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From Kyoto to Kobe and evening around Sannomiya

25 November 2016

Having spent the last three days exploring the best sights in Kyoto, our next destination in this trip was Kobe where we would be staying for a couple of days. Kobe is the capital of Hyogo Prefecture and one of Japan's ten largest cities. Its port was among the first to be opened to foreign trade in the 19th century. Located between the sea and the Rokko mountain range, Kobe is also considered one of Japan's most attractive cities and who has not heard of the delicious Kobe beef. It was also very close to Himeji, one of the places we intended to visit on this trip, and I found that the hotels in Kobe is generally cheaper than Osaka and Kyoto. Hence, a few days stay in Kobe was a good idea.

We figured that the best place to stay in Kobe is at the Sannomiya area, the largest shopping quarter of Kobe. More importantly, Sannomiya is very well connected because it is served by three major stations which are run by JR, Hanshin Electric Railway, and Hankyu Railway.

The best way to travel from our hotel in Gion, Kyoto to Sannomiya, Kobe is to take the Hankyu train from Kawaramachi Station. As usual, we had forwarded our main luggage to our hotel in Kobe and we only need to carry our backpacks containing items that we need for one day.

Kawaramachi Station is along the Shijo-dori, same street as our hotel in Gion (APA Hotel Kyoto Gion Excellent). The station was just a short walk away. Walking to the station, we saw the Minamiza, Kyoto’s premier kabuki theatre located along the Shijo-dori.

 

Minamiza is Kyoto’s premier kabuki theatre located along the Shijo-dori, on our way from the APA Hotel Kyoto Gion Excellent to Ramen Sen No Kaze restaurant.


Before leaving Kyoto, we stopped for lunch at one of the best ramen restaurants in Kyoto. This restaurant, called the Ramen Sen No Kaze, is located just a few minutes walk north from Exit #6 or Exit #9 of the Kawaramachi Station, and before the Tenman-gu Shrine.  See my post on this restaurant here.

We took the Hankyu train from Kawaramachi Station to the Kobe-Sannomiya (Hankyu) Station in Kobe, with a change in Juso.  The journey took slightly over an hour and cost only 620 Yen per person.

 

Sannomiya Terminal Hotel, located right above JR Sannomiya Train Station.


Our hotel in Kobe is the Sannomiya Terminal Hotel, located right above Sannomiya Train Station. This is a value-for-money hotel and its location cannot be beat. There is also a tourist information center near this station where we went to enquire about Kobe’s free wi-fi and get some maps of the area.

Kobe city at dusk.


There were many shopping areas around the Sannomiya Station ranging from large departmental stores to pedestrian-only covered shopping streets.

Sannomiya Center Street.


We walked on the southwest direction from the station to a covered shopping arcade called the Sannomiya Center Street. The 550 meter long arcade had boutiques, import stores, patisseries, department stores, and an array of restaurants.

From there, we came to another covered shopping street called the Motomachi Shopping Street.

Kobe Motomachi Shopping Street.


South of the Motomachi Shopping Street is the Kobe Chinatown or Nankinmachi. It is one of only three designated Chinatowns in Japan.  The area was developed by Chinese merchants who settled near Kobe Port after the port was opened to foreign trade in 1868. During that time, the Chinese people were referred to as "people from Nanking" by the Japanese, hence the name "Nankinmachi" (Nanking Town). The area has over a hundred Chinese restaurants, shops, and a Chinese temple dedicated to Guan Yu.

 

Kobe Chinatown at night, with the Changan gate in the end of this street.


The Kobe Chinatown is compact. Two main streets run through the district, meeting each other at a small plaza in the center.  The plaza is beautiful at night, with lanterns and a red pavilion with stone carvings of the 12 Chinese zodiac signs. 

Kobe Chinatown or Nankinmachi, located at the Motomachi area

  Kobe Chinatown or Nankinmachi, located at the Motomachi area

The coming year (2017) is the Year of the Rooster. Hence a large Rooster took center-stage in this zodiac pavilion.

