Kobe (Part 1)

I like fountain pens.  I've always liked writing tools and stationery in general.   Over a year ago, I discovered there was a well-known and well-stocked pen shop near my home, and have a small collection of pens and inks.  Some of the pens that I especially like are from Japanese brands like Sailor or Pilot.  They also make nice inks.

I knew there was a well-known pen shop in Kobe (Nagasawa), and had intended to go there while in Japan.  They have their own ink colors, made by Sailor, that can't be bought in the US.  As a bonus, before I left the US, I found out there would be a pen show in Kobe.  I had never been to a pen show before, so this was perfect timing!

So, Friday after school, I went to Kobe.  By train, Sannomiya Station in Kobe is 261 km/162 miles.  From Nagoya, it's possible to take a shinkansen (bullet train) to Shin-Kobe station, but for less than half the cost, I took a regular train.  My fare cost ¥4750 each way, and the trip took 3 hours 41 minutes, compared to 2 hours 28 minutes on the shinkansen, including transfer times.

I expected to have to transfer at Ogaki and Maibara. I was able to take an earlier train from Okazaki, and it turned out that at Ogaki, the train I was on was the train I would have transferred to (had I taken the later train I had planned on). At Maibara, I only had to walk to the other side of the platform.  From there the train went through Kyoto and Osaka to Sannomiya Station.  It was really an easy trip.

The train ride went though some snowy countryside.

It also went through Sekigahara, which was the site of a large battle in 1600, after which Tokugawa Ieyasu was the undisputed ruler of Japan after a long period of civil war.  Japan had an emperor, but actual power was in the hands of the Tokugawa shoguns who presided over a peaceful rule of  Japan until the Meiji restoration in 1868.  To get an idea of the size of the battle, Tokugawa's Eastern army started with about 75,000 men and the Western army started with about 120,000.

The eastern endpoint is Okazaki Station, green is Ogaki, yellow is Sekigahara, red is Maibara and the western endpoint is Sannomiya Station in Kobe.



Here is the inside of the train, when it was rather empty.

Here are some more scenes from the train ride.

I love these tiled roofs!

Osaka has lots of very tall skyscrapers.

Here's a platform at a train station.  The larger train stations will have mini convenience stores, vending machines or bento box stands on the platform.  

More Osaka.

I had booked a cheap hotel online for Friday night.  I'm not sure if I'm not looking in the right place but I'm not finding cheap but not too cheap hotels in the US.  This one cost me $46.  I think it's because there are lots of hotels that cater to businessmen who for one reason or another don't make the last train home at night.  Like the Toyoko Inn near Chubu Centrair Airport, this one was a basic room, with bed, desk, en suite bathroom, free WiFi and not much else.  There was also a free buffet breakfast.

Being in Kobe, I had to try Kobe beef.  But it can be really, really spendy!  The hotel staff gave me a map and coupon to a reasonable place and I had a fantastic meal!  I only had 80 grams of meat, but it was enough.

I got a salad, soup, a glass of red wine and this:

This is the most tender steak I have ever had.  If it weren't for the nicely seared outside, the whole thing would have melted in my mouth.

If you are ever in Kobe, I recommend that you try this at least once.  If you're a vegetarian, you have my pity.  Can I have your steak?

After dinner, I explored a shopping area that is basically covered pedestrian arcade with lots of smaller shops.  I love these!  I found the Junkudo bookstore (it's a chain), where Nagasawa has a shop.  They also have another store not too far away.  Many bookstores have a good stationery section, too.  Maruzen in Tokyo and Nagoya do, and so does Tsutaya in WngTown Mall near my dorm.

People who know me will be amazed that I didn't get lost and actually found the places I was looking for -- at night!

Here's the arcade at night.  Labo is an electronics store.  I've only seen another at Akihabara. Yuzawaya is a craft supply store.  I could spend hours and lots of money there.

Here's what the arcade looks like in daylight.

My hotel room looks like this.  I was provided with a yukata-like robe to sleep in.  The tub was nice and deep, and I had a nice hot soap before bed.

My room overlooked a park, and a soccer game was going on.  It ended quickly enough, and I was on the 7th floor anyway, so it didn't bother me.

Stay tuned for Part 2!