Kobe (Day 3 – Nov 2015)

Here we are at Kobe. After 1 hour local train ride to Kobe from Osaka, we are in the city of Kobe which was modern city without the crowd of Osaka.

We decided to take the City Loop Bus around the city. The route by the bus covered most of the attraction in the city.

Having read on tripadvisor that Kawasaki Museum is a fun place for the kids, our first stop was Meriken Park (stop 1), where the Kobe Maritime Museum/Kawasaki Good Times World is located.

Kawasaki Good Times World is pretty nice for a guy and a child. Lots of interaction for father and son. Daddy can do flight simulation, admire some really cool bikes. J spend 2 hours controlling the miniature trains and running around interacting with the exhibits. Only mummy is bored to tears waiting for father and son.

Without noticing the time, we have spent the entire morning in Kawasaki Good Times World. We left the place and decided to head for Kobe Harborland.

It was a relaxing stroll along the pier towards Kobe Harborland. Children was playing and family was having a relaxing afternoon alone the pier.

Kobe Harborland – Mosaic has many interesting shops and cafes/restaurant. We enjoy walking and absorbing the relaxing atmosphere while at Harborland. There is a AnpanMan Children’s museum, but we felt it is targeted more towards the toddlers. We had our lunch in one of the many restaurant.

We have not taken too many pictures in Kobe Harborland – Mosaic. So I had to grab some pictures from GOOGLE search to do justice to Kobe Harborland – Mosaic:

There is a Calbee store in Kobe Harborland, where you can choose the type of chips you want as well as the toppings to go along with your Chips. Jaydon was enjoying the chips so much that he has forgotten that the tub of chips was meant to be shared with his parents. 😦

Feeling tired but not wanting to miss visiting Kitano-cho, we hopped back into a City Loop Bus towards Kinano-cho. Sun was setting when we reached Kitano-cho.

With uphill climb and the limited time we have, we did not have much chance to explore the area. Nevertheless, the little time we have, we did have a glimpse of the historic city, with both mix of European atmosphere infuse into the Japanese town. With the place decorated for Christmas, the place looks really nice as the sun sets and the Christmas lighting comes to life.

The small streets and alleys around Kitano-cho requires Jaydon’s help to navigate, in order to save me from carrying him.

There was a nice Starbucks cafe and little handicraft shops alone the way to the bus stop. Mary cannot resist going into the shops. Took a while before we reached the bus stop down the hill.