From the moment I decided to move to Japan Kobe city has been at the top of my "to visit" list. The fact that it took me an entire year to make the trek south to Kobe is both a shame and a testament to the many wonderful things there are to do in Tokyo alone. On my recent visit to the city, however, I tried to make up for the delay by taking part in the top 3 things to do in Kobe. I'll cover each over three posts, but first here is a little history of Kobe city.
Kobe is the sixth-largest city in Japan and is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture on the southern side of the main island of Honshū, approximately 500 km (310.69 mi) west of Tokyo. Kobe is a prominent port city with a population of about 1.5 million.
The history of Kobe is very interesting, as is the history of many cities in Japan, however Kobe is also world renowned for it's excellent steak and beef products. Restaurant goers all over the world pay a premium for meat that bares the Kobe stamp and many will ask for it by name. Most people have heard the word Kobe before even realizing that it's a city in Japan or anything else about the city. Certainly, one of my primary tasks when I visited the city was to sample the famous Kobe beef prepared the way it should by a local chef. Getting to Kobe from Osaka, which is where we stayed overnight, was very simple. From Osaka Station we took the JR Kobe line about 4 stops to Kobe Station - done. The fare was 390JPY and the trip took about 15 minutes. Conveniently we stayed in the Westin Osaka which was not far from Osaka Station and operated a shuttle bus from the hotel to the station and back.
As soon as we exited the train station we headed to a restaurant that, from advertising, seemed to be just what I was looking for. It was located on the 4th floor of an unassuming building 3 blocks from Kobe Station. As it was midday there was no wait for seating and the restaurant was sparsely occupied. The restaurant only served set menu options so we decided to go with something down the middle price-wise. Our lunch consisted of grilled vegetables, soup, grilled bread, rice, and steak. Everything was delicious and prepared with great care in front of us by our friendly chef, who was fine with me snapping away on my camera will he worked.
The meal was superb and the steak was absolutely incredible. Honestly I couldn't have made the meal any better. What was best about our lunch was the price. At about $35/plate our lunch was also very economical for what we received. I could have left Kobe right after lunch and feel satisfied to have made the trek, however there was still more of Kobe to see. Kobe is also famed for it's foreign homes which are a part of Kobe's early history. And no visit to Kobe could possibly be complete without a ride on the Kobe Ropeway up mount Rokko.Here are a few pics for your enjoyment. Labels: Japan, Kobe
