Unplanned Kobe Adventure: Kobe Beef, Cosplay & Hidden Gems

On our last trip to Japan, we managed to fill every day of our 3 and a half week visit with plans. From skiing to food missions to Universal Studios to biscuit factories. However, our final day in  Osaka before flying home was a complete blank slate.

After toying with the idea of making big plans for the day, we decided to keep it simple, pick an area and just explore it. The Kitano area of Kobe was where we decided. I knew nothing of the area heading in and we had no particular items on the agenda (though I was hoping for a Kobe beef experience!)

Kitano Kobe Area

Kobe’s Kitano district is a charming time capsule, lined with historic Western-style buildings from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Once home to foreign merchants and diplomats who flocked to Kobe’s booming port, these elegant structures, in styles like Victorian and Tudor, now house museums, cafes, and shops, offering a glimpse into Kobe’s international past.

Transport To Kobe

We rose early to make the most of our last day in Japan and started with breakfast at the hotel. We stayed at Hotel Forza Osaka Namba. This was a great location right in the heart of Dotonbori. Our room was small (with no view unfortunately!) but the location and breakfast made up for it! We caught the Midosuji Line from Namba Station to Osaka station, which took around 17 minutes (¥240)  and the Tokaido-Sanyo line to Sannomiya Station from there which took another 23 minutes and ¥420. In total, about 50 minutes of travel time and we were in Kobe, ready to start our day by 9am.

You can also take the Shinkansen which will take you only 13 minutes from Shin-Osaka station to Shin-Kobe station! This is included in the JR Pass.

Start with a Coffee

Japan is known for its many unique Starbucks coffee shops, which often are in theme with the architecture of the surrounding area. Steeped in history, the Starbucks Kitano Ijinkan in Kobe is within a Western-style building which was originally constructed in 1907 and is now registered as a tangible cultural property. It was damaged in the 1995 earthquake, then meticulously rebuilt on the Kitano hillside in 2001. We loved it’s vibrant colour!

We sat upstairs with a great view over the street, enjoyed our coffees and bought some mochiri balls, in both honey and earl grey flavours. The interior is well worth a look around, inspired by the Western style architecture, design and paintings of the era.

Kobe Beef!

One of the most delicious food experiences I’ve had in Japan is eating Kobe beef in the teppenyaki restaurant, Wakkoqu, in Kobe. So good in fact, we went on two separate trips, so I was certainly hoping for a little melt in your mouth, Kobe beef opportunity on our day trip, whilst well aware that we wouldn’t be taking our son into any expensive teppenyaki restaurants! Fortunately for us, right next door to Starbucks is a little take away place called Kobe Beef – Yamagen.

On the menu is a range of different foods which are made with high quality Kobe beef, including curry buns, beef stew and sushi. Our favourite though, were the croquettes. Crunchy, warm and with plenty of the beef inside. Absolutely delicious. They had plenty of customers popping in, so if you are travelling during a busy season, get there early as some of the Kobe products were limited in number.

Check out this BeFood guide to find out more about Kobe beef and try out one of their foodie tours! They also have a great charity program, called Food For Happiness, which donates 10 meals to children in need for every experience or restaurant booking made.

Alternatively, Klook have some great Kobe foodie tours!

Exploring Kitano

Our next stop was to explore the streets of the Kitano area and visit some of the former mansions, known as Ijinkan, of foreign merchants and diplomats who settled in the area in the 19th century. There are many which remain open to the public as museums.

The first one we came across was Moegi House, standing out with its light olive green walls, Moegi House is a historic landmark in Kobe, Japan. Built in 1903 for a U.S. consul general, the two-story wooden mansion features Western architecture. Inside, luxurious details like an arabesque staircase and a grand fireplace hint at its former grandeur. Today, this former residence offers a glimpse into Kobe’s international past. Entry was 400 Yen each and free for our son.  

We particularly liked the back garden area and the broken chimney that had been preserved from the earthquake.

From here, we walked the area using the local maps to find some of the other mansions. We decided not to go into any further museums (though the Dutch house almost had us!). 

When we were just about ready to leave the area, we stumbled across England House. The lady at the front was so insistent that we come in and try out some cosplay, that despite our initial hesitation, she convinced us. We had to drop our inhibitions for this one, as it was very much out of character! In the entry was a rack of Sherlock Holmes themed costumes including jackets, hats, magnifying glasses and pipes. Upstairs features a recreation of Sherlock Holmes’ famous 221B Baker Street Quarters, complete with a sitting room, study and bedroom furnished in a style reminiscent of the London residence. In the garden there was even a Baker Street Tube Station and English taxi. Being in costume was a good laugh and we played around with lots of fun photos together! 

Whilst these were the only two we visited, some other mansions of note include Weathercock House, built by a German merchant, Uroko House, famous for it’s ‘scaly’ appearance as it is covered in thousands of slate shingles and Ben’s House, with its collection of taxidermied animals, including the impressive mighty polar bear, a majestic bald eagle and a powerful bison.

Kitano Tenmen Shrine

Our final stop in the Kitano area, was the Kitano Tenmen Shrine which offers a serene escape with a rewarding view. Shinto shrines, like Kitano Tenman Shrine, are considered sacred places in Japan and hold a deep importance in the country’s cultural and religious landscape. 

Accessing the shrine involves a climb up a flight of stone stairs; however, once you reach the summit you are greeted with breathtaking panoramic views of Kobe. The cityscape stretches out before you, with the harbor and Mount Maya in the distance. 

You will find traditional torii gates, symbolic entrances to Shinto shrines, and red lanterns lining the path up towards the main hall, which was constructed in 1742. It is a designated Traditional Architecture of Cultural Importance by Kobe City. 

Homeward Bound

After a little play on a local playground, a second round of Kobe beef croquettes from Kobe Beef Yamagen, we decided it was time to make our way back to the station.

Ikuta Jinja

Ikuta Jinja Shrine is believed to be one of the oldest shrines in Japan, boasting a history dating back over 1800 years. The shrine is dedicated to the goddess Wahahirume-no-Mikoto, with the association making Ikuta Jinja a popular spot for prayers about love, marriage and relationships. 

This shrine offered a peaceful break in the city walking, as we took a little time to explore the grounds and it’s distinctive red wooden constructed buildings. There is also a tranquil forest known as Ikuta-no mori behind the main shrine.

Finishing the day with snacks

Our rumbling tummies told us to bypass the train station a little longer and we walked to Daimaru, a renowned Japanese Department Store. We headed straight to the foodie heaven on the basement floor. It was a meticulously organised space overflowing with displays of fresh produce, artfully prepared cakes and sweets and a vast array of packaged gourmet foods. The enticing aromas and wide variety make it an absolute feast for the senses. 

As Kobe has a reputation for its prized Wagyu beef, you will find a dedicated selection of butcher shops offering various cuts as well as local specialities such as Nunokawa pickles and Kobe pudding, a creamy custard dessert. 

We opted for some beautifully presented little cakes and a strawberry sandwich, filled with luscious cream, strawberries and a thin layer of custard. I would share some photos but they didn’t last long before being devoured on the bench outside the store, and that was not a pretty sight. 

A perfect end to the day, we made our way back to Osaka to make good on our promise with our son to spend the rest of his spending money on claw machines, and find our last Japanese dinner before packing for our flight.

Other than the general area we were headed to, and a starting coffee (a must for every day!), having no plans or intentions made for the perfect end to our holiday. We particularly loved our surprise cosplay experience!