One of the things that has been on my "To Do" list (see blog page for complete list) since we arrived in Japan was to try Kobe beef...in the city of Kobe! So, a few weekends ago...Kaz and I spent a sunny Sunday exploring the city of Kobe. Kobe is about 70-minute Shinkansen ride from Nagoya - a totally doable day trip!
Kobe is the sixth largest city in Japan - and is located on the north shore of Osaka Bay. Kobe is one of Japan's main port cities. In fact, it was Japan's busiest port city until the 1995 Great Hashin earthquake. Today, it's Japan's fourth busiest container port. Because Kobe is a port city - it has quite an international influence and a very cosmopolitan feel.
We began our day by walking around the actual Port of Kobe. Much of the port was destroyed by the earthquake in 1995 and had to be rebuilt (one positive is that this rebuilding process allowed them to modernize the port and better "earthquake proof" it for the future). The port has an outdoor memorial dedicated to the earthquake victims...and includes an area that was preserved so visitors could better understand the extent of the damage. 
Interestingly, the park on the actual port is called Merikan Park and comes from the word - "American." The American consulate used to be located nearby and people referred to the park as "the park by the American consulate" which was then shorted overtime to "Merikan Park." 
Today, the port also contains a fancy outdoor shopping mall, a ferris wheel, some cruise ship terminals and many "Western" wedding venues. We even saw a couple getting married on a boat that was docked at the port. I've read that many Japanese couples will have both a Western-style wedding and a traditional Japanese wedding...and based on the number of wedding venues and shops we saw in Kobe...I wouldn't be surprised if Kobe was one of the main places in Japan to have a Western-style wedding.
On our walk to the port, we also stumbled upon another memorial to the earthquake victims. A staircase next to a fountain led to an underground memorial with the 6000+ names. The memorial was one of the uniquest I've seen - the water from the fountain pounding down onto the ceiling was quite powerful.
After exploring the port, we headed to the Kitano neighborhood. This neighborhood contains a number of foreign residences from the late Meji and early Taisho eras. Many of these residences have been converted into small museums and visitors can pay a set fee to go inside each of them. Or, you can simply walk around them and explore the exterior - plus the little food areas and shops. We spent some time enjoying wine and chocolate cake at the Austrian and Denmark house. Kaz was impressed because they actually served a wine he has not had since he studied abroad in Denmark years ago. And, the cake we ate is shipped directly from Vienna weekly! 
After a morning of exploring, we headed to our excitedly awaited Kobe beef lunch! The restaurant was really neat - they actually cooked the steak right in front of us (which is quite common for Japan). I learned that in order to maintain the authenticity of the beef - they only grill it in Kobe beef fat (no oil or lard from other meat can be used). The beef was delicious - and well worth the try if you get the chance. I will say, however, that I still think Hida beef (from the Takayama region) is the best beef I've ever tasted!
Our afternoon explorations lead us through Kobe's Chinatown, which is very different from any Chinatown I've ever visited. The streets were filled with Chinese restaurants, shops, and of course food stalls/vendors. While I've been reading about the dangers of eating from food stalls in Beijing (as we are headed there in a few weeks), none of these worries even remotely pertained to Kobe's Chinatown. The streets were spotless and the food looked and smelled delicious. If we weren't stuffed from lunch - we would have totally eaten our fill here! Wandering around made me wonder if Japanese people expect that this is the norm...and I also wonder what Chinese and even American tourists think when they visit.
Kobe is also famous for "nada" sake, which is characterized by its sharp and dry flavor. The five areas where this sake is produced are known as the “Nadagogo (five villages of Nada)” and are located about a ten-minute train ride from downtown Kobe. The areas are ideally located near the production area of the high-quality brewer’s rice - where the subsoil water of the mineral-rich Rokko Mountains is gathered, and the cold winter wind blows down from Mount Rokko to enhance the flavor of the sake. Since we were short on time, we only visited one sake brewery - Hakutsuru Sake Brewery. The brewery was neat as its museum and tasting room were in the original building and the numerous newer and more industrial buildings could be seen towering in the background.
We ended our trip by taking the cable car up to the top of Mount Rokko. Although the weather was a bit overcast and hazy, we were still able to get some great views of Kobe and it's surrounding areas. We enjoyed some tea at the mountain-top cafe while we waited for it to get dark and were rewarded with even more impressive views of the sparkling lights of Kobe (and its surrounding cities - Osaka being one of them).
Kobe was a neat city to explore - and I would definitely recommend making a day or weekend trip out of it. The more cities that we visit in Japan - the more impressed I am by how different and unique they each feel. And, by the immense pride that each area takes in its history and food!!!
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