Kobe

=Kobe=

Kobe is a fairly small city, but manages to pack a lot into itself. It's possible to see a fair amount of the sites in a weekend. Although there is a Kobe station, the central station of the city is actually Sannomiya station, while the Shinkansen stops at Shin Kobe station.

In 1995, Kobe was struck by the 7.3 Great Hanshin Awaji Earthquake. Due to the extensive destruction, much of Kobe has been rebuilt as shiny skyscrapers.

How to get there
//(One way: 5,440yen reserved,// 4,930 //yen unreserved. But, In high season (summer/winter holidays) 5,640yen reserved, 4,930yen unreserved)//
 * By shinkansen, it takes about 35 minutes from Okayama station to Shin Kobe station.
 * By local train (Sanyo line) to Sannomiya station, it takes around 2 hours from Okayama station. //(2,520yen one way).//
 * If you're on the Ako line, it is possible to transfer to a Special Rapid train at Banshuako station which stops at Sannomiya station, but will continue to Osaka station. (//From Banshuako 1,450yen// one way)
 * Highway buses from Okayama Station take around 3 hours but cost 3200 yen round trip. Great if you're on a budget and planning to make a weekend trip. Tickets available for purchase on the west side of Okayama Station.

Getting around
It is quite possible to see a fair amount of Kobe in one day on foot. For those with improper footwear, or have difficulty walking, Kobe has a simple subway system as well as its other train lines which can help you get closer to some of the sites.

(kobe tourist map goes here)

Where to stay
For the adventurous, there is a capsule hotel with a special floor for women. Cheap and convenient, they also have a sento (public bath) on site as well. There are also cheap hostels that are relatively close to a JR station.

//AJET member Recommendation//: Kobe Dears' hostel Possibly not the cheapest, and certainly not the largest, this hostel has 2 dorm rooms with two bunk beds (8 people) as well as a couple of private rooms that can be set up as single, twin, double or triple rooms. A dorm bed is 2500yen per night, and the dorms are split as male and female (except during high seasons if required). The staff are young and friendly and speak English, and the small capacity makes for a casual environment to talk with the few others who are staying there, and share a drink with them into the night. Another added bonus is that the Hamafukutsuru Sake brewery is right around the block, which provides free testing of their various sake and other alcohol.

Attractions
Like any place in Japan, if you go during the busy season, expect prices to be higher, and more people to be in the area, making it more difficult to easily enjoy what the city and surrounding area have to offer.

Kobe Beef 神戸ビーフ / Kobe Niku 神戸肉 / Kobe Gyu 神戸牛
Kobe beef, known for its high level or marbling and soft texture when cooked comes from Tajima cattle, one of the Wagyu breeds of cattle, raised in a strict traditional manner of Hyogo prefecture. Kobe city is, of course, the prime place to try some of this quite tasty, but sometimes extremely expensive, meat. This is one steak you should not order above 'medium' There are a number of restaurants which will prepare Kobe beef, and each one may do it in a different way. You may find some doing thinly sliced to cook in korean bbq style, or preparing a whole steak and then cutting it up into pieces to eat easily with chopsticks, others may serve you the steak whole with a knife and fork. Like any restaurant, expect them to use their own methods with may make two similar serving methods taste entirely different. As a general rule, try to get to a restaurant for lunch, often they will serve the same as at dinner, but for a cheaper price.

Chinatown / Nankin-machi 南京町
Access: JR Motomachi Station Two intersecting streets, with alleys, makes up the small sized Chinatown of Kobe. These streets are filled with a number of restaurants and souvenir shops, along with numerous street food vendors. The food, of course, is Chinese, with noodle dishes and steamed buns being popular. Some food vendors try to stand out by making special varieties, such as the pure black steamed bun, or the panda faced buns. Be prepared to have restaurant workers try to entice you into their buildings during meal times, but don't worry about paying too much for food, as you can get a decent sized sets for fairly cheap. A special item to look out for is the Kobe beef burger served up by a stall at the central intersection. It's a cheap way to try some Kobe beef, if you're not into going to a restaurant. Oddly enough, there is also a K-pop store in Chinatown for any Korean music fans out there.

