Kobe - Obon week!

Greetings!

This week - Obon week - is one of Japan's 3 major holiday seasons.

Obon is a yearly celebrated Buddhist holiday that spans around 1 week in August, though changes date depending on which region you are in (Obon in Tokyo is celebrated in July). During Obon, it is believed that the dead return from the spirit world to visit relatives - who light lanterns to guide their family's spirits home.

In Kobe, at the end of Obon week, there is a grand fireworks display across the Osaka Bay, over the city of Sannomiya. I was fortunate enough to have an amazing view from my balcony, where I tried my best to caption the show!

Japanese fireworks are famous for their intense colours and brilliant shapes (none of which could I capture!) - hearts, smiley faces, animals - as well as the usual giant globes of lights we're used to. The festival of lights went on for an entire hour, and amazingly, is free for everyone in the city!


Finally, to celebrate our last days in Kobe - before we begin our last few weeks of travelling - we go out for the fabled, Kobe beef. I'd had it previously, which was an amazing, delicious experience; however, like any steak, it comes in a variety of cuts and prices. Tonight, my wife and I decided to go for the best of the best.

When in Kobe

We arrived at our tiny Kobe beef specialist restaurant, which seated about 6 people, with salivating delight. The smells from the teppanyaki cooking table were unreal. The restaurant was comprised of Kobe beef chef, sous chef, and waitress/sommelier - 3 staff for 6 diners! We chose 3 cuts of beef - all the most premium - which I couldn't tell you what exactly they were, 1 was a filet, 1 was a rump/sirloin type (?) and 1 was listed as the most rare and choicest which you can see is the foremost cut of beef. This thing was the most marbled steak I have ever seen.


Long dining experience-short: The chef was like watching a meat artist at work. His knives slipped through the flesh like butter (they almost tasted like butter), as he prepared every individual bite of your food. Steak - layered with grilled garlic - butter, and various dips to gently flavour each morsel. We were instructed to try it naked (so juicy, creamy, and rich), then with garlic chips (worked beautifully), then with each sauce as desired (there was a soya based, and a few others I have no idea). This was the best steak dining experience, ever. The wine married the flavours of the meat perfectly, and the salad (and rice) cleansed the rich palate between each bite. Sublime.


As I said earlier - your Kobe beef experience can be (fairly) cheap, or very expensive. I clearly preferred this more (re: most ever) expensive dining experience as the atmosphere, intimacy, and quality really did shine throughout. but you should definitely eat to your budget as either way you won't go wrong.


Stay tuned as we move out of Kobe - and fly to the pacific islands of Okinawa!

Kobe - the Port to Japan

After a successful move into my mountain-view apartment (see previous post), it was time to explore my new home and see what Kobe had to offer. Travelling down from Mount Rokko to get into the city was an easy stroll, but boy was that a trek on the way back. I spent many late lights (and a few early mornings) drudging myself up that mountainside, sweltering in the thick, humid air. The way down to Sannomiya however, as I said, was a doddle.

Arriving in Sannomiya (via any one of three parallel train lines) you are immediately greeted by the usual tall buildings and clean advertising of ‘big city’ Japan. Like many of the metro lines throughout Japan, the space surrounding the train lines is not left wasted and decrepit, but is vibrant, busy, and full of life. Shops, restaurants, and bars litter the undercarriage of the tracks, with long stretches of what one could call a ‘strip-mall’.

One popular area in Sannomiya is Ikuta road which houses a plethora of bars, clubs, and variety of shops. Selling all sorts of wares, from shoes (I bought some Dragon’s beard shoes made in Osaka), to triangular watermelons, to Kobe beef, you’d find whatever you’re looking for.

Triangle watermelon?!

Kobe Beef - it's everywhere!

Moving away from Sannomiya I wander to Chinatown, which was one long street of Peking ducks, pork buns, and all the sweet and savoury dishes you could imagine. I had a steamed pork bun (which was delicious), which I later discovered was a snack that could be purchased hot and fresh in almost any convenience store, anywhere in Japan. Oh well…

Chinatown

Moving toward Osaka bay I come across some beautifully unique French-styled buildings unusually built between what looked like office buildings. Random, but this city seems to have many such hidden gems.

Arriving in the Port of Kobe, you’re immediately struck by the distinctiveness of the buildings. Sharp, clean lines accentuate the waterfront, with seafood restaurants scattered along the waterside. At the pier is a large Ferris wheel that looked like it’d seen better days. Admittedly, every large city in Japan had at least one large Ferris wheel, so I can’t imagine this one got much use. Kobe was actually the busiest port in the world during the 70’s, however, the Great Hanshin Earthquake in 1995 destroyed much of the city, including the port infrastructure. It is now Japan’s 4^th busiest port, never fully recovering from such a devastating natural disaster.

Well I’ve rambled enough for today, soI hope you’ve enjoyed these insights into Kobe and will stay tuned for my visit to the UNESCO World Heritage site, Himeji Castle.

Kobe - the Move

The fun filled week of activity at Sokendai finally came to a close and the 115 international researchers departed ways. The majority stayed within the Tokyo, Kanto region, while I was doing my research in the Kansai region, specifically in the beautiful port city of Kobe. Located next to Japan’s second city, Osaka, there were quite a few researchers located in the Kansai region that I would spend much of my free time with over the next 3 months. With only having the time for a quick lunch, I grab pizza flavoured noodles. Lo and behold, they were not pizza flavoured noodles… they were noodles with a pizza on top! Only in Japan…

                                     

Outside the gates of Kobe University

I arrive in Kobe via the Hikari bullet train, which travels at speeds up to 300 km/h, a feat barely noticeable during the incredibly smooth ride. Kobe is a city built around Osaka bay, which encompasses beach-side townships, vibrant and rich city life, as well as rural residences built upon the Rokkō mountains. My apartment was located on the lush Mount Rokkō which meant I had a very serene, though secluded summer . Situated just a 10 minute walk from the Rokkō campus of Kobe University, it was the perfect location to perform my research, as well as gain valuable mountain climbing experience for my upcoming Fuji-san climb!

View from my balcony of Sannomiya

View from balcony of Mount Rokko

Mount Rokko during the day

My apartment was a 5^th floor, two-bedroom flat which offered stunning views of the Rokkō mountains as well as Sannomiya, the central city of Kobe. Kobe is a city of around 1.5 million people, sprawling all around Osaka Bay and up the mountains. Not only was my apartment an excellent size for Japan, it would have been a decent size in England! Compared to some of the other ‘flats’ my peers had to stay in (ie. a room like a cupboard with no kitchen), I think I had an amazing find.

 Wet room controls + Clothes drier function!

Small but effective wet room +  electronic bath tub

 To cap the night off, I treat myself so some local (?) sake and Kobe beef from the supermarket. Small little portions of the beef weren’t too expensive at all – however, later stories will tell of true, primo Kobe beef. The sake was buttery smooth, bright, and fresh, like a very young white wine. The beef was soft, slightly fatty, and had a creaminess. Plus, those mushrooms… I love Asian mushrooms! Mmmm…

Stay tuned as I explore Kobe and the nearby UNESCO World Heritage Site Himeji Castle.