Since coming back from Korea my health has gone downhill and work has piled up, so I’ve hardly gone anywhere for fun or to eat out. After two weeks of that, I really felt like getting away somewhere. So I made a quick day trip to nearby ^_^ Kobe. As always, my trips are packed full, so they’re pretty exhausting. This time too I covered a huge number of places in a single day.
Kobe-Sanda Premium Outlets
The first stop was Kobe’s premium outlet mall. I’ve never been much interested in the latest releases – or, more precisely, I know how fleeting new releases are – so I really enjoy shopping at outlets, and I finally got around to going. It’s in the north of Kobe, and honestly, getting there from Kobe or Osaka is as much of a trek as going to Gotemba, but from where I live it’s very easy to reach. It’s part of the Chelsea group of Premium Outlets, and right now it has about 90 stores. It isn’t that big, but on December 3rd they’re adding more stores and doubling in size, so once that happens I think it’ll outdo Gotemba. I’ll have to make good use of it from now on.
The entrance..
Even now there’s a decent enough lineup of useful brands, but the more choice the better, right? So I’ve decided to come back in time for the December 3rd opening ^_^ I have one personal wish: Cole Haan sells dress shoes with Nike Air inside, and if they have a pair in my size I’d like to buy one.. Oh.. and it’d be great if they held some kind of opening sale.. Surely they will??
Inside
I took the inside shots pretty casually. Maybe because it’s the same group as Gotemba, there’s hardly any difference. It seemed a little quiet, but it’ll liven up once the mall gets bigger. The food court, though, really had nothing worth eating. Pretty much defeated, I had kamaage udon at Marugame Seimen on the way while driving on.
Tetsujin 28-go
Seeing the newly completed Tetsujin 28-go was the real purpose of this Kobe trip. Seeing it in person, the sheer presence is no joke. But it’s not on the level of causing a social phenomenon like the Gundam did. The shopping street nearby isn’t all that appealing either, so I wonder if Tetsujin alone is a bit much to ask, but anyway, I think it’s a wonderful project that can give growing kids dreams and hope. Truth is, I was a little moved myself..
Tetsujin is finished, but the park around it is still under construction. It looks like the work will be done soon.. As you can see in the photo, it was backlit, so the shots didn’t turn out well. -_-;; It made me wonder a little whether I should splurge on a good camera..
From behind
A robot this size could smash an apartment block or two without trying. My only regret is that it was cloudy and the photos didn’t come out well.
After seeing Tetsujin, I went straight to IKEA. It’s on Port Island, and the parking lot is huge for a city location, which I liked ^_^
Inside IKEA Kobe
Honestly.. the store itself isn’t much different from Osaka or Chiba. Same merchandise too.. But I looked at the 2009 new lineup, and things have gotten cheaper and better designed than before. It feels like it’s getting better and better.
The cafeteria on the first floor
Gotta have a hot dog ^_^ The hot dog and drink set dropped by 30 yen to 150 yen. The things that made me think “this isn’t so great” are getting fixed, so I think IKEA Japan will keep doing well.
The checkout line..
These days I don’t buy anything except kitchen gear. This time too I picked up some pretty fun items. The furniture was cheap and pretty and I wanted to buy all sorts of things (like a 10,000-yen swivel chair), but someone living alone in a three-room place doesn’t need much furniture. Whether that’s good or bad, I don’t know..
Out of IKEA, I set off on a loop around Kobe. Kobe is compact, so you can get around it in 3 hours. (Having said that, I really did do it in 3 hours. What kind of grueling trip is this!)
The Starbucks at the Ijinkan
It’s done up in Ijinkan style. But was this here before..
Was this Montmartre hill..?
There was someone doing magic tricks and all sorts of things, but I had to get around Kobe in 3 hours, so I set off right away. It took about 40 minutes to get this far, I think..
Unless you’re a couple, a history buff, a foodie, or a traveler with nothing to do, there’s not much to get out of the Ijinkan. Back in there are countless wedding venues – on weekends the place was overflowing with wedding guests – and since it’s up on a hill it isn’t easy to get to either.. Bottom line: if you’re traveling alone, cross it off your list.. Though I’ll probably keep going there for the food anyway, sadly.
Continued in Part 2.