 

One of the more interesting shops we spotted was one with Bruce Lee and accessories associated with him. 

  Kobe Chinatown or Nankinmachi, located at the Motomachi area

Life-size Bruce Lee model outside a souvenir shop.


  Kobe Chinatown or Nankinmachi, located at the Motomachi area

Many Bruce Lee costumes on sale at this shop.


There were quite a few Chinese restaurants at the Chinatown area. We did not fancy coming all the way to Japan to eat Chinese food at a Chinese restaurant. When in Kobe, one must eat the famous Kobe beef. There were many restaurants offering the prized beef in this area too but we already planned to go to the Steakland Kobe restaurant. This restaurant was supposed to be one of the “value for money” Kobe beef restaurant in Kobe.

One of the Kobe beef restaurants in Chinatown area with the Spiderman as their icon. I wonder why.


Steakland Kobe is located very near to the Sannomiya Station and seemed to be quite popular with tourists. There was a standing queue to get in and we joined the queue. After about 30 minutes of waiting, we were ushered into a relatively dark dining room. We sat by one of the teppanyaki table with a few other guests who were already there. We ordered the "Special Kobe Beef Loin Steak Set" and red wine to go with the meat. The set included 200g of beef, soup, bread or rice, salad, grilled vegetables and coffee.

Well marbled Kobe beef steak on the pan.


Our steak was brought to the table and the teppanyaki chef started the cooking process while we ate our salad. First, slices of garlic were fried to crispy bits and left at the side.

Kobe beef prepared teppanyaki style at Steakland Kobe. Best eaten with crispy fried garlic and some salt.


The meat was seasoned with salt and pepper and fried on the pan using the oil from frying the garlic. During the cooking, the meat were sliced and diced into bite sized cubes, evenly cooked till medium rare, before being served onto our plates.

This was not the first time we had wagyu beef, cooked teppanyaki style. While the warm beef was “melt in your mouth” excellent, somehow the dining experience in this restaurant was not as pleasant when compared to others that we had been to in Japan.

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Trip to Himeji Castle from Kobe

26 November 2016

Himeji Castle, a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site.


After breakfast at the bakery at the ground floor of the Sannomiya Terminal Hotel,  we took the JR Special Rapid Service bound for Himeji from the Sannomiya Station. In less than an hour, we were walking out of the JR Himeji Station. 

Himeji Castle is about one kilometer down the broad Otemae-dori Street from Himeji Station. Exiting the station's north exit, we walked in the direction of the castle along the road that is lined with rows of ginkgo trees in their beautiful yellow autumn foliage. It was a beautiful day with clear blue sky. This also meant that this autumn morning was colder than the previous few days.

View of the Himeiji Castle, a kilometer down the broad Otemae-dori Street from Himeji Station.


Row of ginkgo trees in their beautiful yellow autumn foliage, on the road to Himeji Castle.

 

Himeji Castle is also known as White Heron Castle (Shirasagijo) since the white-plastered walls of the main keep resembles a white heron in flight. This is in contrast to the Matsumoto castle I had previously visited in Japan. That castle was called the “Crow Castle” due to its black on white exterior.  Click here to see my post on my visit to Matsumoto Castle.

Matsumoto Castle or Crow Castle due to its black on white exterior.

 

The Himeji Castle complex is over 400 years old and was completed in 1609. Unlike many other Japanese castles, it was never destroyed by war, earthquake or fire and survives to this day as one of Japan’s twelve original castles.  It was under restoration for a few years and finally reopened in 2015. 

Otemae-dori Street led us to the square in front of the main Otemon Gate of Himeji Castle. Like most feudal castles round the world including Japan, there is a water-filled protective moat surrounding the castle complex. We took some time to walk along the moat towards the Koko-en Garden that is next to the castle. My original plan was to visit this garden after our visit to Himeji Castle. We decided that we would save some time and money and not go into the Koko-en Garden after a sneak peek though its gates.

