Japanagon: KOBE

I'm on a roll! Hahaha, I've been blogging the whole day habang may time. Lol. So aside from Nara, another side trip that you can add to your itinerary if you're in Osaka is Kobe. It is located between a sea and mountain range, making Kobe such a beautiful, cold, but very photogenic place.


But first, my usual Lawson breakfast - tried their chocolate donut, Cheeza (yummy blue cheese-flavored cheap biscuit), and brewed coffee.

Going to Kobe, we took a 20-minute train ride via the Hankyu Railway. In no time and hindi pa ako nakakaidlip, we were already in Kobe's Sannomiya Station.



The first thing we saw were the lined restaurants, sakto lunch!

Ate was curious with Steak Land kasi ang aga pa, ang haba na ng pila! I told her she should try it narin and I'll look for my own vegetarian lunch nearby. #supportive

Good decision, coz she was able to try AUTHENTIC LEGIT SURE NA SURE KOBE BEEF! She told me it was super good, natutunaw na meat level! Haha. This photo was sent via our Whatsapp, hehe.

Meanwhile, I just crossed the street from Steak Land, and saw this quaint, local coffee shop Mother Moon Cafe. My thing naman! Hehe.


I ordered the meal with the quiche, salad, and potato soup. Sakto lang, but the soup is good and perfect!

And, of course, the highlight of our Kobe side trip was my meet up with Ashley! :)

We were already planning this meet up since last year pa, the moment Ate booked our plane tickets! After several FB and Viber messages... Ang saya saya nung natuloy na siya talaga! Ashley is a long-time online friend, I think I "met" her through the Candymag forum, hehe. She also joined 1 Bloggers United, and we had random blogger meet ups whenever she visits Pinas.

Our first stop: the Meriken Park. That's the red Kobe Port Tower and the Kobe Maritime Museum.

The Kobe Maritime Museum, made of white steel framework, resembles an image of sails. Inside are exhibits of ships, history of Japan port, etc.

Cute Japanese bffs skipping around the port area. Napansin ko na usually ang cucute ng girl best friends in Japan - minsan terno ang damit, minsan ang sweet lang nila.


With no definite plans, we went inside a random building...

Ashley: "Ahhhk! What is this Kid's World?" Hahaha.


It turned out to be the Anpanman Children's Museum (Anpanman is a popular children's TV and book hero)! Saw cuteness overload, but the most interesting are these character breads na parang I won't dare eat! :p


We availed the City Loop card for unlimited bus rides around Kobe. I lost this card on one of our stops (hahaha ang daldal kasi!), buti nalang hinayaan nalang ng lady bus conductor. I was talking and talking with Ashley during one of the longer rides, and looking back, it was most prob the longest time we were able to really get to know each other. :) Ang saya!


Learned from Ashley na ang pulitiko in Japan have limited areas lang where they can stick their posters. Cool!


One of the coolest and "most stylish" Starbucks I've ever seen, we just had to check it out as if museum siya! Hehe!

This Starbucks in Kobe is a 2-story wooden western house, formerly resided by Americans in 1907. It was reconstructed by Starbucks on 2009, but you can still see its 20th century design. "Lovely!"


There are 7 old-school furnished rooms inside Starbucks Kobe, including a lounge, dining room, guest room, and sun room.

Ayun lang! It is always jam-packed.

We decided to get a green tea ice cream nalang during our little tour. Yum!

Another interesting area in Kobe is the Kitano district, located at the foot of the Rokko mountain range. When the Port of Kobe was opened to foreign trade during the 19th century, foreign merchants and diplomats settled in the area.

Thus, the western style homes and structures:

Most of these structures are now public museums, cafes, restaurants, and boutiques...




Street artists everywhere!

Gustong gusto ko iavail ang mga ganito, hehe:

I can't seem to find the name of this shrine, huhu. May inakyat lang kaming hagdan (hehe), and the view here is nice. We also met a "volunteer" tourist guide along the way, nakakabilib lang his dedication. He was masayahin and light to talk to.




Ashley also brought us in an "ukay" store that carries designer bags and accessories at super low price, but hindi na ako nag photo medyo dyahe! :p Super mura nalang, especially the wallets, but sayang wala akong budget that time huhu.

We also visited a wasteland: Loft! Ghibli overload! :D

Flowers lined almost all streets of Kobe. Ang ganda!





Kobe's Flower Clock, which keeps time via solar power! The clock face also changes design. When we went there, it has two giant strawberries.

When Kobe was hit by the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake in 1995, it killed over 5000 people and destroyed thousands of roads, structures and buildings. Now completely rebuilt, I can't help but admire how Japanese people can slowly but surely recuperate.


Sadly, Ate and I were leaving for Kyoto na the next day, so I told Ashley that it was perfect timing that we met on my last day in Osaka. She just transferred back to this side of Japan after years of living in Tokyo, so I am happy that even for just half-a-day I was able to tour Ashley's "home" with her! Ang daming pwedeng interruptions, but in fairness talaga, meant to be! :)