Beyond Tokyo: Kobe & Himeji Castle Day Trip from Osaka 43 Tips Travel OTHER Japan@japanairlinesworld
[Music] Today is day six. What do you need to know? Let’s see. First off, Kanazawa train station. Super easy. So different than Tokyo station. It’s small compared to Tokyo. and it’s manageable and it’s clean and it’s really nice. It’s just it’s a really great place. I love Kanazawa train station. What I love about the Japanese and train stations at Kanazawa and probably other parts of Japan is that it’s not just a place for you to catch a train. It’s a place to eat. There’s like there’s a huge shopping complex. There’s a hotel that we stay at Hayatt Centric which I absolutely love and recommend. Great hotel. In my opinion, it was actually better than the the uh park hyatt um that we were at. No, it was the Grand Hyatt that we were at in Tokyo. Actually, better. I liked it better. It was just nicer, more space. It just It was great. I mean, the the views of the Grand High Tokyo were better, but both were excellent hotels. We leave Kazawa 7:40. Our train text up at 8:20. There’s three trains that we have to catch in order to get from Kanazawa to Coobe. Take a tra uh Shing Kansen to Shuguru, which is like about a 45minute train ride. Really beautiful landscape, mountains, tons of deep greenery by the sea. Really beautiful, very peaceful, very The Shinkansen are like zen rides. They’re just so smooth. Everybody is so quiet. There’s no one talking on their phone. There’s no one listening to their phone without headphones. It’s just the Japanese are the most civilized people on the planet. They live by an honor code that is just light years ahead of everyone else. I I I want to be Japanese. I think I am Japanese in my heart, my soul. I just love this place so much. We get to Turu. We got to switch from the Shinkansen. We’re on to something called the Thunderbird 12. We get on the Thunderbird. We follow the signs. It’s really easy to to transfer. I was concerned cuz we only had like 14 minutes to transfer. It’s super easy. Transfer to the Thunderbird. Thunderbird train is not as nice as as the Shinkansen. It’s a little bit more aged, older. Doesn’t have the plugins, but whatever. We’re only on it for like an hour and change. We get from Suguro to Aaka. [Music] And that’s where things got a little harder to figure out. We didn’t You don’t make a reservation when you’re going from Osaka to Coobe because they have special commuter trains like every other minute. So, there’s no point. I’m going to take a special JR JR special transit train from Sheen Osaka where we got off to San Mia station in Coobe. and we got up there and then we walked to our hotel. Finding that one was a little bit trickier. It wasn’t as easy as the transfer from Shugo to Asaka, but we were able to figure it out. And um that’s like a commuter train, not like the Thunderbird or the Shinkansen. Not a not nearly as nice. It felt more like of a subway, but like a elevated subway, but less than a commuter train. somewhere between a subway car and a commuter train, like right in that middle. It was interesting. I’ve never been on a train like that. We walk over to the hotel. Of course, the sun is like blazing. We’re like roasting by the time we get to the hotel. I booked us at the Peanuts Hotel. Very, very fascinating. This place fascinates me. Number one, I love peanuts. Obviously, my husband loves peanuts. My husband reminds me of Charlie Brown. Um, he looks like Charlie Brown. He is Charlie Brown’s disposition. I love that about him. Um, and so, you know, this hotel is nothing but Peanuts themed. Every single room is titled and based on a comic on a particular comic strip, a Peanuts comic strip. This one is room 54, and it’s when you go someplace nice, you should always shine your feet. And it’s uh Snoopy and Charlie Brown having a combo. Snoopy is shining his feet because you know Snoopy Snoopy. Snoopy’s always got situations and business he’s tending to. So, um this particular room that I booked, when you book online, you can actually pick the specific themed room that you want. And I picked this one because it’s the only one out of all of the rooms that has a Tokyo or a Japanese blend to the aesthetic. The entire uh hotel is themed out in Peanuts ephemera, Peanuts aesthetic. Even like the lines and the sketchings all look Peanutsesque. The elevator is Snoopy’s Dog House, which I thought was clever. And um they have some really interesting touches here. Like your key card is a piece of paper and it’s all scannable. You there’s a bar a QR code on it. You scan it to get to the ele you scan