Sight-Seeing ard Kobe in a Day

***The following entry is about a 1-day sight-seeing around Kobe when I first went there as an English teacher 4.5 years ago. Kobe is a really lovely city and I miss it very much. Can't wait for the upcoming New Year holidays when I can finally go back to see my friends and revisit all my favourite places!*** (8/12/2010)

-= my first Sunday off=-
My first off day after 3 days of work! today C took mi out for sight-seeing ard Kobe! (gonna be a pic-intensive post cos i'm lazy to write everything =P)

N-san made chicken rice last nite! but cos i returned home late, i didn't eat it. ate it for breakfast instead. tasted real good wor!


hee~ made from those instant chicken rice pack
and off mi and C went for our 遠足! we cycled to 兵庫 station where we parked our bikes, took the train to 垂水 Tarumi, and walked for about 15 mins to our 1st stop - Porto Bazaar! it's supposed to be the factory outlet for many brands, and is slightly cheaper than the usual price. (but still expensive to us! =P)

the place is made up of abt 3 buildings

children's playground juz outside

lotsa clothing shops around

i bought a pair of superstar sunglasses for ¥997

adidas store - they have better variety of products here!

wat a cool suitcase!

puma store - way cooler than in Singapore!

i love their tank tops, wristbands, and bags

nike store - wide collection of shoes!

i bought a green Nike netted vest for ¥1680

takeaway lunch from McDonald's

and we sat beside the sea and ate

then walked over to see the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge

self-taken pic: C & Mi

we walked along the long stretch of beach

it was a really nice day, tho a bit foggy

saw the Sun Yat Sen Memorial House 孙中山记念馆

it belonged to his fren and he stayed inside b4

Akashi Kaikyo Bridge 明石海峡大橋

the longest suspension bridge in the world!

a view from the other side

this side is nearer to 舞子 Maiko station

so we took the JR train again

to 三宮 Sannomiya

it was a lively Sunday

there were many bands performing on the streets, and they're really good!

we walked thru the street behind (since i've been to Center Street last time)

and saw many interesting-looking shops

also stopped by Ikuta Shrine 生田神社

we prayed to the gods, and i bought a 4-leaf clover mamori pouch

read the お願い left by other ppl

sooooooo cute!

then we went to a shop ドン.キホーテ, where everything and anything can be found

such as cosplay uniforms... *ahemahem*

foodstuffs, toys, electronics, accessories...

and branded bags! LV, Gucci, Prada, D&G, Fendi and more - all in 1 shop

then we walked thru a small lane

it was also lined with little interesting shops

browsed thru some of the shops

and we reached 元町 Motomachi station

C gave mi a little treat

Cabbage Yaki! Oishii~

also had a ¥100 chocolate milk shake at Mac

b4 we walked to 元町商店街 Motomachi Shotengai

we went to a street behind

known as 南京町 Nankin Machi

this is the Chinatown of Kobe

i think it's the 2nd largest Chinatown in Japan

it is lined with many Chinese restaurants and many roadside stalls

i remember hearing Cyndi's "Honey" playing somewhere in the BG!

and we returned to 元町商店街, which was already v quiet, cos most shops in Japan close at 8pm

we bought some household stuffs at the 100 yen shops, and walked towards Harbourland

after a very long walk

we finally reached Harbourland

the ferris wheel is so colourful at night!

Mi & C

i totally luuurrrrvvvveee the amusement park

cos there's Pikachu & Doraemon!!

and wat i call the "旋转木马", to which C calls "Carousal" =P

looks so romantic and magical!

night view of Kobe port at night

Kobe tower with all lights up

night view of Oriental Hotel

it's mesmerising!

saw the magnificent dinner cruise

i want to try it someday

then we had dinner in a restaurant called びっくり.ドンキー

C deciding wat to eat from the super big menu

i had burger steak with cheese

served with corn and fries (¥648)
then we took the train from 神戸 station, reached 兵庫 and bought some groceries at Co-op (it's a supermarket tt opens until 23.50pm, not the NUS Co-op! =P). finally, we retrieved our bikes and cycled home.

wat a tiring but fruitful day. i covered all the famous spots in Kobe today. thanks to C for being my tour guide!