Today we had a lunch booked in Kobe to try the famous Kobe beef. We decided to have a chill morning until then, since we needed to rest more. After a bit of sleep and doing nothing for once, we left around 10:30am to drive to the restaurant. It was a small place run by a single chef, with an open kitchen and a U shaped counter surrounding it. It was much quieter than we expected, with just one other couple there. It almost felt like having a private chef.
Our 9-course meal extravaganza began. First came the soup, followed by a duck dish and vegetable tempura. Then came the main event, the Kobe beef. The chef proudly showed us the certificate proving that it’s authentic Kobe beef, which felt very official. We started with Kobe sukiyaki, then Kobe beef sushi, which was my personal favourite. The main course was the Kobe steak, cooked perfectly and incredibly tender, easily Antoine’s favourite. After that, we had beef rice with egg, which pushed us right to the limit. Dessert was strawberries and gelato, a lighter ending after everything. Overall, it was an amazing meal and only cost about £50. In London, this would have required more serious financial planning.
Trying Kobe beef was basically our entire plan for Kobe. I did try to look up other things to do, but nothing felt worth adding. Still, the 1.5 hour drive was absolutely justified for the food alone, although I will stand by my opinion that Korean beef is better.
After lunch, we drove to a temple in Minoh that my friend recommended. The drive took us through winding mountain roads until we reached Katsuoji Temple. As soon as we entered, we started noticing small red figurines placed all around. At first just a few, then suddenly everywhere. On paths, in corners, on tree branches, on rocks in the middle of streams, somehow perfectly balanced. We were impressed by how creative people were with these figurines. These are called Daruma dolls, and placing them around the temple is part of the experience.
We bought our own daruma dolls, two to leave at the temple and one to take home. The process for placing them was surprisingly thoughtful. First, you write your goals and life purpose on the doll, then pass it through incense smoke as a way of pouring your gratitude into it. Inside, there is also a paper fortune. Mine said “meet new people and share your ideas,” while Antoine’s said “do not give up, things will work out eventually.” They felt more like life advice than fortunes, but we accepted them anyway. After that, we walked around to find the perfect spot to place our daruma dolls. We chose a quiet rock near a cherry blossom tree, slightly away from the crowds. Antoine climbed up to place them carefully, hopefully giving them a longer life before being moved by someone.
After the temple, we decided to return the car a day early since we would be staying in Osaka and could easily get around by public transport. Parking was expensive, and driving in the city was tiring, so metro seemed like a better option in Osaka. We drove back, refuelled, and returned the car without any issues. Thank you box car, you’ve been very helpful.
It was around 6pm when we returned the car, and we decided to head to Osaka Castle to see it both before and after sunset. The metro was the most crowded we had seen so far, it was a real chaos. We managed to squeeze in with the crowd and get onto our train. When we arrived, the sun was just setting, so we rushed to the castle to catch the last light. It looked beautiful, and we spent some time walking around and taking photos. On the other side of the castle, we found street food stalls and immediately got distracted. We had fried gyoza and a fried chicken skewer. I also got octopus takoyaki, which Antoine refused to try. More for me.
After eating, we walked into the palace gardens where the cherry blossoms were illuminated at night. There were so many people picnicking, some in huge groups of 30 to 40 people. It looked like after work gatherings, complete with large picnic mats, small tables, food, drinks, and even lighting setups. Japanese picnics are clearly taken very seriously. Slightly impressed, we continued walking and took more photos of the cherry blossoms with the castle in the background.
Instead of going back by metro, we decided to walk to the hotel. It was about an hour, but still felt like a better option than dealing with the crowds again. We followed the riverside, where we saw even more people picnicking. Clearly a national activity. Our feet were not happy by the end, but we eventually made it back. We spent the rest of the evening resting and recovering, with pain relief patches on our feet, as usual.