Originally Posted by
joejones
I have to agree with Pureboy's comment that while it has a great "vibe," it isn't really interesting for your average tourist. Osaka and Kyoto (and, for that matter, Himeji) are way better in that regard. I was very underwhelmed by Chinatown in particular -- the food seemed to range from disgusting to mediocre.
I'll underline this -- only place I ever got food poisoning in Japan.
Steer clear from any 600 yen buffets...
That aside, I quite like Kobe, but that's mostly thanks to having a local friend who could show me around, and I agree that there are few must-sees. The Ijinkan, in particular, are quite blah from a Western point of view.
A few more Kobe ideas:
- Mt. Rokko, prefereably via a light hike up through the Rock Garden.
- Check out the sake breweries in Nada, many of which are open to the public.
- Eat sobameshi (mixed rice and noodles) and get drunk at a tachinomiya ("stand and drink" bar).
- Akashi Kaikyo, 10 min away, is among the world's largest bridges and worth the trip if you're into wonders of engineering. There are boat cruises around the base, and Akashiyaki (a very eggy version of takoyaki) is also worth trying.
Is the Kobe earthquake museum reopened yet? They were relocating it when I last visited a few years ago.