The REAL Kobe Japan Experience: Waterfalls, Gardens & Kobe Beef

The REAL Kobe Japan Experience: Waterfalls, Gardens & Kobe Beef

Konichiwa and good morning, my friends. We 
are starting our day in Kobe with some nature, and the best part is it is just outside of the 
Shin-Kobe Station where we arrived. They have an information center there where you can pick up 
a map of the hiking trails we’re on. And then you head out, up the hill, across a small bridge, and 
then take an easy 10-minute hike to our first stop of the day: the Nunobiki Notaki Waterfalls. Wow, 
this thing is gorgeous. It’s actually considered to be one of the three divine waterfalls here 
in Japan. It’s 43 m tall, and the way that the water cascades down right here kind of looks like 
a draped cloth, and that is where it gets its name from. I am already waterfalling in love with this 
place. And when you’re done at the waterfall, you have two options. You can either head back down 
to the bottom and hop on the gondola/ropeway up to the top of the mountain or do what I’m doing, 
which is a 20-minute hike through some gorgeous nature. You’re walking down shaded paths past 
shrines. They have another beautiful waterfall. And then you emerge here at the Kobe Reservoir, 
where you get these stunning views of the sky and the clouds with all of the forest wrapping around. 
It is really special. I would say it’s about an easy to moderate level difficulty hike, but if I 
can do it, you can definitely do it. Right now, we are heading to the midway point of that ropeway 
to get up to the top of the mountain because while I do like some exercise, I don’t like that 
much exercise. So, I will see you up there. Wow, what a great view. You can see the entire 
city and all the way out to the Osaka Harbor. You can even see Osaka out there in the distance. 
Very cool. Definitely worth a little hike and ride up here. And that ride was really pretty, but it 
was only about 2 minutes. So, on the way down, hopefully we’ll get a little bit more out of 
it. When you arrive up here, it is so gorgeous. It was designed to look like an old German 
castle, and they have lots of places to eat, sit in the shade. There’s a rose garden and a 
fragrance museum that you can go in and test out some of the lovely smells of the flowers from 
around here. Very cool. And another great reason to come up here is that this is the entrance to 
the Nunobiki Herbal Gardens, which are terraces of flowers that actually go from the top ropeway 
stop all the way down to the middle one where we just got on. So, we’re going to go and explore 
that right now. But it’s kind of hot out today, so I got some honeycomb soft serve like in my 
Noboribetsu video. If you haven’t seen it, that’s a fun one. But look at that fresh honeycomb. It is 
dripping. I love it. M. All right, let’s head in, head down, and explore this together. And 
those bees better stay away from my honey. And they have some really cool little hangout 
spots with strategically placed hammocks where you can sit down in the shade and listen 
to all the nature around you. So special. And about halfway down, you come to 
the Glass House, or Glass Houses, and they are amazing. They have these beautiful 
garden/mini jungles inside that have waterfalls and little exhibitions that you can check out. 
And when you come down, they actually have a deck with this amazing view that might be even better 
than at the top. And you probably heard of Kobe, but you just might not know it. Back home, 
we call it Kobe beef, like Kobe Bryant, but it’s actually pronounced “Koh-beh,” and it 
is legendary tasting meat that you have got to try while you’re here. So, now that we’re done in 
the gardens, I’m going to go and hop back on that ropeway to head back down into the city, and then 
we are going to go and find some delicious meat to eat. I’ll see you down there. I hope that you are 
hungry because we are almost at the restaurant, and I’ve been on a 20-minute walk. Oh, a 20-minute 
walk, Adam. We just did a hike. I know, I know. But the city is very walkable, and I actually 
picked this place because it let me go through two things that you need to see while you’re here: 
the Kitano district, where you can go and see some old 19th-century mansions and even go inside and 
explore them, as well as the Ikuta Jinja, which is over 1,800 years old and one of the oldest in 
Japan. Inside there are beautiful torii gates, and in the back is a peaceful forest where you can 
put your hands in the stream to purify your soul. I am so excited for this. Kobe is very rare beef. 
There’s only about 3,000 to 5,000 cattle that are even certified every year as Kobe. And we are 
having it in the traditional teppanyaki style, so they’re cooking it on a flat top right in front 
of me here. And it looks and smells delicious. All he’s adding is a little salt to it for flavor. 
And this beef actually makes up less than 0.06% of all of the beef that’s consumed in Japan, so 
this is going to be a treat. Oh, perfect timing. Thank you so, so much. Steak box. Okay, this is 
for steak. This is Japanese pepper, soy sauce, and this is soup stock. And this is a cooked egg, 
so you can put it here if you would like to. Oh, thank you so, so much. Wow, that worked out 
well. Oh, there’s the treat right there. Look at that beef in there. Wow. Oh, man. Smells 
amazing. Look at that. And it’s really famous because of the marbled fat in it that gives 
it this silky, juicy, and just steaky flavor. Wow. That’s amazing. Probably the best steak that I 
have ever had. It’s like as I’m trying to chew it, it’s breaking up before my teeth are even 
getting through it. That’s how good it is. Wow. Try a little bit of the soup. M. It’s like a corn chowder. And 
they also grilled up the vegetables on the teppanyaki. Let’s get a 
little steak and potato in there. You can taste the steak and the potato. That is 
so freaking good. And I got a half-cooked egg. Look at that. They have mastered the art of the 
par-cooked egg here in Japan. I think I’m going to put it right on the rice with the Kobe. Oh yeah. 
Boom. All right. I am going to finish this up, and then we are going to go and head over to Chinatown 
for a little more fun. But while you’re here, you have got to try Kobe steak because it would be 
a real missed steak if you didn’t. I will see you in a little bit. Welcome to Chinatown. You’ll 
know you got here when you walk through the gates. And this is actually one of the three main 
Chinatowns here in Japan. This one isn’t huge; it’s just a few blocks, but the entire 
thing is filled with color, sizzling food, and delicious smells. And in the center 
of it all is this beautiful little park that has lanterns above it. There’s a little 
shrine, a place to hang out, and all of these statues around. There’s so much to do here, 
so much to eat. I know we just had Kobe beef, but I got a couple of treats because I can never 
come to Chinatown without having some Peking duck. Look at this. It’s so delicious. It’s covered in 
hoisin with some fresh veggies in there. Oo. M. Oh wow. That is an especially good one. And the wrap 
on it is so nice and light. And I’m also a sucker for a bao bun, especially when it is filled with 
a huge piece of pork. Look at that fat on that. I’m so excited for this. I’m already making a mess 
on the backside. Let’s try this out, too. M. Wow. The pork is so tender. The fat is rendered 
perfectly, and that bun is just bunfection. I don’t know. Like I said, I could spend 
a whole day here, or at least a few hours, but the sun is getting ready to set, and we are 
going to be heading down to the harborfront to get some beautiful views of the sunset as well as 
hang out in one of the best nighttime spots. So, I will see you down there. Don’t worry, it’s a 
very short walk over there. Welcome to Mosaic, the nighttime hotspot here in Kobe. And it is—oh, 
sorry. What was that? Oh, the sunset. Thank you for reminding me. I almost forgot. I went over to 
the Kobe Port Tower, where for 1,200 yen you can head up 103 meters to the viewing platform, and 
the views up there were amazing. You can see the entire port. And the sunset was stunning. I’m so 
glad that I went up to witness it from the Port Tower. Then on your way down, they have a digital 
exhibition that’s a lot of fun and a rotating restaurant that you can grab some snacks in. 
When I went downstairs around 7:00, they had this beautiful light display. And you can check out the 
BE KOBE sign, which is iconic here in the city. Are you happy? Now we talked about the sunset. 
Thank you for interrupting me. I’m just kidding. But from up at the top, you could actually see 
where we are right now at Mosaic, which is like the gem of the entire Harborland area, which is 
Kobe’s bayside playground. Over here there are so many restaurants, bars, and shopping. Lots of 
things to do. And the most famous one is this gorgeous ferris wheel behind me right here, which 
I am going to go and jump on as soon as we are done. And I feel like this is probably a good time 
to say goodbye from our day here in Kobe. I had so much fun today. I ate so much food. The views were 
amazing. The nature was pristine, and having you along made it so much fun. If you enjoyed this 
video, please give me a big thumbs up, comment, subscribe, and don’t forget to ding the Kobe. 
I will see you next time. Arigato and sayonara.

