From Kobe back to Kyoto..

After sending off Wai Cheong at the station, we & Soboda - our friendly tourist-guide - took the train to Kobe. Soboda used to live there for quite a number of years and she is therefore a designated and enthusiastic tourguide!

Welcome in Kobe / Willkommen in Kobe

First we dived into the busy shopping streets of Kobe where Mishell had to buy more stockings due to the colder weather here and most likely in China than expected at this time of the year. Then we walked through Kobe China Town which is apparently one of the largest China towns in Japan. Unfortunately, we were still quite full from breakfast and unable to try some of the food there!

We found some tasty Japanese bakeries.....Japanese pastries are sooo pretty.. / Wir haben einige herrliche Japanische Bäckereien gefunden - Japanische Bäkereien sind sehr schön dekoriert

Chinatown in Kobe, one of the biggest in Japan / Chinatown in Kobe ist eine der grössten in Japan

Chinatwon was very busy on this beautiful Saturday morning / In Chinatwon was sehr viel los an diesem schönen Samstag morgen

Soboda had the entire day planned out for us and very soon we were heading towards the local mountain in Kobe (called 'Rokko-Mountain' apparently not named after 'Rocco' the p**n star!) where you can have a great view over the city and on the way down walk through the herbal garden. It turned out that Mishell and Soboda have a hobby in comon, they both like photography! So we were taking lots of pictures on Rokko mountain... :)

We took the cable car up to Rokko-Mountain....the more fit ones can walk up! / Wir haben die Gondel auf den Rokko-Berg genommen...die, die besser fit sind als wir können auch hoch laufen!

@Nick: This one is for you....a herb with your name / @Nick: Dies ist für Dich....ein Kraut dass Deinen Namen trägt

Photoshoot on mount Rokko...Soboda the photographer...it felt like on our wedding day! / Photoshooting auf dem Rokko Berg....Soboda ist die Photographin...es hat sich angefühlt, wie an unserem Hochzeitstag!

Beautifuly cherry-blossoms on Mount Rokko / Wunderschöne Kirschblüten auf dem Rokko Berg

Pasci the photographer.... / Pasci der Photograph

Romantic sunset on Mount Rokko / Romantischer Sonnenuntergang auf dem Rokko Berg

Love this pic from Soboda...

The enthusiastic photographers / Die enthusiastische Fotographerin

Sakura...cherry blossom / Kirchblüten..

After coming down from the mount Rokko, we walked through a part in Kobe where there are lots of European-style houses (sorry forgot the name - this used to be the area of the embassys) which was really scenic and we managed to buy a delicious white-chocolate cheescake!

Mishell liked this Kimono a lot...due to budget constraints no shopping in Japan for Mishell / Mishell mochte dieses Kimono sehr....wegen Budget Knappheit kein Shopping für Mishell in Japan

A European influenced quarter in Kobe city / Ein Europäisch beeinflusstes Quartier in Kobe

The delicious white-chocolate cheescake / Der köstliche Weisse-Schokolade Cheescake

Since it was already sunset we decided to go to the harbour-side where the girls continued their photo-shoot! At the harbour side, there is as well a memorial of the devastating earthquake that hit Kobe in 1995.

The remains and now a memorial of the Kobe earthquake 1995 / Die Erinnerungstätte an das Erdbeben von Kobe in 1995

Beautiful harbour side in Kobe / Wunderschöner Hafen in Kobe

We thought of you, Jane. ;) (the cruise ship)...

Then it was about time to think about dinner and Soboda had the wonderful idea of going to an Italian Place on the way back home to Nishinomiya. We enjoyed delicious Pizza & Pasta!

For dessert we went to Nishinomiya (the suburb in which Wai Cheong and Soboda live) where Soboda took us to another insider place where they prepare the best strawberry-chocolate and strawberry-cheescake in town! *YUMMY* :)

Delicious Strawbery chocolate and strawbery cheescake / Köstlicher Erdbeeren-Schokoladen und Erdeeren-Käsekuchen

We truly enjoyed a wonderful day - a BIG thank you to our wonderful guide Soboda! THANK YOU!

The next day we had plans to join Soboda and her friends to head back towards Kyoto and enjoy Sakura together. Before dropping off our bags at our new Hotel (Travellers Inn), we had Brunch/Lunch at a Japanese Curry place. One can have Cheese curry and rice here...interesting.

Japanese style curry....interesting! / Curry auf Japanisch...interessant!

Japanese Katsu-curry ...note the egg yolk in the background - its for adding halfway through your meal when your curry gets too intense/spicy. (Uhh...Japanese curry is no where close to the Thai curries we have been having) / Japanische Curry mit Schnitzel - nicht so scharf wie Thai Curry...

Then we went all together to the Daigoji Temple to enjoy the Sakura and fortunately for us, there was quite something going on on that day. There were traditional Japanese shows and one could enjoy traditional Japanes Matcha tea with pastry. The park around the temple was really beautiful with all the Cherry blossoms in the different white and pink tones!

Cherry blossoms @ the Daigoji Temple, Kyoto / Kirschblüten @ Daigoji Tempel, Kyoto

There were some traditional Japanese performances going on (Noh play)/ Es waren traditionelle Japanische Vorführugen am laufen

Some important Japanese dude with his Geishas / Ein wichtiger Japanischer Typ mit seinen Geishas

Very artful performance of one of the traditional Noh actress - very tragic and emotional performance (in a Japanese way) / Eine sehr künstlerische Vorstellung von einer traditionellen Japanischen Noh-Schauspielerin

The kids were the cutest.... / Die Kinder waren sehr herzig...

The cherry blossoms were all over the park / Die Kirschblüten waren im ganzen Park verteilt

Miss Asia contest - and the WINNER is......(pick one!) / Miss Asia Wettbewerb - und die Gewinnerin ist......(Wähl eine!)

The girls outshined the cherry blossoms / Die Mädchen habe die Kirschblüten überstrahlt

There were ladles in front of these Buddhist statues and one is supposed to 'bathe' them...

Late in the afternoon we headed back from the park to the subway station where it was time to say goodbye to Soboda and her friends.

Back in Kyoto town we had another highlight on our schedule for the evening: the night-sakura at the Nijo castle. Unfortunately it was raining but that did not put us off (and neither the other thousands of people!).

Cherry blossoms by night @Nijo castle, Kyoto / Kirschblüten in der Nacht @Nijo Burg, Kyoto

Very romantic atmosphere....only disturbed by the hundreds of other visitors / Sehr romatische Atmosphäre....nur gestört durch Hunderte von anderen Besuchern

The park was beautifully lit with lots of lamps & candles and the cherry-blossom-trees gave the place a truly magical and very romantic atmosphere. With that picture in our head we returned dead tired to our hotel.

Pasci found the Yukata (day Kimono) that was provided at our Ryokan / Pasci hat das Kimono gefunden, dass bei unserer Ryokon zur Verfügung gestellt wurde