The view from my window at sunrise. How pretty…
Kyoto. The other more notorious and infamous thing that Osaka is known for is the Yakuza ! We, however, were not staying in Osaka, but just passing through, on route Kobe.This hardcore version of body tattoo-ing is a sight to behold.
Centuries ago in the days of the Shogun, Japan’s authorities would mark criminals with tattoos to distinguish them from the rest of the population.
These highly visible tattoos usually took the form of a black ring around the arm; with rings added as convictions increased. These marked men were usually discriminated against so they tended to stick together, eventually forming the organized, mafia-style gangs now known as “Yakuza”. Worn proudly as symbols of status and dedication, Yakuza tattoos have evolved into magnificent, multicolored full-body masterpieces. (photo from here)
Anyway, enough talk about naked men… first stop, Osaka Castle.
Osaka castle is one of Japan’s most famous castles, and played a major role in the unification of Japan during the sixteenth century . Osaka Castle is situated on a plot of land roughly one kilometer square. It is built on two raised platforms of landfill supported by sheer walls of cut rock, using a technique called Burdock piling, each overlooking a moat. The central castle building is five stories on the outside and eight stories on the inside, and built atop a tall stone foundation to protect its occupants from sword-bearing attackers.
Actually, I found this castle rather boring and full of tourists. Luckily there were some cute Japanese kids for me to photograph along the way… Hmmm, I hope we get to do some shopping soon… perhaps bump into a Yakuza or two.. if we are lucky !
The food was simple yet excellent in taste. Washing it down with Sake, I was ready for a nap !
DAY 2 & 3
At Kobe Harbour land you can find anything… from department stores, sport shops, restaurants to small funky shops in the lovely mosaic garden.Harbour land is not only for shopping. It’s by the ocean and from there you have the greatest view of Kobe – The Maya and Rokko mountains in the background, and the Kobe skyline landmarks Kobe port tower and Oriental hotel. You can chill, have a coffee outside, or take a ride on the Paris Wheel, as there is also an entertainment park for kids here.
Kobe is well-known throughout Japan as being an “international city”. With its diverse population of foreign residents and facilities and amenities established built for such foreign communities, Kobe is well equipped to support a comfortably refined lifestyle for just about any person or individual from any country! That includes me.. I can see myself fitting in just fine, thank you…
Fashion related industries are thriving here, eg. pearls, clothes, shoes, and furniture. The downtown district from Sannomiya to Motomachi is lined with fashionable retail stores, department stores and specialty stores, constituting a large alfresco shopping center. That is where I am headed in the next few days .. but I didn’t need to tell you that, of course.. ;P
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Entering Tokeiya, you know that this is a classy joint. The waitresses are traditionally dressed and speak in hush tones. Every meal has to be pre-booked. Every single type of Kobe Beef preparation is available here. You name it, they have it. From Sukiyaki, to Shabu Shabu, Teppanyaki & Sahimi. I feel like I died and went to Beer-fed Cattle heaven…!
It must fulfill all the conditions as follows:
1.Tajima cattle born in Hyogo Prefacture
2.Fed by farm in Hyōgo Prefecture
3.Bullock or Virgin cow, meant to purify the beef (This one is NEW to me!)
4.Processed at slaughterhouse in Kobe, Nishinomiya, Sanda, Kakogawa and Himeji in Hyōgo Prefecture.
5.Marbling ratio called BMS is level 6 and above.
6.Meat Quality Score is A or B
7.Gross weight of beef is 470 kg or below. In accordance with popular belief, the cattle are fed sake and beer, and they are massaged and brushed for setting fur, and fed on grain fodder.
DELICATE STARTERS.
LUSH GREENS.
I PUT MY RAW BEEF IN…
I TAKE MY RAW BEEF OUT…
I PUT MY RAW BEEF IN…
AND SHAKE IT ALL ABOUT… !
DIFFERENT CUT, SAME COW.
DUNK IN EGG.
YET A DIFFERENT CUT, SAME COW.
I didn’t know the Japanese ate French Bread! lol.. silly me!
Walking fast, that familiar smell of street food soon reached my nose! Why is it that Chinatown smells exactly the same, no matter which part of the world you are in ?!
We saw a man…
behind the glass…
who kept making these dumplings…
THEN WE SAW…What’s the bloody attraction? I mean, it’s just bao for crying out loud.
Then I bought one. Then I put it in my mouth…
The Bao was fantabulous! Fluffy textured outside, with succulent Japanese-bred pig (that soon became pork) stuffing on the inside. There is bao.. and then there is BAO. Japanese made chinese bao ROCKS.
Back to the malls and shopping.
