KOBE | FESTIVAL & CHINATOWN
5:46 AM
Fun in Kobe, Japan
When one thinks about cities in Japan, the first that many think of is Tokyo. Why of course, Tokyo is Japan's capital and has major influences in fashion, popular culture, and draws thousands of visitors every year.
The other cities people may think about are Osaka, Kyoto, and Kobe. I must admit, I didn't really think much of Kobe at first because I thought it was just a city full of cows for Kobe beef! However, several of my adult students shared a great deal about Kobe and told me that it wasn't a city who's population consisted primarily of cows as I had believed.
There are many sites to see in Kobe, as I soon found out when I took a day trip there. There's a Chinatown, a beach, art museum, of course, several Kobe beef restaurants, and a great deal of other points of interest.
I decided to go to Kobe on a whim one weekend, and had just planned to attend a steel pan drum festival that I had heard about in a Facebook group, and then see what was up in Chinatown.
Man, coming from my small town in Sasayama, Kobe might as well had been Osaka. There were so many people, and not all Japanese. Many foreigners were enjoying the sites of the city as well.
I was lost when I first arrived, but soon found the festival that I wanted to attend. I had a great time, and saw several Black expats there as well. I was too shy to approach them, which I now regret, but it it was at least nice to see some color.
After the festival, I headed to Chinatown. Got lost again, but in the process of trying to find it, I stumbled across some cute socks and bought several pairs. 10 to be exact!
When I did find Chinatown, I was in awe. It was so pretty. Night had fallen, so the night lanterns were lit and gave the atmosphere a very chic glow. Unfortunately, I arrived at the peak of dinner and there were no restaurants to go eat at, and people were EVERYWHERE. Like a true introvert, I got uncomfortable and left. I found a little ramen shop on the way to the train that I needed to take to get back to my town,
All in all, the ramen was good, and though my feet hurt like hell by the time I got to the ramen shop, I had a great time in Kobe.
You can see my adventure in the video below! Enjoy!!
0 comments