Half a Day in Kobe, Japan

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Yes, we ate beef!

I’m a planner. Our international trips are lovingly guided by my color-coded timetables and intensive research. But sometimes, you just have to go with the flow. So when I was handed a literal sign when we arrived in Kobe station from an early morning in Himeji, we took off on an adventure I couldn’t have planned better myself.

Our main objective: Get Kobe beef. Other than that, I’d had a loose idea of heading toward the waterfront and Mariken Park. But as I exited the station turnstile, something plastered on the wall caught me eye. A cable car. To say I am a fan of gondalas, ropeways, chair lifts, trams, and buckets on cables of all types is an understatement. Could my husband be convinced to humor me with a second cable car ride in Japan, after Hakone?

My plans went out the window as we perused the wall advertisement. A ropeway to an herb garden? And there’s a waterfall? It sealed our fate, and after some on-the-fly Googling we had a plan set to ride the ropeway to the Nunobiki Herb Gardens and descend via a hiking trail. But first, beef.

Wakkoqu

I’d learned already not to dismiss mall food or station food in Japan. The illustrious Wakkoqu is both, an atmospheric steak restaurant that is both in a mall and attached to Shin-Kobe station. When we arrived and selected a lunch course, we were whisked to a chef-manned flat top grill, and the fun began.

First came soup, and our big bottles of Kirin, followed with a salad and warm rice. Our chef and I spoke in broken Japanese and English as he artfully arranged roasted veggies, spices and other delicacies on our first plate. Then came the Kobe beef and cheek trimmings, sliced up before our eyes and accompanied by a medley of sauces and toppings. There is an order in which to dip, sprinkle and devour that he taught us. You’ll have to go yourself to learn.

Shin-Kobe Ropeway

Even as much as I had been anticipating this cable car ride, I was blown away by the views. The ropeway lifts off into the Rokko mountains, as the city skyline and steely waters of Osaka Bay come into sight over a dense forest.

As we rode, the beautiful patterns of flower gardens and glass greenhouse domes unfolded beneath us, specked with visitors moving through the trails. Oh, and there was a waterfall. I sat back and enjoyed the ride. I’m kidding – I was sitting giddily on the edge of my seat taking a hundred videos and pictures.

Nunobiki Herb Gardens

The charming gardens are much more than a bundle of blooms. A tudor-style village awaited us at the top, and you can bet any building you entered smelled lovely. Twelve outdoor and indoor gardens lined a pathway down the mountainside, including the tropical Glasshouse and a manicured field of seasonal tulips.

As we descended, we had a picture taken near the middle station of the ropeway just as some wind and drops of rain began to pick up. It was time to find out waterfall and catch the evening shinkansen to Sendai.

Nunobiki Falls

I’d tell you how to find the hiking trail down from the middle station, but in truth, we messed up and started heading down a narrow vehicle road for a while before realizing our error. After correcting (read: scrambling down a hill with a mesh retaining wall) we hit our trail and the payoff.

It was a magical moment. A small group left just as we arrived, and we had the scenery to ourselves. Beautiful plumes cascaded into tiers of pooled water. It was a view I’d have hiked miles for at home, but it’s accessible in a quick 10-minute walk from the train station. Don’t miss the second section at the dam.

We made our shinkansen with time to spare (and just before the skies opened up with heavy rain), and fantastic memories of a spur-of-the-moment half-day in Kobe.

MORE JAPAN TRAVEL:
HOW TO SPEND 10 DAYS IN JAPAN | TOKYO | HAKONE | KYOTO | NARA | HIMEJI | OSAKA | SENDAI |MATSUSHIMA