Not good.

I was up with the sweats a lot during the night so didn’t get a lot of sleep.  Kaoru went out and got breakfast so we ate in the room when she got back – a selection of breads.  I slept in a bit longer.

After a shower I really needed some fresh air.  So we went for a walk to a “church” which Kaoru had found, which served a nice selection of morning tea’s, as well as lunches later in the day.  We couldn’t believe it as we walked, and we got back to Shin-Kobe.  It was so close to where we were staying.  Still a bit far with a suitcase, but for getting around, no problem at all.  We passed a place that was obviously an Aussies location.

We got the last table and ordered a sandwich and drink.  By the time we left there was a massive line outside.  The food wasn’t of *that* good a quality, so it must just be a location place.  We went to the 7-11 and bought some Vitamin C drink for me, as well as some tissues, and then got on the “hop on hop off” bus.  It’s “approx a 63 minute trip” all the way around – and we were only 3 stops from our hotel in the other direction, so thought that should kill and hour, and we get to see the city.  We were lucky we got on when we did, as during our travel the bus just got fuller and fuller, and was standing room only.

We got off at the stop nearest our hotel and I had a lay down for a bit, followed by some lunch, which was a Kobe Beef sandwich, and a Kobe Beef “pork bun”.  I then continued to rest / sleep for the rest of the day.

By dinner time I was feeling like I needed some fresh air and a walk.  So tossed up about eating in or taking away, and Ryu had told us about Akashiyaki being a local version of Takoyaki, so I wanted to try that.  So Kaoru found a place that was about a 15 minute casual walk away, and we made our way.  It was cool, but not too cold.  We found the restaurant and were surprised to see it almost empty (one other couple and a single lady).  We ordered our food.

Neither of us knew what to expect, but we weren’t disappointed!  Luckily there were instructions on how to eat it at the table too!  We were told that they are very slippery and I was asked if I wanted a fork, but I made do.  They were similar to Takoyaki, but eggy-er, making them softer and slipperyer.  So you pick it up, put it in the broth, break it open, and then eat it from the broth.  As the broth was hot it seemed like the perfect meal for me, and they tasted great too boot!  They were also very light, so it was easy to eat all 10, and then drink the left-over broth.

After dinner we went for a walk, passing the Kobe clock (which runs on solar power) and then went up to the viewing platform on level 24 of the Town Hall (which is also powered by solar).  There we were treated with amazing views of port and the city.  We spent a good 30 minutes walking around and checking out all the different angles.  We even saw the dinner cruise ship come in!

We had a casual stroll back to our hotel, and stopped off at the convenience store on the way for a matcha profitterole and a hot yuzu lemon drink for me, and some sushi rolls for Kaoru.

I had a shower, and went to bed.

Some more photos from the day:

The lights in the background are an anchor, the towns logo, and “Kobe 150” to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Port of Kobe.

I’m not used to seeing roads this empty in Japan!