it to use the elevator, but you don’t press any buttons. The elevator knows what floor you’re going to based on the QR code. And then you scan the the the QR code in front of the door and it opens. You put that paper in the thing and it works. turns on everything. Never seen it before, but it’s really cool. A room. I don’t know why I didn’t notice this when I was booking it, but there’s no windows. We’re like in a cell block. It’s really well designed. It’s very It’s ingenious in that like they have the rice paper in one corner and so it gives the illusion of a window, but of course there’s no windows here, which I was like, “Wait, what?” But I don’t actually mind it cuz the design is actually really nice. It’s It’s very themed out. And the moment I walked in and I saw the room and I saw the lobby and I saw the breakfast is even peanuts themed. There’s like impressions of like the characters on the buns. Um, when I first saw this, I just thought this immediately reminded me of Big Brother. You know, like Big Brother, the game show on CBS has like themes every year. And I was like, “Oh my god, what if we what if we are a winning game contestants? Like, what if this hotel is a lure?” Because it’s actually a game show that’s televised on national Japanese TV. We’re unwitting contestants with secret cameras filming us. And there’s like a Julie Chen type house guests like, you know, like these two unsuspecting middle-aged New York gay men moved into room 54. Will they survive? Who’s to know? Stay tuned. Will they collect the $500,000 prize coming up? Can you imagine? Crazy, right? Well, yeah, it’s very themed out. Definitely feels like we’re having a Big Brother moment, but I don’t mind that. Spices things up. It’s only two nights. What’s really cool is that you also get like a a themed goodie bag, like a canvas Snoopy branded bag. There’s Snoopy. There’s towels that you actually get to keep that are Peanuts branded. Peanuts branded toothbrush. You get like all these like peanut peanuts uh branded goodies in this goodie bag, which I think is it’s a it’s a huge branding coup, right? Like, who doesn’t want a bunch of Peanuts themed stuff if you’re staying at the Peanuts Themed Hotel? And they’re smart in that they realize this hotel, this this building isn’t the best, but they got really good design. Super smart on their part. And then they gave you a bunch of peanut themed ephemera that you get to take with you. Things that you get to take with you that are going to lock in really positive core memories about your time here in Coobe and also going to make you say nice stuff about the hotel. Very genius, very smart in their part. Advertising coup, marketing coup, and I respect them immensely for that because they’re really good at that. So we’re checking in. It’s like noon and I’m trying to make it really easy for the guy. I’m just like, “Oh yeah, we’ll have this breakfast.” You know, you pick your breakfast in advance. And trying to be the most unproatic person on earth, hoping to God, he’s like, “Okay, you can go ahead and check in.” He shows us the key cards. I’m thinking, “Oh god, we get to go in.” He’s like, “This is for you at 3:00.” [Music] I’m just like, “Please don’t make me go out there with that sun. I’m begging you. Please, please. But Japanese and their rules. 3:00. Doesn’t matter if the room’s ready. 3:00. 3:00. Okay. [Music] We enure ourselves. We steal ourselves to get back into that blazing sun. We walk for punishment. 60 minutes to the noon Japanese sun, there’s a really posh, high-end department store called De Maru, and they have restaurants on top. We go to the restaurant, which is on the 9inth floor. And um we have a really nice lunch. Uh Glenn had the beef. I had uh like pork, like schnitle almost, kind of like breaded pork. It was really good. And then we saw that there was an exhibition about cats. the cats of Europe. This guy, Mitsuaki Iwago, he’s he photographed cats throughout Europe. It’s all in Japanese, but you don’t need to know the Japanese. You don’t need to know the backstory to enjoy the work. Beautiful work, beautiful portraits of cats in their element, capturing their personalities, their expressive faces. It was such a treat. This is how I know I’m meant to be Japanese. They love cats just as much as I do. Incredible. It’s such a great thing to see that exhibition. That really was a cherry on top at De Maru. I’m in my tank top because it is so hot right now. Not in the hotel room. I mean, we had the AC on, but it has been one brutal summer day. Japan is known as the land of the rising sun, but I think that’s a misnomer. It should be the land of the killer sun. I cannot count. