of the shopping district but also as the home of China Town . We met Ms . Kei Matsuura from the City of Kobe who would show us around for two days , hopped on a local train and travelled five stops to the Nada ‘ sake ’ district , with the Rokko Mountains to the north and the Bay of Osaka to the south .
The Kobe Shu-Shin-Kan sake brewery includes the ultra-popular restaurant , Sakabayashi with a menu of taste bud treats that include crab meat with tofu , local – grown Hyogo Prefecture vegetables , yellowtail fish ( sashimi , grilled and teriyaki style ), minced chicken in broth with enoki mushrooms and leeks , plum flavoured rice , and “ sake lees ”, a yeast paste left over from the production of sake , mixed with salmon and mushroom .
As an after-lunch treat we toured the brewery to better understand the secrets of the brewing process and take advantage of the opportunity to sample the product . And for those looking for some historical insight into the importance of sake to the region , the nearby Sawa-no-Tsuru Brewery Museum takes you back in time , 200 years , to see huge wooden vats , models of the ships used to export sake , display cases of good luck sake gods and even some early sake advertising posters .
The link that took us back to the future was provided by a visit to the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge , about a 30 minute taxi ride away . The suspension bridge , which boasts the longest central span in the world , crosses the busy Akashi Strait ( Akashi Kaiykyo ) to link Kobe with the city of Iwaya on Awaji Island . The Exhibition Centre tells the story of the bridge construction as well as demonstrates the hinged girder system that allows the structure to withstand high winds , strong sea currents and earthquakes . For those who want to see the bridge up close and personal , the impressive walk on the Maiko Marine Promenade , 50 meters above the water is fascinating .
In the evening , many visitors seek out the “ 10 Million Dollar Night View ” by taking the ropeway to Kikuseidai ( literally “ the hill where one can scoop a handful of stars ”) for breathtaking views of the Milky Way above ,
and Kobe ’ s city lights below .
On our second day we toured the Takenaka Carpentry Museum , an architectural masterpiece that features an excellent photo exhibit on the main floor and , after a descent down a staircase hewn from one single Oak tree , we discovered a perfectly laid out display of carpentry tools , a full size tea house and historical treasures . According to Museum Director and building architect Kenzo Akao , the museum is based on the theme of the five senses : Seeing , Listening , Touching , Smelling and Inspiration . For those who never really thought about carpentry , this is a definite inspiring ‘ must-see ’.
And as a special bonus on weekends , the museum conducts carpentry workshops and it was here that we made chopsticks ! We started with two squared sticks of cypress wood and after planing and sanding them for 30 minutes , we ended up with a tapered , matching pair of eating utensils . The ultimate test was to pick up a glass marble with the chopsticks , and I ’ m pleased to report that we passed !
Down the street we hopped on the City Loop Bus which visits all the major attractions , and disembarked at Kitano-cho , a district at the foot of the Rokko Mountains where foreign merchants and diplomats settled after the Port of Kobe was opened to outside trade in 1868 . The area rates as one of Kobe ’ s top draws and includes great views of the port as well as buskers , street artists , souvenir and coffee shops that mingle with the 34 historic Western style houses . A tour of Kaza-mi- Dori ( the Weathercock House ) named after the iconic weather vane on the roof and built by the German trader Gottfried Thomas in 1909 , provided fascinating insight into the lives of the merchants .
And then it was time to experience perhaps the ultimate flavor of Kobe , the famous beef . We sat around the grill in Wakkoku , one of the Kobe ’ s top restaurants , with owner Masato Shinno as our culinary guide . Shinno-san explained that the popular term ‘ Wagyu Beef ’ refers to any kind of Japanese Beef . The more marbled meat is referred to as Tajima Beef and the very specialized marbled meat is Kobe Beef . In fact there are only
3700 head of Kobe beef cattle in the
13 world , with 80-90 of them in Canada and the United States . “ Shimofuri ” refers to fat marbling and results in tender meat fibres , rich in oleic acids that , alongside lineage , determine the quality , taste and flavor of the beef .
And then the chef , Shimete-san , began to prepare lunch in front of us . He carefully cut , trimmed and grilled the meat , which is served in small portions a little at a time , with ‘ condiments ’ on the side : salt from Hyogo prefecture , black pepper , home-made mustard and garlic from Aomori . The meat was complemented with dishes of fragrant potato soup , beansprouts , eggplant , tofu , potato , lotus root , green pepper and Konnyaku , a delicate potato jelly .
And each and every bite required us to lay down our chopsticks to reflect and absorb the “ umami ”: the delicious , savory , taste of the food . We were nearing a state of total culinary bliss . Our host , Masato Shinno explained that the Kanji ( or Japanese character ) for his name means “ the god of agriculture ” and that it was very similar to the Kanji for “ Kobe ”, which means ‘ the door of the god ”. Perhaps that ’ s why we thought of the meal in terms of a heavenly experience !
Our visit to Wakkoku was a fitting finale to our stay but there are activities to experience on our next trip including Harborland , the large shopping and entertainment complex on the water , the Shin-Kobe Ropeway with access to hiking trails , the Nunobiki Falls and Herb Garden , the morning Eastern Market , and further exploration of the Izakayas in the Sannomya and Moto Machi districts .
Kobe is a city where so many flavours converge , from Nada sake to Kobe beef ; from the magnificent achievement of the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge to the extremely impressive Takenaka Carpentry Museum ; from the Kitano-cho District of Western Houses to the mountain tops that allow visitors to mingle with the stars . It ’ s a truly tasteful city that should be included in any Japan itinerary .
www . feel-kobe . jp /_ en /
Canadian World Traveller / Fall 2016