Have you read part 1 from our trip journal? If you haven’t, do take a look at it here 🙂

KOBE – OSAKA – KINOSAKI

We stay for four nights in Kyoto. The first two days, we went to some places in Kyoto and the next two days, we went for one day trip to another city. The first one is Kobe and Osaka on day three. We are still using our JRpass, so we can only board on JR trains (there are several railways companies in Japan). It takes about an hour train ride to get to Kobe. The primary purpose of our trip to Kobe is just to have lunch there, so don’t do a lot of sightseeing there. First, we get to the harbour near Kobe station. There are some shops and restaurants around, but you can also just still and enjoy the view there.

Kobe Port Tower.

Kobe utility hole cover.

We did some online research about Kobe beef restaurant and found this one small restaurant that fits in our budget. What we ordered was a set lunch with Kobe beef steak, and we didn’t regret coming to Kobe to have lunch. It was a great experience if you’re a food lover. The meat was so juicy and flavorful, so did the other side dish. Other than the beef, the best one was dessert.

Anpanman; yummy Blueberry pudding

Kobe beef steak.

After lunch, we went on a little stroll around the city and then heads to Osaka by train. By the time we got there, it was almost dark, and so we just walk around and look for a dinner place. When in Osaka, of course, we need to eat Okonomiyaki and Takoyaki! I don’t think anything could go wrong with eating them in just any place. There is some very famous place, and you’ll need to queue for at least an hour. But we weren’t in the mood for a long queue, so we came to a chained Okonomiyaki restaurant, and the taste was good.

Osaka Okonomiyaki; Bullet train

Dotonburi night view.

One of my favourite landmarks in Osaka is the Tsutenkaku. It’s quite touristy but loves the ambience of the area. There’s a lot of place to eat there and also vibrant neon lights across the street. And of course the tower itself.

Takoyaki!

Tsutenkaku.

We got back to Kyoto after and headed to the hotel straight away.

The following day we went to an onsen city, northwest from Kyoto, Kinosaki. It takes around three hours using a train to get there from Kyoto station. It’s quite a small city, and you can explore it easily by walking. We don’t have any plan to take a bath in the onsen, but if you’re interested, there are several onsens with differents highlighted features.

Kinosaki  Onsen Train Station.

Kinosaki street

There are several seafood merchants along the way from the station to the town centre. And they also have some crab crackers and other locally produced speciality snacks!

River in the centre of the town.

The main street is tiny, only fit two small cars maximum. So, it’s better to explore on foot. To look up some attractions in the city you can check their local tourist website. We stayed there for about three hours and then got back to Kyoto.

On the next day, we leave Kyoto. And that ends our journey in Kyoto and nearby cities. Next, we head up north to Nikko.

Photos are taken in January 2020.

Text by Ayu S.

Photos by Ayu S, Rimba P.