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve been caught in the heat and ready to just burst into flames because it’s been so hot. I just made a haul to Lawson’s Family Market, which the one by Peanuts Hotel, not very good. Use other ones. I’m doing Aquarius Superior Hydration. It’s cloudy water. I don’t know. Oh, this has a little bit like a a Gatorade kind of quality. It’s good. I recommend this. These are every burger. I don’t know what they look like. Candy. So, little brown burgers. I’m going to taste one. See what they taste like. Let’s see. Sorry, the lighting here is really wonky, but I wanted to get the backdrop of Snoopy on the mountain on Mount Fuji, I guess. Is that Mount Fuji? I’m assuming it’s Mount Fuji. Um, interesting wrapping. Oh, and it’s like little cookies or they look like little I thought they were gummies. Like little hamburger gummies, but they’re like little little burgers. Like little little hamburgers. M. Oh, they taste like Oreos. They kind of are like little Oreos. That’s clever. Um, these are good. Those are really good. These are keepers. So, we watched a little bit of Japanese TV. Japanese TV is wild. Wild. Then we fell asleep. And you can only imagine my dreams, right? We sleep for like 2 hours just so exhausted, so tired. And then the sun. Oh my god, the sun is finally down. Okay, so I got these guys, too. It’s called pure. They look like um gummies that are grapel like super salted. Oo. Tangy. Tangy and sweet. I like it. It’s like sour patch kids. Ooh. Oh, we find a I think it’s called Tapanaki. Those beef restaurants where they like the Benihana, like the the huge grill where the chef prepares your food right in front of you. I think it’s called Tapanaki. It’s so funny. We walk in to the to the first floor and my mom’s like, “Do you have a reservation?” And we’re like, “No, sorry.” And like the restaurant looks almost empty, right? We’re like and he picks up the phone and he dials it and he starts talking. I mean, this man is talking forever on the phone, looking at us. I don’t know if he’s phoning in his dissertation, if he’s who he’s talking to. You know, there was love, there was anger, there was laughter, there was all kinds of things in this conversation that seemed to go on forever. And then he’s like, “You can go out to to flirt, too.” That was all he said after all that. Get up there and we had an amazing dinner. Again, the honor code, the Japanese just have this thing. The chef was so every movement like the tea ceremony, every movement that they that this chef made was deliberate. It was graceful. It was there was a flow and an elegance and it was a marvel to behold. It was an honor to behold. It was a really beautiful thing. I feel very lucky, very fortunate that we got to experience it. We had Wu beef and oh my goodness, it was the most delicious, softest beef I have ever tasted in my life. This dinner was so delicious. My dinner was like $250. It was a little small, too. I mean, the portions were a little chi, but you know, you could taste that it was worth $250. It tasted $200 like $250. And that was that was one of the cheaper dinners, too, if you can believe it. There are other cuts that were like $400, $300 a piece. I was like, my god, I was hungry. I’m not going to lie. I was like still like I could have put a I could have put a burger away. Burger and fries. I could have We are doing so much walking. I’ve lost like half my body weight in fluids. We walk to the port, the port of Kyoto. We want to see the tower and we wanted to go originally the maritime museum, but we just we slept cuz we were so exhausted. So, we missed that opportunity. But we’re able to go to the port. And the port is really the tower is really cool. There’s like four or five different floors. And I thought it was just going to be like gimmicky and like, you know, like they just put stuff for you to see because they got to make it a little special cuz once you go around and see all the city, you’re like done. So they’re like, “Well, let’s just put something here and there.” But again, the Japanese honor code, like it was actually really cool. They had thoughtful exhibitions of some art. They had these plates that were decorated by global celebrities. There were everyone decorated a plate. There was like John Travolta, Julia Roberts, Sharon Stone, Kurt Vonagget, Jim Henson, Todd Olm. It was cool. There was like these just really cool decorative plates. And then of course there’s the views. You get these beautiful night views of Coobe. So beautiful. And it’s