I had one of those 2x two-nighter trips in Osaka last week. While I spent the first half lazing around in the hotel room and caught up on sleep, I was determined not to waste the second two-nighter. These trips were hard to come by. Everyone else decided to stay close to the airport, only venturing out to Rinku Town, a train stop away; I booked a return bus ticket to Kobe, and geared myself for the day of solo exploring.
Of course, I had a Kobe checklist. I had so many things to do, so little time. I started from Kansai Airport a little past noon, hence was already behind schedule. Contemplated a Kobe beef lunch, but thought I might just settle for an onigiri and bottled green tea to tide me till dinner. Sightseeing > Food.
First stop: Ikuta Shrine
The Ikuta shrine is a Shinto shrine located in the heart of the city. It isn’t too difficult to find, but I marvelled at the tranquility of the temple grounds, amidst the hustle and bustle of the city life outside the gates.
The shrine resembles the Fushimi Inari shrine in Kyoto, but is tiny compared to the vastness of the Fushimi Inari compound. It even features a row of the iconic orange and black torii gates, however nowhere near as magnificent as the ones I saw in Kyoto. I love that it’s peaceful and quiet, except for this Chinese kid who stomps around, repeatedly screaming intelligible words.
My next stop was Kitano Ijinkan. As the places of attraction in Kobe were many and some weren’t really of a walkable distance, I hopped on the green and red retro City Loop bus and paid 660 yen (~SGD7.50) for an unlimited one-day pass and zoomed towards my destination. The City Loop bus only goes one-way, hence it’s best to pick out the attractions of choice on the map and plan it according to the bus’s route. The whole loop, which comprises of 17 stops takes about 63 minutes to complete. If you missed a stop, well.. Good luck!
Now this was a very unique place to visit in Kobe. The Kitano area is dotted by western-style houses built by foreigners who arrived in Kobe during the late Meiji and early Taisho eras in Japan. The area had European-style museums (even a Sherlock Holmes’ house), art museums and little vintage shops selling kitschy items. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the luxury of time to chill at one of the cafes there, but I managed a cuppa at a Starbucks built into an old American-style house!
There were four different lounges, all fashioned like what you’d normally see in a house (minus all the extra tables and chairs). There was a library, a cosy little living room and a sun room on the second floor, and it wasn’t unusual to see people darting in and out of the rooms taking pictures. The ambience was marvellous, nothing compared to what we have here in Singapore. Unfortunately, this special Starbucks didn’t offer anything special on the menu, except for the tumblers and mugs launched early for Valentine’s Day next month. I couldn’t help to grab a tumbler even though I have so many at home, and mum’s gonna kill me.
The next destination on my list was the Kobe Muslim Mosque. While at the Ikuta shrine, I drew a fortune and it didn’t read so well. There were lots that I need to be cautious about this year, and I was feeling a little jaded. I may or may not believe in a written fortune, but I sure believe in God’s Grace. I took to the map, but the journey to the mosque was ridiculously difficult as the map didn’t exactly point me in the right direction. But the sights along the way were worth getting lost for.
It took a bus trip, a 990 yen spent on a cab to get to the mosque. I had a map, and unlike the majority of the female population, I know how to read it. The damned map wasn’t detailed enough to tell me where exactly the mosque was. When the cab pulled up in front of the mosque, I realised to my dismay that I shouldn’t have left the Kitano area in the first place. Bleh.
Founded in 1935 the Kobe Muslim Mosque is the first mosque ever built in Japan. It withstood the Great Hanshin earthquake in 1995 while most of the city had been flattened. Amazing isn’t it? God is great.
There were two other Muslim sisters outside the mosque premises taking pictures when I arrived. The door looked closed and it was past the late afternoon prayer time, we weren’t sure if it was open. Oh well, that didn’t stop me from uttering a small prayer though. Hopefully this year will be kind to me.
It was almost 5 pm and the sun was already setting. I needed to make one more stop before the sun sets, and tracing my steps back to Kitano Ijinkan and boarding the bus on time was a close shave.
My next post will feature the Kobe Port Tower, and the famous Kobe beef of course! So do stay tuned :)
