Kobe, Japan Photo Gallery
Pre-dinner, we made our own saki tasting experience here in Kobe.
This is the place Brian has been anxiously awaiting, the best restaurant to eat Kobe beef.
The restaurant where we had Kobe beef. We ate on the 3rd floor.
This restaurant has won many awards.
Our chef cooking garlic chips, so tedious!
The appetizer.
Miso soup.
Brian, Doug and Margaret's steaks-prime rib and sirloin graded A5.
My aged filet, which included certification and a letter proving the lineage of the cow. I thought that my steak was much superior to the rest, and of course the price was too.
With our Kobe steaks at Mouriya..
The chef cooked the mushrooms with a bit of the beef fat. They were really good.
Our salad.
Brian getting ready for his first taste!
I don't think he liked his food. LOL. That's what you call a clean plate.
My tea for the end of the meal.
The elevators at our hotel, Hotel Monterey Kobe. I found the floor indicators interesting. Also, in Japan you have to press the close door button, because it will not close automatically.
In the pajamas the hotel provided in Kobe.
Looking down the street in Kobe.
The Tower Gate-This shrine venerates the goddess Wakahirume-no-Mikoto, the goddess of making connections.
Ikuta Shrine is among the oldest shrines in Japan. It was founded by Empress Jingu when she returned from the Three Han campaign.
Wakahirume-no-Mikoto is the goddess of fabric, so in the same way that two threads are entwined together, she is worshiped for bringing people together. It is a power spot for love and relationships. Is this guy praying for love?
The cherry blossoms were pretty here, also.
An ema is a wooden board for writing wishes on, which you then dedicate to the gods. There are also heart-shaped ema that are very Cupid-esque. One ema is 500 yen.
Seeing this ema made me sad, because it's a prayer going nowhere.
The continuous rows of lacquered torii gates were newly donated in 2016. It is thought that by passing through the torii gates, your wishes will get through to the gods, as well.
Brian and Doug walking up through the structure, but no wishes were made to gods, only prayers to the one true God.
Gwen at the shrine.
It is said that the name of the Kobe region is derived from “Kanbe,” which is what families who protected the shrines were called. This man was the keeper today, sweeping away leaf debris.
Inari Shrine. Also called O-Inari-san, this shrine’s god is rooted in the everyday lives of Japanese people. Originally also the god of agriculture and marriage, it is currently worshiped as the god of thriving businesses.
The fox which accompanies Inari Shrine is said to be a divine envoy of Inari.
The view from the shrine back down.
Children are the same everywhere, they always love playing in the rocks. As we travel we see that we have more similarities than differences with people all over the world.
Prunus Kanzan cherry blossom.
More cherry blossoms!
We took trains from town to town on our inland journey. Here's a different kind than the bullet train, that we also rode.
Japan likes their cartoon characters.