If you look at the usual Kobe itinerary, you start from Sannomiya, go up to the Ijinkan district and come back down, then pass through Chinatown and do a loop around the harbor and Meriken Park. So… after Sannomiya, the next stop is Chinatown…
Kobe beef potato chips on the way
I had no idea whether these would actually be any good, so I didn’t try them… but they had them stacked up in huge piles…
A cafe or a restaurant on the way?
There was an elephant statue at the entrance, so I took a picture.
A little bakery
Having little bakeries like this is so Kobe.
A butcher shop I snapped in passing
So this is what Kobe beef costs when you buy it in Kobe… though I did wonder whether it’s a bit too fatty…
Bakery Köln
They’re apparently hugely famous for something called chocoppe, a kind of koppepan roll with chocolate in it? But the other breads looked fairly ordinary… so I just walked past… next time I should probably buy some and see…
A bakery
Pretty…
Toriuo
This izakaya has a reputation for being delicious… but it was already packed with customers and I couldn’t get in. Popular places need to be booked well ahead…
Moriya Shoten
It’s a butcher shop, but they sell croquettes and menchi-katsu. That’s why the line was so long, and I figured a place with a line this long had to be worth trying, so I joined it.
The menu
The prices are pretty cheap too. Minchi-katsu is 170 yen and a croquette is 110 yen.
Menchi-katsu
The menchi-katsu had a rich flavor like a hamburger patty… and the crispy outside was a highlight too… when it’s this good, it’s worth the wait…
Cakes at East Royal
It’s a dessert shop in Chinatown, and they used to make lots of fun desserts, but on this visit the menu was pretty pared down. That’s probably a concept that suits Chinatown better… but it’s still a bit of a shame… oh well, it is what it is… I don’t think I’ll need to come back next time…
The streets of Chinatown
It doesn’t seem to have changed much from before.
The entrance
There’s a cow and a panda, fun…
Spider-Man
I think I saw this one in Dotonbori too…
Isuzu Bakery
Turns out there’s another branch here…
Taiwanese karaage
They say they sell jumbo-sized fried chicken. I saw these all over the place. I’m curious, but I never quite get the chance to buy one…
Handmade butaman workshop
Butaman made by a robot? That’s what they say, yet it’s supposedly handmade… well… the robot is probably just the mascot…
A brand shop
It looked kind of cool, so I took a picture.
A brand shop
There are a lot of stylish shops in front of Chinatown. It’s a little awkward to drop in when you’re here as a tourist, but the buildings are fun to look at… After wandering around this much, it’s time to head over to the harbor.
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