Kobe

Kobe is not a destination for non Japanese ?  The things we are told. Well it depends as to whether one likes ropeways, cable cars and chairlifts. There are four different ones within a short distance from the centre of Kobe. And you can get to them by bus, or for train buffs, sometimes, after a couple of changes of trains.

Kobe is a city with one and a half million people. It is a 25 minute train trip from Osaka.

We visited Kobe in April 2023.

We flew into Haneda where we stayed overnight. From whence we flew to Itami, Osaka's domestic airport.

Right there at the airport was a monorail ! What a wonderful way to start a trip. So after changing to two trains, we arrived in Kobe. Yes, we could have caught a direct bus, but why ? when a monorail bekoned. 

The tourist sites visited:

AKASHI CASTLE GARDENS

Must be all of a 15 minute train trip to this large castle garden.

See the two turrets ?

And there are many flowers to pretty the place up. Many, many here.

SUMA-URA ROPEWAY  & terror chair (oh well, for some it is part of the excitement)

So close to the centre of Kobe.  Half way between the castle above and the city centre.

The ropeway was cosy and fine. Then the chairlift that required a quick placement of one's bottom, or ... see the drop after the boarding area ?  Balancing a backpack on one's front made sitting correct, quickly, difficult. Oh well, the staff had a giggle at my (mini) scream.

A nice warning to watch your feet - hahaha - rather, warning should say 'make sure your bottom is correctly placed on the seat before you go over the cliff's edge'.

Oh I forgot the spine jarring incline traversing green seats that linked the ropeway to the chairs.

The ropeway and chair at Suma-ura. So easy to get to. Once there, it was the kind of fun one wants with rides ! Go and enjoy, and ....... place your bottom quickly.

IKUTA SHRINE

The tourist info said that the Ikuta Shrine was a glorious bit of tranquility in the middle of a bustling city, which it may very well be, if the construction site was not next door.

The duckies seemed at peace.

MINATOGAWA SHRINE

Ummm, kind of almost top left there is a patch of green, the shrine grounds from our hotel window.

The shrine gates. Now these grounds were peaceful and quiet.

The ceiling inside the shrine.

There are lots of wysteria plants in Japan, these are the first I've seen in bloom.

MAYA CABLE CAR 

Maya boarding station is only ten ish minutes from the centre of Kobe. Direct via bus, a wee walk via train.

It was raining, so the ropeway was closed, but the cable tram was running. And the snakes were hiding in a warm place ...

ROKKA CABLE CAR & ROPEWAY

So close from the centre of Kobe, only two or three railway stations away.

One colour tram goes up whilst the other colour goes down providing balance.

Spiffy new ropeway carriage holds 40  thus the big strong pylon.

KOBE MUNICIPAL ABORETUM

This large green tree n flowered garden was an hour and three trains, then a courtesy bus away, OR only a 40 minute bus trip up the steep hills. Oh quite a few sculptures there too.

Now what's the growth balancing where the knee should be ?

Oh, and a warning, beware of wild boar:

NUNOBIKI ROPEWAY

Amazing how the city of Kobe can have so many ropeways, gardens and shrines so easy to get to.

Nunobiki top station had a restaurant, flower patches and a wide range of herbs for sale.

 

SORAKU JAPANESE GARDEN

These Japanese gardens were some of the prettiest and most interesting seen.

The tea rooms were closed, for they were hosting a yoga class.

This beautiful elaborate structure sat on a boat and was the entertainment room of the local Shogun

AROUND AND ABOUT

One has apples, the other has a bunch of grapes.

A train in a back street.

Stunning giraffe.

Flowers and  ...  everywhere. And is that Elvis ?

Sushi, soy and sake ! That's living.

And the stroll back to the hotel passes the ferris wheel.

IN SUMMARY

There are more photos of pretty flowers, but I'm sure you get the picture. Kobe is a great place to pop into for a week.  Everything so close !  AND a white sandy beach even !!!

Kobe is a place you can stop at for a week and have many tourist sites to visit. Saves having to unpack for two days, then pack, then train somewhere, then unpack etc. etc.

Make sure you do some research before you go, and find the Kobe Tourist Information Office early on, so you can ask for directions to which bus, or what train.

However, railway staff are very good at directing you to the correct platform, and all you need to do is say, in a querying polite voice, the name of the place you want to travel to. 

One of the railway companies in Kobe had an information booth where the staff helped by giving clear train maps and highlighting where one had to change to another line.

There was a wee frustration this trip as there are three separate companies running trains through central Kobe, and an underground. And they all call their main station  'San no Miya Eki'. (Eki being the Japanese word for station) And their buildings are next to each other although not connected.  I did curse more than once in the first couple of days, finding myself at the wrong station, in the wrong building. Silly boy.

What's life without a wee trip, miss-step or two ? You enjoy the daffodils more later. (Daffodils were in bloom too)

I only found out about the monorail after looking for the train station at the Osaka domestic airport, and not finding it, asking the airport information desk how to go to Kobe by train. She got a wee map out and highlighted where the monorail was, and where to change from the monorail to the train, and later where to change trains. All stations have their name in English, and the names of the previous and next stop.

In Japan, the travel is part of the joy, not just the destination.

Enjoy Kobe.