Hiking in Kyoto

If you aren't familiar with the Kyoto trail, check out this site. A beautiful hike that winds in and out of the city, the Kyoto trail is a must for any outdoors-loving tourist. Here are a few shots from our recent trip on the second segment of the hike.

Yuzu jam for sale at a house along the Kyoto trail. 

Tofukuji -a fabulous temple, set back in the suburbs near Fushimi. An excellent addition to any Kyoto trip. The subway/train will take you right to the temple's door. 

Kobe, Japan ...last post we promise!

Kitano-cho area of Kobe is well known for it's European houses. Original European settlers built the houses on a hill overlooking the city. Many of them miraculously survived the earthquake of 1995, and are now (as they were before the earthquake) a popular tourist destination. Many of the houses cost 500yen to tour, but you can always just walk the neighborhood -popular amongst street artists. 

 Be sure to check out blog for other posts about Kobe!

More Funky Japanese stuff

When visiting Japan, if you have time to kill we highly recommend visiting a movie theater. Ironically, the best time to see a show is in the evening after 8pm when they go on discount. As many people in Japan live by way of the subway, most people make their way home by 11pm so that they don't miss the train.

The best part of the movies is these fabulous little popcorn and drink holders!

Popcorn also comes in two flavors, regular butter and carmel. You can either have it mixed or use a divider to separate the two. Unlike the U.S. popcorn and other snacks are of reasonable prices, and they often sell beer on draft! 

Best Parts of Christmas in Japan

A very popular part of Christmas (at least in Kyoto) is Christmas cake. Many of the hotels, bakeries, and small shops sell a variety of cakes. As you can see in the photos, they sort of look like what was once a traditional style cake (the two above being a yule log and cheesecake), but with their own Japanese twist. 

Christmas is also the Valentine's day of Japan, so it was common to see hearts and romance marketed through the seaon. 

A little service gift from the bakery. A petite, gingerbread cookie, complete with rock hard icing. 

The other equally tasty, best thing of Christmas in Kyoto was our amazing dinner with H-san. He brought an amazing bottle of 2002 Robert Mondavi wine (this is generally a no-no in restaurants, they do not usually allow outside wines, plan to offer to pay a corkage fee to get a yes)

 A small Italian restaurant in Nishiki market, Nishiki Matsumura was excellent and willing to adapt the menu to non-mammal eaters! They request a day or two notice, but happy to oblige. 

Ume Bonsai Tree

At the recent Toji market we picked up our very own bonsai tree. So far it has done very well! Here are a few shots of the tree and it's recent surprise.

When the tree first came home

A couple weeks of living on the table produced our first almost blossom!

 The other day we got our first two full blooms!

This morning we woke up to this! Our beautiful tree in full bloom. Talk about a great start to the New Year! 

Visiting Kobe, Japan Part 2

Streetlights left from the original boardwalk, a sad reminder of the devastating earthquake. 

Living in Kyoto bakeries are a dime a dozen, so it was odd to walk about Kobe and have to go quite aways to find a bakery. Thankfully when you do they are beyond belief. The picture below, small french bread rolls with wedges of brie were unbelievable and the sweet treats at Le Dimanche were equally tasty.

Kobe's vibrant art scene is both eccentric and casual all at the same time. Many areas of the downtown has been revitalized with wall murals and, as is the case above, whole buildings have been painted. 

The Shark bar is a must if you are in Kobe! This fabulous bar has several large tanks to check out, have a drink, and go about your night. Casual and fun, this tacky bar is a great place for a quick beer. 

The nightlife of Kobe is quite different than the nightlife in Kyoto. The main downtown bars district of Kobe is also the ladies of the night region. So if you are looking for a good drink and some pay-by-the-hour company, you are definitely in luck in Kobe. For a less expensive, but still has tasty bar, Hobgoblins Irish bar, Shark Bar, Mickey's pub (next to hotel monterey), the Teddy Bear Darts bar, and the Hub were all easy to find and no prostitution in sight. 

Two things I love most in this world...teddy bears and darts. They were fabulous! If you are looking for good darts Kobe is a great city. Teddy Bear Darts is on the main road, just north of Sanomiya station. I would recommend ignoring the word "dining" in the title, this tiny, tiny bar has little room for a bar, let a lone a restaurant. 

Classic Obachan option...lady panther energy drink! 

Kobe's Chinatown is a foodie heaven. With little more than food shops lining the streets of this 6 block by 6 block (approx.) area, the world is your Chinese-flavored oyster. Sadly, if you do not eat pork or chicken, you are likely to go a little hungry. We did walk past an amazing looking pancake place on the port side of Chinatown. 

Cheers Kobe, and cheers to you Kobe Panda!