Kobe Trip #1

We arrived at 12.30pm in Sannomiya, Kobe. It looked like we had picked another gorgeous day for a day trip.
We went to the Shin-kobe ropeway (cablecar) up to Nunobiki Park. (440yen each, one-way) Beautiful views of the port area and city. Clear blue skies.


Then walked around the large park and then started our descent down the mountain through the Herb Park - admission at 200yen each. We tried to get out of paying as we'd thought there was no one at the booth, but the attendant magically appeared to take our monies! A well-maintained garden, neatly grouped in categories from cooking herbs to medicinal herbs. The herb 'garden' was really just a small paved area arranged in a grid, amidst a larger park.














As it was closing time, we walked out of the park and then began our journey downwards on a hiking trail. On the way, we passed a really nice waterfall and sat there for a bit while we munched on some snacks. It was quite peaceful, just hearing the sound of gushing water and birds chirping. We also stopped at a reservoir; it holds Kobe's supply of water. Very clean and refreshing!
Part of the way was a little tedious to do in our non-hiking boots. This is quite a popular route for keen hikers all geared up. We even saw a team of young base ballers training. They would run up the steep and narrow track and run just as fast down!
We also ran into a crazy man in the middle of the mountain. We had turned up a narrow path and had thought this would lead to another waterfall. Then we started hearing strange noises and saw this skinny guy with a hat up ahead. He was kind of groaning and grunting to himself. I think he saw us and then started pointing his water bottle at us. I got a little worried as the path was really narrow and we couldn't avoid him even if we wanted to. Suddenly the groaning stopped, and he was nowhere to be seen. So, relieved, we continued up this path.
All of a sudden, Crazy Man jumped out of the bushes to our left! I nearly screamed in fright. Bloody hell! We'd thought he'd gone away! He didn't do anything more other than continue his grunting to himself as we hurried past him.
Unfortunately, the path looked like it would lead back up the mountain, so we had to reluctantly turn back and head down towards Crazy Man again. We kept our eyes down as we walked past him, still grunting and all. Strange! We could still hear the grunting as we walked away from him.
The sun had already set by the time we reached the city centre. I had heard of Kobe's chinatown and wanted to sample its food. It was situated nearer the port area, so was quite a walk to find it. And you wouldn't guess who we saw again. Yup, Crazy Man! I swear he was stalking us. Luckily, we were walking behind him at this pedestrian crossing.
We literally fell upon Nankin Machi (Kobe's answer to Chinatown) and it was surprisingly quiet. It was distinctly 'chinese' with heaps of red pillars and Chinese lanterns adorning restaurants. There were Chinese waitresses calling out to potential patrons, beckoning them to try their fare. Chinese food is a little more expensive in Japan.








Except for this little gyoza eatery we found. This dodgy place had pretty decent gyozas (fried dumplings, 6 for 380yen) and udon with meat sauce (600yen). We even had seconds of the gyozas.


Quite happily full after, we headed towards the port area to walk off our gyozas. It was quite a pleasant stroll, through an area which was reminiscent of Melbourne's Docklands, though not as many restaurants.
We discovered a European style cafe (in the middle of nowhere) on the way to the port, and returned here for a drink. It really reminded us of the cafes we'd been to in Europe, with its decor and lights. We had to order a very distinctly European drink of Campari and soda. Yum! Mental note to return here in the near future.