Kobe, Japan – Himeji Castle, Gardens, Kobe Highlights & Kobe Beef

March 14

Today we were joined by Jim & Pam and Jill & Chris (another nice group) and our guide was Ichiro. We had a late night here and our guide was very helpful in how to spend our evening after our day tour ended. He left us at a steakhouse so we could try their Kobe Beef.

Fireboat Ceremonial Water Salute welcoming our ship 

Jim, this is for you Japan Coast Guard

We grabbed the bullet train to our first stop, Himeji Castle which is known as the White Heron Castle because it sports an elegant white facade. Its imposing size and beauty and its well-preserved castle grounds lend it the status of both UNESCO World Heritage Site and National Treasure. Unlike many other Japanese castles, Himeji Castle has never been destroyed by war, earthquake or fire. It survives today as one of the country's twelve original castles.

It was another day of too many stairs (like ladders) and this time we not only had to take off our shoes, but we had to carry them in a bag while we climbed. We had a beautiful day out with some actual sun! (along with camera bags and purses it was cumbersome)

Otemon Gate & Sakuramon Bridge

the guide liked to take random photos of us

another gate

Loopholes - circle, triangle, square, and rectangle (or different types of weapons)

showing the tall thick walls

not sure why he didn't take a photo of us in front of the castle

Basement of the Main Keep - housed 2 toilets

double doors for extra security

weapons racks

After touring there we walked next door to the lovely Koko-en Garden. Despite not being blooming season it was a beautiful and serene garden. Of course, the lovely sunny day helped!

the moat

Great Cormorant in breeding colors

Jill & Chris

Jim & Pam

us with cameras in hand

all of us on the bridge

We took the bullet train back to Chinatown where we had lunch. It was street food here and we all split up and found our favorites. Yum!

Baskin Robbins ice cream in a vending machine at the train station

this bullet train blew right by us

this one was ours

inside the train

at Chinatown

the pork dumplings were good

we had the chicken on a stick

the sesame balls were awesome!

pork dumplings on the upper left were cooked to order

must be time for a diet coke

walking through a shopping arcade

Next, we grabbed a train and a bus to a site that isn’t usually visited. The guide seemed pleased that I chose that over the sake factory. Goshikizuka Mounded Tomb, also known as Sentsubo Kofun, is an ancient burial ground between Kobe and the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge. Goshikizuka Mounded Tomb is the largest keyhole shaped tomb mound in Hyogo Prefecture, constructed around the end of 4th century. It was interesting and we climbed up to the top. (of course)

walking to the tomb mound

at the top

views from the top

waiting for the next train

Jill & Chris

Jim & Pam and Jill & Chris

on the walk

From there we went to Suma Temple which is a beautiful Buddhist Temple built in 886. There weren’t very many people there, so it was a pleasure to tour. We could have spent a bit longer here, but Ichiro had made a 6:00 reservation at what he said was a good and reasonable Kobe Beef restaurant. 

in a small museum

this area was honoring Tibet

weird sign near the train station with diseased tongues (on a convenience mart)

Ichiro left us at the restaurant and told us how to get back to the ship.

The set menu was around $60 USD pp In the States it can go for $200 - $400 per pound just for the meat not a meal… We ordered the smallest set about 6 oz of meat. Plenty of food with all the courses. I thought it was delicious. Was it the best steak I ever had, no. To be fair it was top round which would have been “inedible as in tough and chewy” in the States, and this was juicy and tender. A ribeye cut would have cost a fortune.

Japanese Wagyu Top Round steak course - appetizer, Kobe beef appetizer, seasonal sarads,wagyu top round steak 150g, vegetable teppanyaki, Rice (garlic or plain), miso soup, Japanese pickles, ice cream, coffee or tea ¥8,800.

first course - veggies and shrimp

wagyu beef sushi was the next course

she popped in with her iPad with Google translate to explain what each course was

salad course

next they brought out the finely marbled raw meat to show us the size and ask how we wanted it cooked - this is for 2 people

next course was grilled veggies

our cooked steak came out cut in bite sized pieces which made eating with chopsticks easier

cooked to perfection - it was delicious

it came with pickled vegetables

rice and soup

strawberry ice cream

the kitchen

the restaurant was down a side street and up these stairs

We made our way back to the port on our own. We even caught the last few acts of the Japanese Roots Culture show.

magnet

This was our last port on this cruise, and we will have one Sea Day before disembarking in Tokyo.

Kobe, Japan https://photos.app.goo.gl/wC1fPN1JRWn4yV6r8

Sea Day – March 15

Typical sea day with the addition of packing. They didn’t need bags out until midnight so that was nice. They had an afternoon performance of In Tandem since it was canceled due to rough seas, so we went to that.

The evening entertainment that night was the Balloon guy again and we thought he might have a different show, but it started with something new and then went right into his old stuff, so we left, preferring to get ice cream one last time.

Tomorrow, we planned a day of seeing some sites that we didn't get to on our tour and a Dance show in the evening.