Visitors can take a paid boat ride on the moat surrounding the Himeji Castle complex.


Himeji Castle

Moat surrounding the castle complex, with the Otemon Gate in the background.


Otemon Gate at Himeiji Castle, as viewed from inside the castle complex.


We entered the castle via the Otemon Gate into the third bailey (Sannomaru). Here, we could get a nice view of the Himeji Castle complex, without paying a single yen.

View of the Himeji Castle from the third bailey, Sannomaru.


The castle complex comprises over eighty buildings spread across multiple baileys, which are connected by a series of gates and winding paths.

Hishi-no-mon Gate.


A ticket booth could be found at the far end of the bailey, where the Hishi Gate marked the entrance to the paid area. 1000 yen per person was a small price to pay to enter the castle, compared to invaders of old who probably need to make the ultimate sacrifice when trying to enter. The castle was built to protect the lords and keep out invaders and the design was quite good for warfare during those era.

Another perspective of the beautiful Himeji Castle or White Heron Castle as seen from the Sangoku-bori moat after the Hishi-no-mon Gate.


Path leading to the castles with openings in the wall on the right.


The zig-zag approach from the Hishi Gate to the main keep was uphill all the way, going from broad to narrow as it approached the main keep, with the purpose to slow down and expose attacking forces. Winding paths connected the different areas of the castle. There are 997 openings called Sama in the walls of the keep, towers and walls from which arrows and guns could be fired from. These holes came in shapes of circles, triangles and squares for guns, oblongs for bows and arrows.

Wooden door of one of the many gates in Himeji Castle.



There were multiple gates and baileys and those doorways were low!

The samurais and warriors in those days were short!


An interesting view of the multi-layered roof of the Himeji Castle’s main keep.


Nice garden at the West Bailey.


We had to remove our shoes and carry them in provided plastic bags before entering the main keep. The main keep appeared to be 5 storey from the outside but was actually a six storey wooden structure plus a basement. We entered the main keep through an entrance in the lower floor of the building and climbed upwards via a series of steep, narrow staircases.

The floor area of each level got progressively smaller as we ascended.

Model showing the wooden structural beams.


The topmost floor houses a small shrine. We could look out the windows in all directions, down over the castle roofs, at the maze-like defence below and also Himeji city.

View of the road leading from the Himeji Station to Himeji Castle with rows of ginkgo trees on both sides.


View of Himeji City from the top floor of Himeji Castle.


Close view of the fish-shaped roof ornaments that are believed to protect the castle from fire.


Himeji Castle

Beautiful roof and edge tiles with the family crests.

 

View of Himeji Castle from the 1st Bailey (Hon-maru).

 

After exiting the keep, we spent some time taking selfies and enjoying the morning sun at the Hon-maru Bailey (1st Bailey) before making our way back to the Hishi Gate.

The walk back to the Himeji Station was gorgeous and comfortably warm in bright sunshine. We had the option to walk through Miyuki-dori Street, a covered shopping street that runs parallel to Otemae-dori, but chose to walk outdoor to enjoy the views of the yellow ginkgo trees and bronze statues created by the leading sculptors of Japan.

Himeji

Otemae-dori Street in autumn.


Statue of a girl along the Otemae-dori Street.


After visiting Himeji Castle, we took the train back to Sannomiya Station and then the subway to Shin-Kobe Station. Why Shin-Kobe Station? The answer: Kobe beef!

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Return to the Wakkoqu Kobe beef restaurant and afternoon at Kobe’s historic Kitano-cho district

26 November 2016 

Despite having Kobe beef for dinner on our first day in Kobe, our craving for the prized meat still persisted. Our memory of an enjoyable lunch at the Wakkoqu Kobe beef restaurant in spring of 2016 was still fresh in our mind. After visiting Himeji Castle, we decided to have lunch at the Wakkoqu again before exploring Kobe’s Kitano-cho area near there.