definitely Kobe is a place you want to see at night. Really recommend the Port Tower. They also had an an interactive art immersive area on one of the floors and that was cool with firecrackers, little photo stations for we play around in. But it was nice. It was fun. Tomorrow we going to him and JJ Joe to see the castle, UNESCO uh world heritage site castle and there’s also a shrine and so we’ll probably go see that too which is going to be really cool. We got early day him Joe castle over and out. Have a good night. [Music] Today is day seven. We went to Heij Joe Castle or Himiji Castle. That took like an hour on the special rapid JR train line from Coobe to Himiji Joe. Once we got there, the train station is really nice. It kind of reminded a lot of Kanazawa. huge shopping mall attached to it. They’re just so nice. They’re so cool. It’s a train station you actually want to be in. It’s really nice. Really easy to maneuver through. We didn’t know where to go exactly to catch the castle. So, we went to the tourist information center. They tell you exactly what to do. You get on this bus. The bus takes you to a very quick stop, like 2-minut stop, and you you walk to the castle. You see the castle right there? The castle grounds are really nice. [Music] And you can go in the castle, which we did. We went inside the main keep. Six floors. Those stairs are steep. But oh god, it was so well ventilated. They had like this breeze that was blowing in and cooling us all off. It was really nice. The castles are beautiful. But inside it’s a lot like Kanazawa Castle was empty, right? This is empty spaces. [Music] They weren’t There was one part of the castle that shared the history which was kind of cool to learn about. There’s not a whole lot to do inside the castle. like there’s not a whole lot to see other than the actual bare space, you know, the grounds, the grounds and the buildings are really spectacular, just beautiful to walk through. The gardens, there’s pleasure gardens, which is what they’re called, and they’re really nice, very well-maintained, but you need your sun umbrella cuz that sun, this is the land of the killer sun. [Music] 7-Eleven haul dinner tonight. The crispy Japanese chicken, which I already had in Kazaw, which is amazing. Let’s see if it’s good with the second time around. We’re also making We got Chef Glenn making the ramen from 7-Eleven. We still got it that second time. I eat this every day. It’s a boneless chicken breast. Hot, just fried. [Music] The only thing it’s really greasy. It’s kind of just greasy. And I have my napkin. It’s like a wet napkin. It’s just one napkin cuz that’s all they give you around here. Just one napkin. A napkin. I wonder why that is. I’m going to ask Chai Chi about that. To wash it down, I got Fanta mellow yellow. Tastes just like Fanta, actually. Like the yellow Fanta. We were just so burnt out today. Like we really needed some hotel rest. And believe it or not, this like windowless bunker room is perfect for just cocooning. I mean, we’re like, do we really need to leave at 8:00 this this morning? We’re like, no, let’s just kind of stay in and rest. We were supposed to also do a Buddhist temple in Himiji Joe called Ingoji. Yeah, Ingoyoji. But it is so hot outside. This was supposed to be like a whole natural day. We were supposed to do uh Pimeiji Castle Inoji Temple and then we were supposed to come back to Coobe and do some waterfall trail. We’re not doing any of that outside today cuz it is bloody hot. Super hot. So hot you’re just you’re like a wet dish rag. So we just decided let’s just do him Castle and that was enough for us. That chicken was so good. I wish I had gotten two. I do like the Peanuts Hotel. It is kind of cool. You know, one of the great things about not having the windows here is that you don’t hear anything out in the street. And Coobe is a is kind of louder than any than Kanazawa and even Tokyo. Tokyo, believe it or not, is quiet. And so is Kanazawa. They’re both quiet. They’re not quite as loud as Coobe. all these K’s. And so, um, yeah, I mean, today was a quiet day. Quiet day. You need those days sometimes, you know? I mean, six, seven days now into the trip and we’ve been just really going, going, going, going, going. Sometimes you just need to take care of yourself and that’s what we’re doing today. So, we just saw him castle and that’s about it. I got a food haul. Chocolatecovered banana chips. Now I’m going to try them. [Music] That’s another thing. Those are good. Yes to these. Is Lawson better than 7-Eleven or 7-Eleven better than Lawson’s? We are liking 7-Elevens better