Kobe

We were too tired last night to update our blog from touring Kobe city so here it is. We met Noriko at Motomachi train station which is in Kobe area. The train ride was straight forward and only one change on the train to Kobe. It took 45 minutes on the express train. Kobe City is known as the most international city in Japan. Foreigners settled in Kobe in the 1900's for trade. Kobe has a Port for industries, and a beautiful Harbour area with an outdoor mall. Kobe is also famous for Kobe Beef which is very expensive! We walked to a Shabby chic cafe to wait for Ayaka and Mimi to arrive. Ayaka and Mimi are friends of Noriko and both these girls came to our house for short vacations to meet Noriko while she was studying on Vancouver Island. We enjoyed capuccino and cake while catching up with their news.
We decided to take the city loop bus which operates around the highlights of Kobe City centre and the Bay area. You buy one ticket for around $8 and you can hop off and on this bus as many times as you like. We hopped off our first stop at Kitano ljinkan. Kitano area has around 20 western-style residences built by foreigners in the 1900's which has been preserved in their original condition, and are open to the public. We came across a British Pub, beautiful Victorian houses which were built by the French, Germans and Americans. The area is very hilly and we were able to take beautiful pictures of the views.
We continued to walk further up the hill to Shin-Kobe Nunobiki Herb Park/Ropeway (gondola) which is 1,083ft high (1.5 km) 40 acres of botanical gardens with 75,000 different Herbs! There are glass greenhouses, restaurants, cafes, museum exhibits and gift shops to explore. We took the gondola up and the view from here was just spectacular with views of the City and Port and we could see Osaka in the distance. Many of the plants had come to the end as they were changing and planting up for the Fall but still very beautiful.
By now it was getting on for 3 p.m and we were ready for yet another late lunch. We found a restaurant at the top with the beautiful views. To get our lunch we had to use a vending machine with pictures of different foods. You put your money in and chose which meal you wanted and pressed a button. It then spat out a perforated ticket and you gave half to one of the servers inside the restaurant and they bring your food to your table, very different! Once again the food was yummy and healthy. I had Herb Udon with Pork and avocado and a light tomato sauce. Peter chose a lamb Indian curry. I am surprised he chose this as once again another swealtering day and he was sweating - but he loves curry. The heat is unreal and it takes alot for me to sweat but I was also sweating. Today I was carrying a wet cloth!!
After lunch we walked DOWN the 1,083ft trail which has many irregular steps and seemed to go on and on forever!! We passed by a beautiful waterfall on the way down and took some more pictures (we were tempted to take a dip but changed our minds when we saw the nearby shrines). We finally made it to the bottom. We were drenched from head to toe and were ready to cool off in the air conditioned bus!
We met a poet in Nara and got a small booklet of his Haiku. Peter has been inspired -here's an appropriate attempt:

I lumber through crowds,
sweaty hippo with gazelles.
Buoyed, happy in my bath.

The Kobe post will continue in 2 more posts as there are many pictures to share with all of you.