Tuesday 16 July 2019

Japanese Adventure, Chapter 4 - Day 9. Destination Kobe



 Our time in Naha was over and we caught the monorail back to the airport, catching a glimpse of Anpanman on the way!


With Spam still firmly on my mind I choose a Spam and egg sandwich for breakfast. Not quite as special as the onigiri version but enjoyable all the same.


I'd drank a lot of iced coffee since arriving in Japan but this morning I fancied something a bit different. This Summer pudding frappuccino by Starbucks is exclusive to Japan and it was so damn tasty! Caramel sauce is mixed with a purin cream and on top is a layer of mixed fruit jelly made from mango, apple and strawberries, topped off with a mound of whipped cream and a cherry garnish.


Our time in Okinawa was over and we were about to fly back to Osaka where we'd travel onto our next destination, Kobe. Looking back I wish we'd spent an extra night on Tokashiki and hired a car to further explore Okinawa. That said though Naha does have a lot to offer and certainly kept us busy for a few days, such a beautiful island!


The flight to Osaka was pretty empty, I'm still unsure why ANA use a Boing 777 on such a short route. Perhaps the flight before was busier, who knows?


Goodbye Okinawa!


We bought some snacks for the flight including these lime flavoured crisps. Not a flavour I'd have ever thought of for crisps but it worked really well.


I loved these Calbee potato sticks on previous trips to Japan. This time though they seemed quite bland and too solid. 


We had planned on catching a train from Kansai Airport to Kobe. I'd noticed a high speed ferry was offering the journey to foreign visitors at a promotional price of 500 yen (usually 1850 yen) which was less than half the price of the train. It was a no brainer and the journey took just 30 minutes and takes you to Kobe Airport where you can catch the port liner train a few stops to Sannomiya. If you want to know more about the ferry deal, here's a link.


Our home for the next two nights was Kobe Sannomiya Union Hotel. A double room here cost us £46 per night and being on the 17th floor offered stunning views across the city. 


Always keep an eye out for drain covers in Japan, each city features different designs.


I was feeling like I needed a boost so bought an Otsuka Oronamin C Energy Drink. It's comparable to Red Bull and has a sweet citrus flavour and contains Vitamins B2, B6 and C.


Ella had been really looking forward to visiting a Tokyu Hands store to stock up on pencils. In Kobe the moment arrived when she spotted the Tokyu Hands sign far in the distance. She rushed there right away and explored the art and craft section with a huge smile on her face.


A few minutes walk away from the busy Sannomiya area we found this stunning Shrine, a giant tori arch on the main street lead us to it. 


A Taiyaki stall had caught our eye so we stopped to try one. This fish shaped cake was still piping hot when it was served and filled with a delicious custard filling. The most common filling is red bean paste that is made from sweetened azuki beans. Other common fillings include chocolate, cheese, or sweet potato.


Nankin Machi is Kobe's Chinatown, this area has over 100 Chinese restaurants and shops. If you love street food then this is a place you definitely need to visit!


The selection of food is vast and very reasonably priced. I couldn't decide what to have and Ella was struggling to find anything that wasn't meat. 


Eventually I decided to try a pork belly bao, it was incredible!!


We decided to stop for a beer and formulate a plan for this evening. Eating more stuff here was tempting but with nothing containing no meat or fish Ella's options were not looking very promising and I wanted to eat together.


I did try a Kobe beef skewer though which tasted amazing. This cost about £8 but a similar sized higher grade piece of Kobe beef would have set me back £40. 


A quick google search of restaurants revealed a Hanbey Izakaya could be found in Kobe. We'd visited these places on our previous two trips to Japan and always enjoyed the food and environment. This one was located in the basement so we went inside.


Hanbey runs a chain of Izakaya restaurants in a number of locations across Japan. They vary in size but all have the same look inside which takes you back to the Showa period. This was one of the smaller ones we'd visited but like the others it had the kitchen in the centre and seating around the edge.


You pay a cover charge of 380 yen each but for this you get a plate of cabbage. This might not sound particularly appetising but the sauce that comes with it is really tangy and so delicious.


As my wife enjoyed a selection of vegetable skewers I ordered one of my favourites here, the fried chicken. The food arrives at the table as soon as it's ready and everything on the menu is so reasonably priced.


This okonomiyaki cost just 200 yen (about £1.50) and the beers were just 380 yen.


Back at the hotel I enjoyed the views of the city with a can of Sapporo. There were vending machines on the 3rd floor so I later ventured down in the lift for another drink. The 3rd floor must have been in the process of renovation though as the walls and carpets were covered in plastic sheeting. It felt like a set from a set from a Serial Killer film but was worth it for a can of Strong Zero!

Click here for Day 10
More from Kobe



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