Kobe, Japan is so much more than the famous beef. Today I’m taking you on an adventure through waterfalls, ropeways, mountain gardens, incredible city views, and some of the best food in Japan. If you’re planning a trip to Kobe—or looking for the perfect day trip from Osaka or a Day trip from Kyoto—this guide shows everything you must experience.

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From the Nonobiki Waterfalls and the sky-high ropeway to the Kobe Herb Gardens, the Kitano district, Ikuta Shrine, Chinatown, and the Harborland sunset… this city blew me away. And yes—Kobe beef absolutely lived up to the hype.

👉 If you’re traveling to Japan soon, save this video for your Kobe itinerary.
👉 If you love nature, views, culture, and next-level food, this one’s for you.

🗺️ What We Explore in This Kobe Video

-Nonobiki Waterfalls hike
-Kobe Ropeway & Herb Gardens
-German-style hilltop village & views over Kobe Harbor
-Honeycomb soft serve (dangerously good)
-Kitano Ijinkan area (historic mansions)
-Ikuta Shrine (1,800 years old)
-Kobe beef teppanyaki lunch
-Kobe Chinatown street food
-Harborland, Port Tower & Mosaic nightlife

📍 Why Kobe Is Worth Visiting
Kobe is one of Japan’s most underrated cities. You get nature, culture, food, and coastline all in one day — plus easy access from Osaka or Kyoto. This video breaks down exactly how to experience the best parts without rushing.

🎒 Perfect For:
First-time travelers to Japan
Day trips from Osaka
Kobe itinerary planning
Food lovers (Kobe beef, Chinatown snacks)
Nature lovers (waterfalls, gardens, views)

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