Kobe, May 17, 2008

Sorry this blog is so over due. Apparently I used some pictures from this day in May's 12 on 12 but I never blogged about the day...

It all started with Favi and Zuka coming to our residence for a late Mother's Day brunch. After breakfast, RJ and Sara went off with them, so Mitch and i could enjoy a whole day to ourselves. We hoped on a train and headed to Kobe.

The only plans we had were to go see the foreigners homes and to have lunch at a New York Deli. So we wondered out of the train station and came across this line of people.
Apparently IKEA came to Japan in April.

The shuttle bus ride was about 20 mins (I was told, we did not go) and the line to get on it was about a 45 min wait. I wanted to go, but seeing how I could not buy anything (we were coming home in 2 months, what is the point) we decided not to wait in line.

So we kept walking north and finally made it to Kitano district. Once the Kobe port was opened, foreigners set up houses around the Kitano area. As a result, the area became home to numerous foreign residences that gave Kitano an exotic atmosphere, and many of those homes are still in evidence today. Here are a few we saw...


British house

This is the former Panama Consulate



I saw this sign and took it for the King Family

This was a cute LITTLE shop. Mitch could barely fit under the doorway.

I decided to get dressed up...

Then we walked down the hill and found a few more houses

I took this one for Aunt Cindy. I wanted to go inside, but it was closed for some reason.
One of the main streets north of Sannomiya station. We are standing on a overpass walk way.

The walk way almost forms a triangle over this intersection.
A statue we found.

The we finally made it to the New York Deli. We had learned of this place from another website of some foreigners living in Kobe. They said it was truly like a New York Deli. I was so eager to have a Reuben sandwich.
They also had root beer!
The owner and Mitch out in front of her shop. It was delicious! Here is the website http://homepage2.nifty.com/nyd/main.html in case you want to check it out

Then we headed back to the Sannomiya station. We came across this eating area next to a kids play area.
The circles in the table tops are seats for little kids. We never did bring the kids back here to try it out...I am sure we have some in America...