God's Door - Kobe (神戸）

The second place I went to was Kobe. I really didn't know much about the city before I went there. My friend thought it would be a good to go. For some basic information, Kobe is a major city in the Hyogo Prefecture which is in the Kansai region of Japan. Back in the day, it was an important port city with a lot of foreign influence. Kobe also was devastated by an earthquake in the 1990s.

Okay, for the Kobe trip I had to wake up really early to go. We had to go to Osaka and take the Hankyu Line to Kobe. So what I figured out about the train system in Japan is that every area has a separate line and that they do not work together. The JR line is the only line that goes across Japan but it is very expensive. The line I use to go around where I live is called Keihan. So from Hirakata to Osaka my friend and I took the Keihan train to Osaka. Unfortunately, we went during rush hour. I have experienced crowded buses before in Japan but not trains. It was a Japanese experience because I saw men with white gloves ready to push people in trains in order to fit. I really don't the proper etiquette in kind of situation so I just stood awkwardly somewhere. Anyways, once we got to Osaka we took the scenic route through the heart of Osaka to our next station with the Hankyu line.

(Hankyu Station in Osaka)

It was a really nice trip because the weather and the train wasn't crowded like it was to Osaka. I really felt like I was in some kind of anime because of the sunlight peering in the train and the scenery. Once we got to Kobe it was a different feel that Osaka. Kobe isn't as crowded as Osaka and it feels more peaceful too. I took this picture but it is too small for people to see not only the city but the mountains in the back too. You honestly don't see places like this often. One of the things that really surprise people once to they come to Japan is the lack of public parks, benches, and trash cans.

(A Kobe intersection: for a Japanese city it has pretty wide roads)

One of the first things we wandered in to from the Kobe station on our way to the port was the Kobe Earthquake Memorial. It looked like a regular park but it has some very beautiful memorial sites. One of the most impressive one was this water one pictured below. You could actually go below the structure and see all the names of the people who died (in Kanji mainly.) The water's reflection created a melancholy atmosphere but it was still worth it to be there.

(One of the many memorial sites at the Kobe Earthquake Memorial Site)

After the memorial park, we finally got to the port side. We ended up first in the industrial section first but next to it was the recreation section called Merikan park. The recreation section has a lot of random attractions like Kobe tower, a pirate ship, and this random giant fish statue. One really nice theme to Kobe is the importance of water. You could see artificial but nicely constructed mini streams in the memorial park and in Merikan park as well. Merikan park faces towards the sea too so it was a lovely view walking around.

(Huge random fish in Merikan Park, Kobe)

So from the port, my friend and I started to walk to the mountains. Along the way we wanted to see the Western houses because they are apparently famous. That area was interesting to see. There were a lot of European style buildings in that area. Although I never been to Italy, I felt like I was in a section of Rome. My friend surmised that the reason why that area was famous because Kobe was on of the first placed that opened up to foreigners. Eventually, some rich foreigners decided to build their houses in Kobe. Actually, my friend and I didn't go in any of the houses. We thought it was pointless because we could see the same style of houses in our respective countries. But, we did find a shrine embedded in the neighborhood among the western houses. It was on a hill so at the top we could see the entire city and the tops of the houses below.

After that diversion, we proceed to the lift that would take us to the top of Mt. Rokko. At the top of the mountain was a herb park. As we meandered down the mountain through the herb park we eventually saw the sun set. It took awhile but we go to see the city of Kobe light up while walking down the rest of the mountain. We could have taked the lift back down but we wanted to walk because we are crazy tourists. Walking down was steep and dark but well worth it for the view. Haha...I kept thinking about all the horror movies I saw in my life at that time.

(My camera does not do Kobe's city lights justice.)

We ended our day in Kobe's Chinatown for dinner. This section of Kobe was lit up with red lanterns. There are four gates that surround this section too but I liked the white gate the best. Chinatown was also the first time I was harassed in Japan. Since I apparently look Japanese, this Chinese women starts talking to me in mainly Chinese and scattered Japanese words. She was trying to get me to eat at her resteraunt. It was bit of a surreal moment because she was following us and I barely understood anything she said except for the Japanese parts. We manage to escape her and get in a fairly cheap but tasty Chinese resteraunt.

(You can see the red lanterns lit up and one of the gates leading into Kobe's Chinatown)

Kobe is a relatively small but peaceful city. Unlike like any typical Japanese city, Kobe has an abundance of natural attractions (the port, parks, and mountains.) My friends who went to Tokyo for Spring Break said that they couldn't see the sky or a park. Anyways, my next post will be about my final day trip Kouyasan.

Random: I bought an "I love Osaka" shirt in Kobe of all places. Osaka is written in Kanji. Yay!