Kobe One-day trip

We went to Kobe, Japan for a one-day trip. The name may sound familiar as it's the city where the famous Kobe beef comes from. In order to get to Kobe we took a bus near our apartment to Himeji Station. From Himeji Station we took a Special Rapid Train to Sannomiya Station via JR West Rail. The ride was about 40 minutes and only cost ¥990 (~$9) for a one-way ride.

   Our first stop was checking out Chinatown. It was just a 15-minute walk from Sannomiya Station. When we arrived there we a a long line of people waiting to eat at one popular restaurant! We walked around and there were many food options to choose from, all of it looked delicious. There were also random Spider-Man statues throughout Chinatown. I have no idea why. I will have to take pictures and keep count next time we go back.

 

We walked 15 minutes from Chinatown to get to Port of Kobe Earthquake Memorial Park. In 1995, Kobe was hit by the "Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake" that caused a lot of deaths and destruction. The photo above is a part of the Meriken Wharf that was preserved to show how it was left after the earthquake. There is also an exhibit of images and video of the aftermath of the earthquake as well as the restoration process. The extensive damage of the earthquake prompted changes from the Japanese for disaster prevention. They have invested millions in safety measures to minimize damage from future earthquakes and maintain a fast and effective emergency response time.

   We walked over to Kobe Port Tower from the earthquake memorial. They are close by each other so it was only an 8-minute walk. There was a rugby viewing event at Kobe Meriken Park (fun fact: Meriken Park's name comes from "American"). The Rugby World Cup tournament is being held in Japan from September to November.

Admission to Kobe Port Tower was ¥700 (~$6.50) per adult. We took the elevator to the top floors and walked around. The view was amazing, but unfortunately we weren't feeling the best and decided to head back home early. Since Kobe is close to Himeji, we're quite sure we'll be heading back to see more of it!