A lamborghini exhibition! (too rich for my blood)
Breaking for dinner, we found many fast food and western joints in Kobe as well. So… should we have western..? or stick to Japanese?
Japanese of course! The way I see it, we only have X number of days in Kobe, and I intend to OD on Sushi, Kobe Beef and Ramen before I leave.
We found this little Traditional Japanese Restaurant off the mains street. I cannot remember the name but it served incredible Sashimi and Ikuradon.
The Ikuradon came with the plumpest most amazing Urchin slab you can imagine.
“Lard up today.. for tomorrow… you SUFFER!”
Kobe Beef! (Push a good thing to the limit.. ALWAYS!)
Some yellow custardy dessert. Extremely sweet (like moi:P)
Traditional lockers for us to keep our shoes!.
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner!
Oh… I love these roadside joints. Fast, CHEAP and good. The Kobe Beef dinners have taken their toll on our wallets and we were happy to just fork out Yen 350 for a steaming hot bowl of gorgeous PORK ramen!
Give me TWO of whatever that Japanese bloke is having please, and make it fast!
Ohhhhh…… if I had nine lives I would have died 8 times over those 5 days in Japan.. no joke.
More shopping…
Shopping in Kobe will leave you breathless and penniless too, the trade-offs for armloads of goodies that you will pick up. An experience I will not soon forget!.
In Japan, Teppanyaki menus are more course-based rather than Ala-carte styled.
A typical course consists of Japanese-reared beef steak, squid, scallop or lobster, and some kind of vegetables. One of the best things about a course-menu is that even if you speak or read absolutely no Japanese at all, you can still order easily without having to worry about what you’re yourself getting into. Usually a given course’s price varies based on the quality of ingredients (i.e. more expensive lobster versus a less expensive lobster; what breed of cow or what cut of beef).
By the way, Teppanyaki tends to be one of the more expensive meals you can have in Japan because the prices are season dependant. An average dinner costs between 10,000 and 30,000 yen! This tendency towards high prices also influences where one is most likely to find Teppanyaki restaurants… top-floor restaurants in first class hotels and other such places… How snooty!
Here lies my medium-rare steak. Last Kobe meal for the trip.. and the one I will remember best, hopefully!
that's a lot of Kobe beef… Hope I can go tour to Japan in this few year…. Hokkaido & Kobe will sure be in my itinerary~
omg…im speechless..
no wonder ur previous post u were complaining of crap food..bcoz u went to heaven before that!!!
and thats serious OD on kobe beef..i mean i got no idea wat is the conversion rate BUT the zeroes scares the shit out of me..wahaha
How did you manage to come back down to earth here, after ALL that!? I feel the pain…
kenn:
Oooo i wish i could go with you all over again!
Joe:
lol.. yar.. extremely broke but extremely worth it
faith:
with great PAIN.. to be sure!
I think my belly can produce kobe beef also, with so much beer and massage I give to it…haha
Looking at your pics make me miss Japan so much…*sigh*
what a great holiday. A variety of japanese food, hope i’ll touch down japan one day to experince this.
Great information u provided there.
Between 350 and 15,000 yen its alot. But then its a holiday!
kenn:
hahaha.. u crack me up.. honest u do
mycoffee:
glad to be of service!
calvin:
happy to oblige
ww:
yes.. that’s what i say… IT’S A HOLIDAY.. (cry later.. haha)
you went to Kobe with tour agency or own your own???
do you understand Japanese language? I heard that language can pose a big barrier there.. so I dare not go there until today. Any tips?
Looking at the Japanese food makes me drool… wait till my wife sees it… lol!!
“Different Cut. Same Cow.”
Oh that is so many levels of FARNIE I can barely handle it, hehe.
And also, virgin cow? Yikes.
What a joy in this beautiful place with heavenly food & really intelligent people . And the world's source of food art. Not forgetting the snow white women in clogs too !
how i wish to be in ur place..i can live in a state of kobe overdosage every SINGLE day lol
I’m envious…Kobe looks like foodie heaven. Lucky you!
leo:
on our own! no need tour guide – do your own homework..that’s the best way!
lfb:
yea.. virgin cow.. how do they check if it’s still a virgin.. that’s what I would like to know.. hahaha
bsg:
yea, you guys would certainly love the snow white women.. i can tell:P
kbcg:
lol.. agree
boo:
yar, workout like a madman/madwoman, once get home.. haha
kansai was my virginal landing port. ahhh, those days….
and kobe has to be one of the most interesting “slopes” i’ve ever seen and blends a good balance of east and west. in between, there’s the soft, fresh, sizzling kobe beef! and western desserts!