Kobe - Japan

Walk the world without caring about the weather tomorrow

Kobe is one of the most pleasing cities in Japan for local and international visitors alike. It offers a distinctive laid-back cosmopolitan lifestyle that is the dream of hard-workers as well as those who embrace hedonism in their lives. Hey, lackluster young generation living in the comfort zone of wealth, get your ass ready to soak in the fantastic life here. I’m just kidding. As I said, this city is for everyone, for those with an undying enthusiasm for travel and life.

However, there was a nightmare struck Kobe in January 1995 when it was completely devastated by Kobe earthquake (The Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake). More than 6000 people’s lives were taken away and tens of thousands of buildings were utterly obliterated by the natural disaster. Nevertheless, the ganbaru spirit you see in the people of Hiroshima and Okinawa Island has lit up the city again after a decade; the city is entirely rebuilt and tourists could hardly see the signs of the holocaust.

Geographically, Kobe is Japan’s sixth-largest city with a population of approximately 1.5 million. It serves as the capital city of Hyogo Prefecture as well as a prominent port city in Japan. The metropolitan areas of the cities of Kobe, Kyoto and Osaka forms Keihanshin (京阪神) metropolitan region.

The Magic of Kobe

God has given a dramatic location for this city where it is squeezed on a narrow strip of land in the middle of picturesque mountains and sea. It is even more blessed with the incredibly fresh food and vivacious nightlife that make it even bubblier to travel and stay. Plenty of tip-top international cafés and restaurants could easily be spot here due to its cosmopolitan clutter of people. The highlights of great bars and nightspots are gathered around areas like Sannomiya, Kitano and Motomachi stations. The world-renowned Kobe beef is a must-try cuisine if you want to tell your friends and relatives that you have been there. It is incredibly oily and the price is ironically proportional to the oil level; the beef is so expensive that you would forget your dad’s name in front of the cashier counter! If you want to go for an affordable splurge in the culinary spectrum, try sobameshi. It’s a mixture of fried rice and noodles which is filling yet quite cheap. You still can tell others that you have been to Kobe as sobameshi is also one of the specialties in Kobe and tourists’ favorites.

Knock it off if you think you have tried the most famous onsen in Japan after indulging yourself at Yumoto Onsen at nikko. You have not until you visit Arima Onsen. The waters come in two flavors which are the Gold Spring and the Silver Spring. The first one is yellow-brown in color because of the substances like iron and salt, while the latter is colorless but slightly radioactive. Gold or Silver, soaking in the waters is simply amazing. It totally relaxes your sense and rejuvenates your cells as if you are ready to work non-stop to move all the way to the top of Forbes 100 Richest Men in the World. Thanks to the magic water if you eventually replace Bill Gates as the richest man on earth. Asking for more natural wonders? Mount Rokko offers a panoramic view of Kobe and Osaka Bay that is beyond words. Indeed, you don’t need words to express it if you have seen Nara from Mount Wakakusayama. They are both popular spots for the best night views in Japan. It’s so romantic if you are going in couple. Hey, but please behave and don’t make noise to spoil this exquisitely gorgeous façade of Kobe at night. Really, I understand that you might have watched Kobe Tai’s movie that morning but please control yourselves.

Girls are fidgeting now wondering if there is no shopping district in Kobe. Don’t fret; there is a Chinatown which was once the original settlement of Chinese merchants. It is known as nankinmachi (南京町) in Japanese. Sad news is that it is eclipsed by the more vivacious and genuine Chinatown in Yokohama. Anyway, the architecture is still pleasing while your taste bud would be satisfied by nankinmachi specialty like the Chinese food pork buns (buta-manju) which is nothing but “Japanized”. Last but not least, never forget the foremost attraction of Kobe – the Ijinkan or Barbarian Houses. Basically, Ijikan refers to the wood and brick houses built by westerners after the opening of Kobe international port back in 1868. Their existence has given a European touch to Kitano area which was once clustered with foreign traders. Tracing these heritages might give you the answer why did Japanese call westerners barbarian in the past.

Travel To Kobe - Top 10 Best Places

Here is the A-list of the best places to travel in Kobe if you do not want to lose direction.

Ijinkan (異人館) - The 19th-century residences of Kobe’s foreign traders at Kitano area.
Arima Onsen - Hot spring resort within the city limits.
Earthquake Museum - Commemorating the 1995 earthquake.
Chinatown (南京町 nankinmachi) - Once the original settlement of Chinese merchants.
Kobe Harborland - Popular shopping and entertainment complex.
Akashi Kaikyo Bridge - The world’s longest suspension bridge.
Mount Rokko - Offering panoramic views of Kobe and Osaka.
Meriken Park - Waterfront park with Kobe Tower and more.
Nada district – Center of sake breweries.
Sorakuen Garden - Japanese landscape garden in central Kobe.

3 Reasons Why I Love Kobe

It’s not because of the NBA star Kobe Bryant or the Japanese and Taiwanese mixed porn star Kobe Tai that I love to travel to Kobe, Japan, but these three absurd reasons stated below.

A busy city like Tokyo is really good for those with ambition and dreams to dwell as it inspires one to work harder for better life. But the fact that death from overwork in Japan is relatively high alone scares me to thousand miles away..away to a city with laid-back cosmopolitan lifestyle suitable for a sweet runaway or even settle down until the doomsday.
Despite not getting a spot in the Three Views of Japan like the popular ‘floating’ torii in Miyajima, Kobe boasts about having Arima Onsen which is categorized in the Three Old Hot Springs of Japan. Have anyone told you the natural hot spring in Japan is one of the many reasons I travel there?
Like in Kamakura or other destinations, the amazing shrines and temples in Japan are the magnets that attract a lot of tourists like me to tour the archipelago. Though Kobe doesn’t have a relatively famous temple to gasp in astonishment, but this city offers a comprehensive package tour that encompasses famous hot spring, night view, mount, museum, park, garden, Chinatown and even the old residential area which dates back to the 19^th century! I love that.