Wakkoqu is a Kobe-beef teppanyaki restaurant situated on the 3rd floor of, but not part of, the ANA Crowne Plaza Hotel. The hotel is located just across the street from the Shin-Kobe JR Train Station.

It was highly recommended to make advance reservation for Wakkoqu but we did not. As a walk-in customer, we had to wait about 30 minutes which was considered to be short! 

Once seats (or the chef) were available, we were ushered to one of the teppanyaki tables. This restaurant is more posh compared to Steakland Kobe where we had dinner on our first day in Kobe. The high grade Kobe beef in the Wakkoqu would not be cheap but coming during lunch time allowed us to order the value-for-money lunch sets.

We ordered the Lunch Wakkoqu Course that came with 150g of Sirloin (Tajima & Sanda Beef from Kobe), Grilled Vegetable (six kinds), soup of the day, salad, rice, Japanese pickles, dessert and coffee for ¥5,880. For a few hundred yen more, we opted to change the steamed rice to garlic fried rice which tasted very good during our last visit.

Wakkoqu Kobe Beef Restaurant


The creamy soup and fresh salad tossed with the delicious Japanese sesame based sauce were served first. Then the beef was brought to the table for our inspection and approval. More like for us to take a photo of the meat!

Kobe beef is a registered trademark that is strictly governed, sourced from Tajima Japanese black cattle that is bred, raised and slaughtered in Hyogo prefecture, the capital of which is Kobe.

Wakkoqu Kobe Beef Restaurant

300 g of Kobe beef for the two of us.



The chef separated the steak into a few different “cuts”. The leaner part of the meat was separated from the fatty parts, to be seasoned, cooked and served separately.



Various seasonings were provided to go with the grilled meat – fried garlic slices, pepper, salt, mustard and a ponzu dipping sauce. The first few pieces that were served seemed to be the best cuts and we were told to eat this with salt only. The well marbled grilled meat were “melt in your mouth” tender and full of flavour.

Although the chef recommended different dips or sauce for the different “cuts”, I prefer to just eat the bite sized chunks of meat with a dash of salt.

The chef grilled the fats to get the oil from the fats and used the oil from the fat to cook the vegetables.

The fatty parts of the beef was grilled to crispy bits and mixed with fried bean sprouts.


Preparing our garlic fried rice.


Wakkoqu Kobe Beef Restaurant

Garlic fried rice.


The sorbet dessert and coffee rounded up an excellent Kobe beef teppanyaki lunch.  My second visit to this restaurant did not disappoint. The meal experience was just as good as the first time. Maybe there will be a third time if I find myself in Kobe again.


We spent the afternoon exploring Kobe’s historic Kitano-cho district after lunch. This area is known for its western-style architectures that was established by foreigners who settled in Kobe after Kobe opened up to foreign trade in the 1860's. While China Town was established by Chinese immigrants and traders, just south of Motomachi, a settlement was set up for Westerners on the slopes of Mount Rokko.

Originally there were over 1,000 such houses or “Ijinkan", which in Japanese means foreign residence. About 30 buildings were still standing and some of these former merchants' mansions are now open to the public as museums but entry is chargeable.

Kobe’s historic Kitano-cho district

English House.


All dressed up and ready for Christmas.



Kitano-cho area is also home to a number of souvenir shops and trendy bars, restaurants and cafes.  As the area is on slopes of Mount Rokko, there were a fair amount of steps and steep slopes to negotiate.

It was nice to just walk up and down the alleys, browsing at the souvenir shops and the quaint Western style houses.

The most popular of the Ijinkan is the Weathercock House. This house was the residence of Gottfried Thomas, a German trader in the early 20th century.

