The last time that Samara and I were in Japan we did observation towers, this time we seem to be going up cable cars/ropeways and getting nature hikes along with the views. Also today I got to knock something else off my to do list so that made me really happy (although I have to say I want to add something to it now)
We had a reasonably early start to the day, luckily we didn't have to change trains today as the Osaka-Uehommachi station (which is just around the corner from us) has the Kintetsu-Nara Line which is a roughly 45minute train trip to Kobe-Sannimoya station (which would have cost Y770 but of course we had our JR Pass so we didn't need to pay for that), and instead of changing for a 5 minute train trip to the Shin-Kobe station
(if we had taken a train to Osaka station while in Osaka that is where we would have got off the train) we decided to walk to the terminal for the Shin-Kobe ropeway up Mt Rokko and I'm glad we did because there are some really quirky characters on the way.
There are of course two ways to go up Mt Rokko, the first-you guessed it a hike which is a 20 minutes to the first station where the Nunobiki herb garden is, and you also walk past the Nunobiki waterfall
, then there is another 20 minute walk to the main deck, where the observation deck, restaurant and shops are. We of course took the Y1500 ($16Aus) Shin-Kobe Ropeway to the observation deck at the top, and it was an exhilirating ride as the wind was strong and rocking our cabin a lot (Samara did make jokes about the cable lines snapping and us plummeting to our deaths which weirdly had us laughing as we made our way to the top)
The views from the Shin Kobe Ropeway up Mt Rokko were amazing...the wind was strong though and as the cabin swayed Samara made jokes about us plummeting to our deaths which weirdly made the trip up the mountain fun.
We wandered around the top station, which although had amazing views
and would love to see at night, was a bit lack lustre, I guess I have really enjoyed wandering around and finding shrines and temples as we did on Mt Shosha and Mt Takao so I guess it was a little too 'touristy' for us. It would be a great place for dinner (because of the views)
or if you like flowers-as there is the Rose Symphony Garden which has music playing when the roses and other flowers are in bloom.
You can walk down to the herb garden which is huge with hundreds of herbs and seasonal flowers, also a glasshouse with guavas and papayas growing throughout the year, and there are paths to take you further up the mountain. However the wind was bitingly cold and after we wandered around a bit and took in the view it was time to maker our way down the mountain again. (travel tip-if you are not here for the herb garden and just for the views and maybe a meal come later in the day so you can catch the late afternoon views, sunsets and night lights because it would be even more breathtaking)
From the ropeway we wandered to Kitana which was the area that was home to many of the foreigners residents/consulates when Japan was opened up to the world.
Some of the former mansions (Ijinkan) are open to the public, admission prices range from Y550 to Y700 but I was happy enough to just look at them from the outside ( travel tip: you can get a combination ticket which depends on how many houses you want to view, Y600 for 2 , up to Y3000 for 8)
It is a very 'foreign' area and I can imagine what it would have been like in the 1800s. There are some nice cafes and restaurants and foreign boutiques and is said to be very popular with young Japanese couples on the weekends.
There is of course a shrine here near the weather-clock and it is very pretty with some amazing views.
Once surrounded by forest, the Ikuta Shrine now lies in the middle of an urban jungle and is a sanctuary from the hustle and bustle of the city.
This shrine is worshipped as a guardian of health, but is also a symbol of resurrection. The Ikuta Shrine has been here since the beginning of the 3rd Century and because it has survived war, flooding and earthquakes with minimal damage it is seen as a symbol of hope and while we were there there was a blessing going on which again made me feel like I was experiencing a slice of Japanese life.
We decided to make our way down to the port and arrived in time to watch a cruise
ship depart and it made me think that one day I would like to be on a cruise ship departing from the port in Kobe. It was nice wandering round the port area and if it had been summer, warmer or earlier in the day, we might have headed over to Meriken Park, where there are a couple of museums and an observation tower (of course if I ever come back on a cruise ship I could spend my time in port doing exactly that)
so we decided that we would take a look at the anime
and have a ride on the Mosaic Ferris Wheel (Y800 per person) which gave us some more great views. (again our timing was out as the city lights hadn't really lit up the skyline yet which is a shame because I imagine it would have been really pretty). However as it is off-season, and not a weekend a lot of the cafes and restaurants around had closed so we couldn't find a decent place to eat dinner and wile away some time while waiting for the lights of the city to be on show.
After the ferris wheel we headed back towards Sannimoya station get a train back to Osaka, finding a nice little restaurant along the way, not Kobe beef which
unfortunately is not in our price range, but the food was delicious (as always).
It has been another glorious, tiring, fun day in Japan and I am hoping that tonight I sleep as well as I did last night so I can be up and running tomorrow.