Adventures in Kansai, part 4 - Kobe

Kobe is a port city with a large harbour area on one side and mountains on the other. The city gives its name to the famous and very expensive Kobe beef, which I saw no examples of anywhere (not that I was looking) and of course it's probably most famous for the devastating earthquake which struck the city in 1995. There is a museum documenting this event, and had I been passing by I probably would've gone there, but as it was in a different area to where I was I just decided to stroll around the city and enjoy the warm autumn sunshine.

My first stop was Chinatown, where I had an early lunch. This is one of the three main Chinatowns in Japan, the other two being in Yokohama and Nagasaki. I've been to all three. I suppose there's not a great deal of difference between any of them, but they're interesting to see nonetheless.

From Chinatown it's a short walk to the harbour, with it's pleasant wide open areas (something of a rarity in Japanese cities.)

From there I walked back through the centre of the city and headed uphill to the area called Kitano. This is a very wealthy and fashionable area. There are many old Western style houses here, built in the days when Kobe was an important trading port and many Westerners settled here. These houses are very well preserved and some of them are open to the public. It's twinned with Montmartre in Paris, presumably for the similar hillside location, although it's not really quite the same thing. However, it appeals to people who want to have a flavour of European sophistication without actually having to get on a plane (or speak another language.)