Kobe’s historic Kitano-cho district


The open space outside the Moegi House and Weathercock House was a good place to relax and do some people watching.

Kobe’s historic Kitano-cho district


While we were there, we watched a short performance of magic and street entertainment.

Kobe’s historic Kitano-cho district


Statues of musicians were placed at various places and these also attracted the real musicians and buskers.

Who does this figure reminds you of? 

 

Denmark House.


Nice spiral staircase in one of the house.


Kobe’s historic Kitano-cho districtStarbucks Kobe Kitano Ijinkan.


One of the “Ijinkan" was converted into a Starbucks cafe. The building itself is recorded as a cultural heritage site, making this one of the most interesting and unusual Starbucks stores. After an afternoon of wandering around Kitano, a cup of coffee in this store was not to be missed. Although the building and furnishing is unlike a regular Starbuck store, there is still one common characteristic. We saw a few young people studying inside this store!

By the time we left the Starbuck cafe, the sky had turned dark.

 Kobe’s historic Kitano-cho district


There were pretty Christmas lights on the trees outside as we walked down the street in the direction of  the Sannomiya Station. Our plan was to head to the Harbourland and Meriken Park area for dinner and spent the evening by the Kobe waterfront.

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Kobe Harborland and Meriken Park at night

26 November2016

We went to the Kobe Harborland and Meriken Park on our second evening in Kobe. These places were best visited at night as you could see from the photos.

Kobe Harborland is a shopping and entertainment district between JR Kobe Station and the waterfront of Kobe's port area. There were a few ways to get to Harborland – walk, subway or train. We took the JR train from Sannomiya Station (See Note below) to the JR Kobe station as it was cheaper than taking the subway.

Coming out the JR Kobe Station, we walked along the road lined with keyaki (zelkova) trees that were lit up with some 80,000 white bulbs. The light up occurs in December every year.

Kobe Harborland

December light up along the road lined with keyaki (zelkova) trees. 


Kobe Harborland

Kobe Gaslight Street - One of the lampposts with gas lanterns. The lights come in many shapes: Some look like sailors' caps; others resemble flower petals.

 

This 350 meter long street is also known as the Kobe Gaslight Street and it led us towards umie. The large ferries wheel marked the destination, so it was easy to find our way.

Kobe Harborland

 The Elvis Presley statue along Kobe Gaslight Street near Harborland.


This Elvis Presley statue was originally erected in Harajuku, Tokyo in 1987, ten years after his death. In August 2009, the statue was moved to Harborland which turned into new "sacred spot" for Elvis’s fans. 

Kobe Harborland

The most prominent shopping complex in Kobe Harborland is Umie which consists of three parts: Mosaic, South Mall and North Mall.  The South Mall and North Mall are enclosed shopping malls featuring a department store and more various smaller shops. We went to explore the Mosaic instead.

Entering into the Mosaic Mall.


Mosaic stretches along the waterfront and offers a wide selection of restaurants. Many of the eateries overlook the harbour with views of iconic red colour Kobe Port Tower and the Kobe Maritime Museum across the water.

Kobe Harborland

Kobe Harborland

  Takahama Quay with a cruise ship docked and embarking diners for a dinner cruise. 

  Iconic red colour Kobe Port Tower and the green colour Kobe Maritime Museum across the water as seen from the Mosaic waterfront mall.

 

Kobe Harborland

Waterfront at the Mosaic Mall.


It started to drizzle shortly after the above photo was taken. So outdoor dining was not feasible. Else that would have been very nice and romantic. We chose to eat at an Italian restaurant called the Frantz, located on the second floor and overlooking the quay.

Kobe Harborland

Kobe Harborland

It was a nice change to have Italian pasta for dinner instead of Japanese cuisine.

At the southern end of Mosaic stand a Ferris wheel and the Anpanman Museum, a museum dedicated to the popular manga and anime series about the bread-headed superhero.

Ultraman! This was the superhero that we grew up with.


