Day 5 - A day trip to Kobe just for the beef - Japan

Kobe day trip from Osaka  Conveniently accessible by train within an hour.

Got off at Sannomiya Station (See 75).  Already hungry and dropped by Onigiriya Hitotsubu おにぎり家一粒 さんちか店 (Eat 104) for some fresh made take out rice balls.

Yummy mentaiko and ikura onigiri.

Kobe is known for their beef and there are so many options in the city.  Ended up going to Akanoren 赤のれん (Eat 105) located in one of the shopping streets. 

Located on the second floor with no elevator though.

Not a fancy looking restaurant but there was already a line up when the restaurant just opened.  So, we knew it would be good.

Just looking at the menu makes me salivate.

Sat in one of those traditional tables.  Had to take off our shoes.  Good that I had a pair of good socks on.

Love the presentation.  Soft tender beef.

Left some rice to make chazuke.

Beef cutlet was very beefy and tender.

Plain roast beef was amazing too.

Next on the itinerary was Ikuta Jinja 生田神社 (See 76).  Just a few minutes walk from Sannomiya Station.

Not aware what this temple is mainly for, but seems like its the go-to temple in the area.

Then we made the absolutely stupid decision to walk to the Kitano Ijinkan-Gai 北野異人館街 (See 77).  Google map says it's just 15 mins walking or so, but we didn't realize it's a steep uphill walk when it was 25 degrees....tough walk.

There were some shops along the way but we were dying from the heat and thirst to enjoy.

Then we ran into the first Starbucks we saw.  Turns out it's one of the iconic spot in the area - Starbucks Kobe Kitano Ijinkan shop (Eat 106).  It looks more like a museum than a coffee shop.  I just especially love there was air conditioning inside.

Finally reached Kitano Ijinkan-Gai 北野異人館街.  Each museum has a separate entrance fee.  Or get multi-entrance ticket at a higher price.  Was too tired from the up hill walking at this point to have any interest in museums, especially the little museums just look like any free museum Vancouver showcasing how people used to live back in the days.

Then we tried to walk to the Kobe Ropeway (See 78).  Turns on it's on an even steeper hill.  Got fed up and gave up going.  Have been to too many gardens.  Pictures online didn't really seem much different than the others I have been to.  So, I gave up climbing.

After all the walking, we realize there is a city loop bus that takes people to all the main attractions in Kobe, including all the ones we planned.  For a certain price, people can hop on and off through out the day too.  A little upsetting to find out too late in the afternoon.  We hopped on the bus to get back to Sannomiya Station.

Then was immediately attracted by the fresh pastry aroma nearby.  Followed our nose and found Oven Lab (Eat 107).

Everything looks so good.

We had no place to sit down and eat.  So, we just stood by the side and started gulping down the pastries.  Local Japanese properly thought we are barbarians. 

This strawberry custard flaky sandwich is my favorite.  Super light and flaky.

There were much to do in the city.  Then we found Round One (See 79) nearby.  A multi storey gaming and entertainment complex.

We headed straight to 5th and 6th floor for the claw machines.

Points on map:

See 75 - Sannomiya Station

４丁目-１番－１ Nunobikicho, Chuo Ward, Kobe, Hyogo 651-0097, Japan

See 76 - Ikuta Jinja 生田神社

1 Chome-2-1 Shimoyamatedori, Chuo Ward, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0011, Japan

See 77 - Kitano Ijinkan-Gai 北野異人館街

Kitanocho, Chuo Ward, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0003, Japan

See 78 - Kobe Nunobiki Herb Gardens & Ropeway

1 Chome-4-3 Kitanocho, Chuo Ward, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0002, Japan

See 79 - Round One

6 Chome-1-17 Onoedori, Chuo Ward, Kobe, Hyogo 651-0088, Japan

Eat 104 - Onigiriya Hitotsubu

さんちか Rosa avenue, 1 Chome-10-1 Sannomiyacho, Chuo Ward, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0001, Japan

Eat 105 - Akanoren 赤のれん

3 Chome-9-5 Sannomiyacho, Chuo Ward, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0021, Japan

Eat 106 - Starbucks Coffee - Kobe Kitano Ijinkan

Japan, 〒650-0002 Hyogo, Kobe, Chuo Ward, Kitanocho, 3 Chome−1−31 北野物語館

Eat 107 - OVEN Lab.

4 Chome-1-1 Nunobikicho, Chuo Ward, Kobe, Hyogo 651-0096, Japan