Sannomiya
The area around Sannomiya Station is full of fun shops to wander through. There are lots of small arcades as well as a Namco Land (akin to Okayama's Joypolis with games and claw machines). A large Tokyu Hands department store is a short walk from the station, near Ikuta Shrine. Ikuta Shrine is one of the oldest shrines in the nation, and although often hit by disaster, is always rebuilt, leading to the belief that "resurrecting gods" live there that will rid you of your bad luck. A sun goddess is also enshrined, as well as gods of matchmaking, matrimony, and longevity.

Tetsujin
Access: Shin Nagata station (JR and Subway) Completed in 2009, Tetsujin is an 18 metre (59 foot) tall 1:1 scale recreation of the main robot from the series Tetsujin 28-gō (released outside Japan in the 60s as 'Gigantor'). The scale model statue was built to encourage victims of the Great Hanshin Earthquake of 1995 and as a symbol of reconstruction, with hopes to bring tourists and commerce to one of the worst affected areas of the earthquake.

Arima Onsen
Access: By ropeway from Mt. Rokko, requiring a walk down the mountain road. Bus from Shin-kobe. Subway to Tanigami station, transfer to a train on the Shintetsu Arima-Sanda line (subway line and train line meet at the same tracks) and head to Arimaguchi station, transfer to an 'Arima Onsen station' train. North from the city centre of Kobe, within the mountains, Arima onsen is one of the oldest onsen villages in Japan. Arima contains three types of water for their onsens, but uses two labels: Kinsen and Ginsen (Gold spring and silver spring). Kinsen waters contain iron and salt, which gives it the characteristic brown (ie. gold) colour. Ginsen, available in two types, contains either carbonate, or radon (which means it's slightly radioactive). Each type is meant to provide their own health benefits. There are two public bath houses, Kin-no-yu and Gin-no-yu, which require no reservation to be able to soak in their waters. They are also quite cheap

Harborland and Kobe Port area
Access: JR Kobe Station As the name suggests, this area is on the port side of Kobe. Mainly shops and restaurants, there is also a small amusement area with a ferris wheel that offers an amazing view at night. Harborland has two major shopping complexes: Mosiac and Canal Garden. Canal Garden is a multi-stored building with a Softmap (new and used electronic and entertainment goods), Uniqlo, Hankyu department store, and lots of small restaurants. Tapioca/boba is to be had if you are in search of tasty drinks. Mosiac is right on the water and has a movie theater, Ghibli shop, a game center, etc, along with street vendors. For those craving cheap meat, there is a Brazilian style steakhouse that's "viking" aka, all you can eat for a relatively low price, especially if you go for lunch. In addition to a meat portion, there is a regular food viking portion as well. Kobe Port Tower can be seen from Mosaic. Admission is 600 yen. There's a rotating restaurant at the top of the tower.

Sake Breweries
Kobe's Nada area is home to a number of Sake breweries. There is a 'trail' you can follow which leads from one brewery to another, but it involves venturing through the streets and alleys of the built up residential area. However if you love sake, you should really go to check out at least one as the breweries have stores to purchase their drinks (which may be difficult to find elsewhere), and many give free samples. For those that don't like sake, it may give you a chance to try a few varieties, but they also tend to make other types of alcohol as well which you could try and buy.

Ijinkan
The historical 'foreign' district of Kobe where many old foreign style houses were built (and still remain). The buildings are a main draw for Japanese tourists who may be unfamiliar to the style of housing, but the entry prices may be a little steep for foreign visitors who have probably seen similar stuff back home. For a free option, you can stop in a Starbucks that was set up inside one of the buildings. The area is quite nice to walk around, and a shrine in the area provides a nice view of Kobe. There are a number of cafes, and foreign food restaurants. Occasionally you may find street performers and chances are you'll see some form of wedding going on.

Mt. Rokko
Access: JR Rokkomichi Station -> Kobe City Bus #16 (15min, 200 yen) -> Rokko Cablecar (10min, 570 yen one way, 1000 yen round trip) [The Omote Rokko Shuyu Joshaken costs 1300 yen and includes a round trip on the cable car as well as unlimited use of the loop bus on the mountain.] Mt. Rokko offers beautiful views of Kobe and Osaka: in fact, it's one of Japan's three great night views. The Mr. Rokko Ice Festival is held every February. A fun alternative if you don't have the money or nenkyu to get to Sapporo's Ice Festival.

Luminarie
For the first two weeks of December, Kobe holds its Luminarie event. A street and joining park area become the home of thousands of lights which are set up to look like castles or buildings. In the park area they also have stalls for food and drinks. Entry is free, but there are places and people set up to collect 100 yen donations.