DID: Kobe, about 50 minutes by train from Kyoto. Note to anyone using this as a travel guide, you actually want to get off the train 2 stops before Kobe (Sannomiya). We did not know this, and it’s not that our day was not enjoyable but it became clear over the course of the day that we were not in the heart of the city.
Kobe Station brings you to the harbor area where the cruise ships come in. It was rebuilt in the last decade following a devastating earthquake. Next time they have to rebuild, they should have a look at Sydney Harbour first. This one is kind of dismal. They had lots of pirate-looking ships taking people out for tours on the harbor but feeling uninspired and with the misty weather we headed indoors for a bit of shopping. We finally found a rain jacket for Jason (woo-hoo!) but still no luck for me. Japanese clothing is generally a bit too loose/shapeless for my taste. Also the sizes were so small I was having trouble distinguishing the girls clothing from the womens!! Jason is a giant size XL here and many of the shops did not carry shoes in his size (10 US). So for the first time ever in his life, he probably needs to shop at a big & tall store, and I’m hitting the plus size range (which of course means I simply will not buy anything!!)
Did some damage to the credit card at Uniqlo’s flagship store – they had a mega selection of shirts with Japanese writing. Except for women. Apparently we only like to wear shirts with Minnie Mouse and the Care Bears.
Also spent a fair bit of time in an electronics store. I can only imagine the things Jason would build if we had a store like this at home. They literally had aisles (like 5 at least) just of microchips and processors and wires and enclosures etc for making your own whatever. The also sold TVs as big as a wall for about US$300.
The sports store confirmed the Japanese obsession with golf and baseball. The array of cleats and gloves was dazzling. They even had a selection of gloves for lefties.
After shopping we made our way to Kobe CBD for dinner. I felt a bit like I was in the movie Blade Runner – lots of neon but still dark at street level, very tall buildings, female voices floating from everywhere advertising things I couldn’t understand, lots of people darting around to avoid the rain. I have a feeling this is a small taste of what Tokyo will be like.
ATE: Picnic lunch by the harbor. Gyoza, tempura selection, tuna sashimi, chicken katsu, honey coated soy sticks.
Dinner @ ‘Steak Land’, identified by the enormous oval sign with a raw steak on it. This place looks like a bad imitation of a 60s-era steakhouse in Tahoe at the Cal-Neva border, complete with dark vinyl/leather and wood chairs, wood paneling mixed with fake brick walls, dim lighting and smoke hanging in the air (luckily from the teppanyaki grills, not cigarettes!). Had this been Lake Tahoe, we most certainly would have given this place a pass. But when in Kobe… Proceeded to feast on 5 courses of beef-y goodness. The “special sirloin” was of course the highlight, but an unexpected second favorite was a grilled beef and bean sprout salad made from the fatty edges of the meat. Kobe cooking tip #1: remove any devices which slow the salt from pouring out of your salt shaker. Just let it free flow for as long as you think necessary and then triple it.
The skies opened up just as we were leaving Kobe, lulling Gavin into a peaceful sleep the whole way back to Kyoto. This was fortunate as we needed all four hands to deal with Rhys who was on a steak-induced high.
OBSERVATIONS: Taxis come in different shapes and sizes here, but all have the same while doilies covering the seats. I always feel bad every time we get out because Rhys’ footprints are usually very visible all over the back seat.
The city (maybe even the whole country because we’ve seen them in Nara and Kobe too) is stocked with clear umbrellas with white handles. You take one from wherever you happen to be when the rain starts and leave it wherever you happen to be when the rain stops.
For Christmas we got this great bike seat that lets Rhys sit in front of us on the bike, and we thought it was a very new/cool invention. Apparently not. Although not the same style as the one we have, lots and lots of parents are riding around with an old-school looking bucket seat that attaches to the handlebars of the bike. Many parents even have the seat on the front AND a seat on the back.
Rhys has started saying ‘sorry’ when he wants to get around you. He also says ‘tiny bit’ over and over for reasons we don’t understand. And he really likes to point at things and say ‘funny!’.
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