than Lawson’s. Oh my ramen. Oh, wow. Thank you, honey. Okay, we got the udon with meat. [Music] Oh, has a really intense miso taste. I know. Yeah, I know. I don’t know if I’m going to like it. And I know some of you are probably screaming right now into the video like, “How can you go to 7? Why did you go to Japan and just not go to a noodle house?” And I said, “You went to 7-Eleven and got noodles or ramen.” and to which I would reply, you know, every single experience here is brand new and it’s distinctly Japanese. There’s nothing here that’s Americanized. You can’t find anything here that’s going to be exactly as it is in America. Like yesterday when we were shopping, we went through Ralph Lauran, the Ralph Lauren section in the department store, and they had some really nice clothes. They had some stuff that you could get in America, but they have other things that you can’t find there. The things that are American that are here are actually different. They’re like much higher quality. We passed McDonald’s by the train station. It was full of Japanese people. You weren’t You don’t see You didn’t see any Americans there. You didn’t see any Europeans there. We looked at the line. It was all full of Japanese. That in a way makes it a Japanese experience. You’re tasting an American company, but you’re doing it with Japanese. It’s all Japanese and it’s all new. And so there is no wrong way, I think, in my opinion, to be experiencing Japan because it’s all Japanese, you know? It’s all Japanese. It’s all Japanese. a ring a ding. You know the reverence. You know it. Let me see. I’m going to have another bite. It might have been because I ate those chocolate covered bananas and now my palette’s all messed up. Oh, my glass is all fogged up. I mean, I’ll eat it, but I wouldn’t buy it again. That was our day today. It’s like, what time is it? Like 5:30 right now. 6:00. So, we basically spent the afternoon at him and Castle and that’s enough for us. We are so tired. We got a full day in Osaka tomorrow. So, we’re just laying low here in the Big Brother house, you know. It’s like I swear to God there must be like secret cameras that we’re being filmed like at broadcasted to Japanese people across the nation. We’re unwitting participants in this contestant show. Julie Chad, welcome to Big Brother Live Japan. Tonight’s elimination. The two middle-aged gay men are on the chopping block. What will happen? Who’s to know? Find out if this ends their dream in the Big Brother house. Peanuts.
You access the entire playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDew8NyO7dx4fUSFACL1HPJiL3Hs7MrOn
What do Peanuts, Snoopy, Charlie Brown, BIG BROTHER, and a breathtaking castle and tower all have in common? BREAK AWAY from the Tokyo-Kyoto-Osaka tourist loop and step into the vibrant world of KOBE and HIMEJI-JO!
KOBE: Explore the wild and outrageous PEANUTS HOTEL ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/Y1pRLMcboUuJisTL7) filled with all the characters: Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Woodstock, Linus, and the whole gang. Did it live up to the expectations? Check out the hits and losses in my honest review.
Come explore the architectural wonder of Kobe Tower ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/prsRJXxxLrpeuAUN9 ) and the majestic Himeji Castle, and see why stepping into this other side of Japan is so rewarding! Kobe Tower had lots to offer besides the stunning views, and Himeji Castle is both a wonderful place to wander around while also learning its history!
What did wagyu and kobe beef taste like? We give an honest review of what we tried!
We visited Japan for 16 days and covered each city we visited, sharing hard-earned Travel Wisdom that can hopefully help you! This is not social media spin, no BS, straight-up practical stuff with heavy doses of humor!
In this video, I cover 43 things we learned as first-timers in Kobe and Himeji-Jo for days 6&7 of our 16 Days through Japan.
DAY 6: Kobe, Japan: https://maps.app.goo.gl/nEJey86iy5NNaJFs7
Leaving Kanazawa for Kobe: 0:17
Peanuts Hotel: 4:05
Daimaru Magic: 10:37
Other information: 11:40
$500 Dinner: 14:40
Kobe Tower and Port: 17:50
DAY 7: Himjei Castle: https://maps.app.goo.gl/SWuhvbf3ZE7DRRYCA 18:59
Getting to Hemiji-Jo: 19:14
Hemiji Castle: 20:05
7-11 Food Haul: 21:25
Other Things: 22:55
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#kobe #visitkobe #visitjapan #japantrip2025 #thewholetraveler #wholetraveler #himejicastle #himeji #peanuts #charliebrown #snoopy #japanrailpass #teppanyaki #wagyubeef #wagyu
1 Comment
I still think it was the @BigBrother House!