Day 20 - Kobe & Himeji - July 14

Kobe

Chinatown

Did some shopping in Kobe Chinatown

Lunch

Couldn’t pass through Kobe without stopping for some Kobe beef. Reminds me of my University days, there was a kiosk called Kobe Beef that I affectionately called could-be-beef. Being a poor starving student I’d occasionally get the ½ order. This was much better, and came with salad, rice, appetizers… All for only 2,000 Yen (~$19 CAD) for the lunch special. 

They took a pic of the fam and let me hold their prized Kobe award. It must have weighed 10 pounds.

Of course the sky is the limit for Kobe beef. For example one dish on the menu was 101,400 yen (~$940 CAD). 

Himeji Castle

This is the most authentic castle experience in Japan. Unlike Osaka Castle, which was just a regular museum inside, this looked more like it was at the time.

   

It was raining pretty hard so this thinned out the crowd. We were the only ones touring the outside wall. It was dimly lit and a little spooky. My kids took this learning experience to run ahead to hide in rooms so they could scare the daylights out of us when we eventually walked by.

I found a Japanese Wife. I am so happy. I just hope that she will fit in my carry-on luggage.