-bee out through the only small rectangular window that had been, miraculously, left open. Within another 30 seconds I was at the half-way point of the cable car ride where the lovely attendant told me to stay seated and continue the journey to the top of the mountain. No longer feeling like I was in a scene from Final Destination, locked in a swinging glass box with a massive bumblebee, dangling hundreds of feet over a mountain, the rest of the ride was much more serene.
I arrived safely atop the mountain and took an hour to explore the gardens and greenhouses. My favorite was the rose garden which still had some delightful garden roses in bloom and smelled just wonderful.
When I’d finished exploring the gardens I decided it was time to hike back down the mountain in search of the waterfall. After a few twists and turns I started to hear the rumble of the falls, and the next thing I knew I was standing in front of the most beautiful tiered waterfall. It was all I could do not to spend the rest of my day sitting in awe, but I still had a lot of Kobe that I wanted to explore.
Before doing some research I had no idea that Kobe, or Japan for that matter, had a very popular European district dotted with western architecture. The Kitano district of Kobe is filled with colorful, colonial-style homes and buildings, and the streets actually remind me very much of the historical part of my own home town in the suburbs of Chicago. Definitely an interesting surprise to find in central Japan.
As the sun was starting to set I still wanted to visit the harbor and see the giant ferris wheel lit up at night. I decided to walk about a mile back to the subway station and see the streets of Kobe. It was still hard to believe how different the city was compared to the farm town I had been expecting.
I made it to the harbor just as day turned to night and was able to see the skyline all lit up. Again I couldn’t help associating the pier with home as it reminded me so much of Navy Pier back in Chicago. It was built up to include a museum, lots of shops and restaurants, and a giant ferris wheel.
I took in the scenery before heading back to Osaka, so happy to have unexpectedly visited this fantastic pocket of Japan.
. . .
#bbmtravelsjapan
The acupuncture in Japan was much different than what I’d received in Korea. She put a few needles on my back then after 10 minutes took them out, asked me to turn over, and repeated the process. She also spent about 30 minutes helping me to stretch, which I had never experienced before. That said, it was really helpful. Even now weeks later, I’m still feeling better.
I spent the next two hours walking around the gorgeous white and green castle and the part that surrounds it. Everything about that castle made me feel like I was living in a fairytale. The Japanese architecture was so beautiful and perfectly complimented by the lush part that surrounds it. There were even people sailing in gold canopy boats through the moat to get a closer look at the structure.
Right through my walking path was Dotonbori, another place I wanted to cross off my list. It took nearly two hours, but I’d made it to the flashing lights of the tourist strip. Dotonbori sits along the Dotonbori Canal is filled with shopping, restaurants, street food, arcades, and casinos. It’s most well-know for takoyaki which is kind of similar to a little pancake ball that is filled with octopus and then covered with delicious sauces. I decided to grab a plate from a little mother/son run cart and sit next to the canal to eat. It was interesting just to do a little people watching on this busy strip in Osaka. The perfect way to end the night.
We closed out the evening with one last cocktail on a beachside bar, a crape from a charming little street lady, and a scooter taxi back to the hotel.
bbm travels 