Kobe Trip Part 6: Ikuta Shrine, Nunobiki Herb Gardens etc.

[Introduction]

I traveled to Kobe in early March. In Kobe, major tourist spots such as bay area, Kitano Ijinkan-gai and Chinatown were concentrated, which was convenient for tourists. In this article, I will write about Ikuta Shrine, Nunobiki Herb Gardens etc. as part of Day 2.

[Visit Places (series of articles)]
* Day 1: Fly to Kobe with Skymark
* Day 1: Chinatown and Former Foreign Settlement etc.
* Day 1: Meriken Park and Harborland
* Day 1: Meriken Park and Harborland (Light-up)
* Day 2: Kitano Ijinkan-gai
* Day 2: Ikuta Shrine, Nunobiki Herb Gardens etc. [This article]
* Day 2: Kobe Great Bridge (Light-up)
* Day 3: Kobe Oji Zoo
* Day 3: Kobe Animal Kingdom
* Day 3: Chinatown and Old Foreign Settlement (Light-up)
* Day 4: Himeji Castle
* Day 4: Akashi Kaikyo Bridge
* Day 4: Sannomiya

[Travel Date]
2018.03.08 – 11

[Main Part]

While I mainly went around “Kitano Ijinkan Gai (北野異人館街)” (see the related article) during the second day of the Kobe trip, I also visited several other tourist spots. I will post photos of such spots in this article.

Ikuta Shrine (生田神社)

To begin with, “Ikuta Shrine (生田神社)”. I stopped by “Ikuta Shrine (生田神社)” on the way to “Kitano Ijinkan Gai (北野異人館街)”, so it is chronologically reverse, but I will post about it here due to the volume of the article.

“Ikuta Shrine (生田神社)” is a a Shinto shrine. It was built in 201 and is possibly among the oldest shrines in Japan.

Otorii (大鳥居) – a giant gate.

Romon Gate (楼門).

In the precinct.

The main shrine.

Kobe Nunobiki Herb Gardens (神戸布引ハーブ園)

After walking around “Kitano Ijinkan Gai (北野異人館街)”, I went to “Kobe Nunobiki Herb Gardens (神戸布引ハーブ園)”.

I moved to “Kobe Nunobiki Herb Gardens (神戸布引ハーブ園)” by ropeway.

View from the mountain peak station.

“Kobe Nunobiki Herb Gardens (神戸布引ハーブ園)” had a photogenic rest house, but unfortunately it was under construction.

Here are other snaps.

As the name suggests, “Kobe Nunobiki Herb Gardens (神戸布引ハーブ園)” had a kind of museum to show a variety of herbs.

I took a ropeway and left “Kobe Nunobiki Herb Gardens (神戸布引ハーブ園)”.

Shin-Kobe Station (新神戸駅)

After I got off the ropeway, I took snap photos of “Shin-Kobe Station (新神戸駅)”, which is a station of the Shinkansen bullet train.

If you plan to move to Kobe by Shinkansen bullet train, this station is the gateway of Kobe.

Takenaka Carpentry Tools Museum (竹中大工道具館)

I dropped by “Takenaka Carpentry Tools Museum (竹中大工道具館)”, which was located near “Shin-Kobe Station (新神戸駅)”.

“Takenaka Carpentry Tools Museum (竹中大工道具館)” is a museum of carpentry tools operated by Takenaka Corporation, one of the largest architecture, engineering, and construction firms in Japan.

The museum owns about 35,000 items. Here are some photos.

The museum holds workshops regularly.

I took a photo of the building of the museum again.

Baan Thai Market

To visit the next destination, I moved from “Shin-Kobe Station (新神戸駅)” to “Kenchomae Station (県庁前駅)” by Kobe City Subway.

After getting off the subway at “Kenchomae Station (県庁前駅)”, I just happed to find a Thai restaurant with “tuk-tuk (Rickshaw)”.

As I just had a quick bite in “Kitano Ijinkan Gai (北野異人館街)”, I will have a late lunch here.

The restaurant was “Baan Thai Market”.

In the restaurant. It was full of Thai atmosphere including the costume of the staff.

I had “Khao Man Kai (Thai Style Steamed Chicken with Rice)”.

Additionally, I ordered a dessert.

The manager was very cheerful and he said transportation service was available with the “tuk-tuk (Rickshaw)”, which was parked outside.

Sorakuen Garden (相楽園)

I left “Baan Thai Market” and came to “Sorakuen Garden (相楽園)”.

“Sorakuen Garden (相楽園)” is a traditional Japanese landscape garden in the center of Kobe. The garden used to be part of the residence of Kodera Kenkichi, a former mayor of Kobe. Then, it has been open to the public since 1941.

The former stable of the Kodera Family, which is an important cultural property.

The Hassam House on the left is also designated as an important cultural property.

The circuit style Japanese garden was beautiful.

Kanteibyo (関帝廟)

I moved west from “Sorakuen Garden (相楽園)” and visited “Kanteibyo (関帝廟)”.

“Kanteibyo (関帝廟)” is a Chinese temple to enshrine “Guan Yu”, a general during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China.

Kobe had one of the three largest China town, “Nankin-machi (南京町)”. Therefore, a lot of Chinese residents are living in Kobe and I saw several such people in the temple.

The red temple looked best against the blue sky.

Temples and shrines dedicated exclusively to Guan Yu can be found across the world. I have been to Guan Yu-related temples in Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur) and Macau.

“Chinatown in Kuala Lumpur”

“Macau Trip Part 4: World Heritage “Senado Square” and Rua da Felicidade/Rua dos Ervanarios/Calcada do Amparo etc.”

Hyogo Prefecture Guest House (兵庫県公館)

The final destination during the daytime of the second day in my Kobe trip was “Hyogo Prefecture Guest House (兵庫県公館)”.

“Hyogo Prefecture Guest House (兵庫県公館)” was built as the fourth prefectural government’s office in 1902.

Now the building is used as the prefectural guest palace and museum.

This is Hyogo prefecture’s mascot character “Habatan (はばタン)”.

[Closing]

That’s it for the article about Ikuta Shrine, Nunobiki Herb Gardens etc. as part of Day 2.

Talking of major tourists spots in Kobe,”Bay Area”, “Kitano Ijinkan Gai (北野異人館街)” and “Nankin-machi (南京町)” are often referred to. In that sense, these spots I visited in this article may be less famous. However, each spot has its own characteristic and traffic access was convenient, so I would recommend them especially for repeaters 🙂

In the next article, I will write about light-up in Kobe Great Bridge as part of Day 2.

[Map]

1 Ikuta Shrine
2 Kobe Nunobiki Herb Gardens
3 Shin-Kobe Station
4 Takenaka Carpentry Tools Museum
5 Baan Thai Market
6 Sorakuen Garden
7 Kanteibyo (Chinese Temple)
8 Hyogo Prefecture Guest House