After dinner, it was still drizzling, so we explored the Mosaic Mall. 

Fortunately, the drizzle stopped and we made our way to the Meriken Park where the red Kobe Port Tower and the Kobe Maritime Museum were located. Kobe Port Tower is a unique, red-painted steel structure that has become a symbol of the port and the city. Built in 1963, the tower is 108 meters tall. Visitors may take an elevator up to its five top floors where two of the floors house a restaurant and a rotating cafe, while the other three house observation decks that provide 360-degree views of the city from approximately 100 meters above ground.

  Kobe Port Tower.


For us, a view of the beautifully lit tower from below was sufficient. 

Looking across the harbour, the night views of Harborland with its Ferris wheel was stunning. The lights of the Ferris wheel kept changing every few minutes. We spent many minutes on a park bench to watch the display.

Views of Harborland with its Ferris wheel  from Meriken Park.


Collage of photos from Meriken Park and Harborland waterfront.


Where we stayed in Kobe: Sannomiya Terminal Hotel,  conveniently located at the Sannomiya Station, the transportation hub in Kobe.

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Kobe beef set lunch at the Wakkoqu

6 June 2016

When travelling between Hiroshima and Kyoto, we will pass by the city of Kobe. Amongst other things, Kobe is known for producing one of the best tasting beef in the world, called the Kobe beef. This is the brand name given to beef that came from Tajima black cattle that were specially bred and raised in Kobe.

We were still having withdrawal symptoms after tasting the fabulous Hida Beef while in Takayama a week ago. It was therefore an easy decision in our travelling group that we should make a stopover at Shin-Kobe Station for some Kobe beef while travelling by Shinkansen from Hiroshima to Kyoto.

Wakkoqu is a Kobe-beef teppanyaki restaurant situated on the 3rd floor of, but not part of, the ANA Crowne Plaza Hotel. Both the hotel and the restaurant are located just across the street from the Shin-Kobe JR Train Station which made it a convenient choice for our lunch break.

Tip: It was highly recommended to make advance reservation for Wakkoqu. Tel: +81 (078) 262 2838 or online. Lunch is from 12 noon to 3pm. After this time, ala carte menu is orderable.

Wakkoqu is quite posh inside. We were seated at the counter in front of the teppanyaki chef.  There were other groups at the table, served by 2 chefs who worked as a team. We arrived in time to order their special lunch sets. We ordered the Wakkoqu Course for each person. Each set included 150g of sirloin (Tajima & Sanda Beef from Kobe), 6 kinds of grilled vegetable, soup, salad, rice & Japanese pickles, dessert and coffee. Cost ¥5,880. We added an order of garlic fried rice into the meal, for a few hundred yen more.

 

The lunch set included a creamy potato soup which was served first.

Then the raw beef and vegetables were brought to the table.

The beef in the “value for money” lunch sets may not be of the A5 grade Kobe beef but the meat still looked amazing with the fabulous marbling and freshness. 

 

While we tucked into the fresh salad tossed with the delicious Japanese sesame based sauce, the chef started to cut up the beef into several pieces of various cuts and separating the fats from the meat.

The correct way and best way to enjoy high quality wagyu is yakiniku or teppanyaki, where the beef is freshly cooked and hot. The flavour and fats from the marbling in the medium rare meat oozes out as you bit into it. The skilled teppanyaki chef served up a few pieces of beef at a time, making sure that we enjoyed each piece before he cooked up the next few pieces.


Each time, he suggested different dips for the different cuts of the meat but I think it tasted best with just a dash of sea salt and pepper.



In between the servings of the beef, the chef grilled the fats to get the oil from the fats and used the oil from the fat to cook the vegetables.


The fats were soon reduced to crispy bits and these were then used as ingredients for the garlic fried rice. Nothing is wasted.  The fragrant from the rice was so fantastic that I believed the other guests at our table regretted not ordering this option.

 

 

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