Travel: OSAKEJIAK 2018 - Eating Our Way (and weight) Through Kobe

Our first trip to Kobe was motivated mainly by gluttony and eyes bigger than stomachs. My second trip to Kobe (and this group’s first) was motivated by the same desire to have Kobe Beef again.

That being said, I can tell you the TL;DR version of this post now - we were at Steakland and it was all worth it.

We split into two groups (Dad can’t eat beef), and the cousins and I got the dinner shift. What you see above was my dinner (just my share) with the cousins. The above-pictured meal consists of cubed Kobe beef, crispy fried garlic, sauteed vegetables (bean sprouts, xiao bai cai, mushrooms, zucchini), konniyaku, a croissant roll with the world's best butter (Hotel brand), and dipping sauces. 

This was the non-Kobe beef lunch shift - where my cousins and I went to Coco Curry with my Dad. We were still full from a heavier breakfast so the four of us shared a salad, a corn soup, Croquette curry, and Vegetable Curry. Also, YES FINALLY - COCO ICHIBANYA IN JAPAN. 

In between, I brought them all on a walk to the wharf. Being a pier city, I thought it would be great to take everyone to the seaside to have a look. So we took a walk to Kobe Meriken - near where the first American Embassy was in Kobe.

​With the cool wind from the sea and the colourful flowers that dotted the place, it was no wonder so many locals flocked to this side of the city for a relaxing Sunday afternoon. The wharf is also the location of the 1995 Kobe Earthquake Memorial - a sombre reminder of the brutalities of nature and the hope of recovery after.

The wharf overlooking Kobe Meriken Park Hotel.

The disaster area they kept in remembrance.

After a relaxing afternoon on the pier, we made our way back to the Kobe-Sannomiya station by way of the Motomachi Shopping Street.

It was not until I returned from this trip when I realized that Kobe was quite well-known for its desserts. That being said - here’s to more excuses... ahem, I mean... reasons for returning!

PLACES WE WENT TO:

Places of Interest:

Kobe Meriken Park (Also where the 1995 Kobe Earthquake Memorial is located)
2-2 Hatobacho, Chuo Ward

Food:

Steakland Kobe (near Kobe-Sannomiya Station)
Miyaba building 1-2F, 1-8-2, Kitanagasadori
Chuo-ku, Kobe-shi, Hyogo, 650-0012
Expected Prices: ¥1,600-2,000 (Lunch) ¥4,500-6000 (Dinner)