Kobe is a special place in Japan, as it is where some outsiders were allowed to settle prior to Japan open its borders with the world. Most of the settlers were Dutch, and thus you can see things you wouldn't expect, for example "Famous Kobe Cheesecake". Who knew? Kobe has become a settlement for foreigners from different places, and thus now has a Chinatown, and many other interesting areas. Much like Himeji, Kobe has a breezy outdoor shopping area, but it's large enough that there are also many other sights to see, especially the harbor area. One of the hi-lights of the harbor area is Kobe tower. In the Winter, Kobe often has a "luminations" festival where hundreds of thousand of christmas lights are strung up everywhere. During that time, street vendors selling cheap food spring up everywhere selling everything from special cakes to roasted corn-on-the-cob. Kobe is particularly famous for its food, which includes not only Cheesecake, but cheese in general, and of course Kobe Beef. |
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