By Chris
December 09, 2019 • 5 min read
We spent 10 wonderful days in Kobe (11/29-12/9), the hometown of two of our friends, Hiromi and Marina. It was so good to see them, and we also had fun seeing the Kobe Luminarie, karaoke, eating Kobe beef, seeing Kobe's Chinatown, and going to the Osaka aquarium.
Our Airbnb this time was located in a residential area that felt laid back yet was only 2 minutes away from a subway station, and only 5-10 minutes by subway to Sannomiya, a central station in Kobe and where most shops/restaurants were located. The house was filled with beautiful tatami and we especially enjoyed the kotatsu, which is a low table covered on the sides by a blanket under which the area is heated electrically. The house also had a super cool Japanese bathtub (ofuro), which had a control panel allowing you to push a button, and it would automatically fill with water and stop itself.
The downside to the two house Airbnbs in Japan we have stayed at so far, has been a decentralized heating scheme. Each room has an individual heating/AC unit, so the hallways and bathrooms tend to be freezing in the winter. As someone who pees a lot at night, this took some getting used to.
Later that week we met up with Marina and toured the Kobe Luminarie, a gorgeous lights display in downtown Kobe that also commemorates victims of the Great Hanshin Earthquake of 1995. Marina showed us a tasty street food treat consisting of senbei and a fried egg. So messy but so oishii (tasty)!!!
We also sang our hearts out with Marina at Super Jankara, a really nice karaoke place that looked like a spaceship inside. The karaoke system is way cooler and refined than the ones I've seen in the states. We had a lot of fun!
Brandon and I tried Kobe beef at three different price points since we adore watching those Buzzfeed "Worth It" videos. The cheapest was $10 Kobe beef ramen from Yazawa. This was delicious and we had the Shio ramen, a white salt kind of broth.
The middle price point was teppanyaki at Meriken Hatoba, and this was A5 Kobe beef. The chef and staff were notably so friendly, and the chef personally greets you and takes a picture with you. This was around $70-$80 per person. They also included a bit of sake and an appetizer for free.
At the beginning of our trip while in Kurokawa, we had some Bungo Wagyu from Oita, known for its juiciness, and I thought to myself "this is the best steak I have ever had in my life". Then at Meriken, I had the same thought (this one superseded the last one). Then at the last place, Ishida's in Kobe, I had this thought again. Regarding Yazawa's, Meriken, and Ishida's, I think all three price points were "worth it", but I think Ishida's was especially worth it.
Kobe's Chinatown was a festive street filled to the brim with people in long lines for tasty looking street food.
Towards the end of our time in Kobe we took local trains over to Osaka which took about an hour. We visited the Osaka aquarium, which happened to have an illumination outside going on as well, with a giant lit-up whale. The aquarium was very impressive and featured a ginormous central tank that spanned several floors, filled with sharks, manta rays, and notably the whale shark. I also really enjoyed the penguins.
January 25th to February 20th After our brief stay in Singapore, we more or less spent the next month (from January 25th to February 20th) on various Thai islands. It was a blast and a really unique experience. Looking back on it I'm probably struck the most by how different the experience was on each of the islands. We also had some interesting experiences getting to and from the different…