Published date: February 5, 2025
Close to Kobe Sannomiya Station, walking distance to Luminarie and foreigner houses
Room Type Stayed
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Experience of the stay
I took the elevator near Exit A25 of the East ticket gate of Hanshin Electric Railway Kobe Sannomiya Station to go up to the ground and to the hotel.
At the front desk, I filled in my name and other details and checked in using a machine.
There was one bottle of water in the room, and I had bought two more bottles at the Family Mart below, but it wasn’t enough, so I was grateful for that.
The room, bed, and desk were spacious.
There was sleepwear provided, but it was a long type without pants, so I wore my own pajamas.
However, I sweated a lot after the morning bath, so I wished I had worn the sleepwear instead. (Taking a bath twice, once at night and once in the morning, helps relieve foot pain. A bathtub is essential.)
The green tea was powdered tea and delicious.
There was a microwave in the coin laundry on the 5th floor.
The WiFi password was written in three places.
There were three cups in the shelf under the desk.
It’s one block off the main street, but there are more than three convenience stores nearby, and I returned to the hotel at 9:30 PM, but I felt safe there.
I couldn’t find a locker, and on the second day, I went sightseeing on the opposite side of the station, so I left my luggage in the station’s coin locker.
I couldn’t sleep until 3:30 in the morning, but since checkout was until 11 AM, I was able to leave without rushing.
Check out was also done using a machine.
Experiences during the trip
This is my third time in Kobe, but my first time at Sannomiya Station.
First, I tried Akashiyaki for the first time in the underground shopping area and bought dessert at the supermarket to enjoy at the hotel.
I intended to take a bus to Meriken Park, but since I took the wrong way, I headed to Higashi Yuenchi first.
The Luminarie was very beautiful, and with hymnal music playing, I felt like crying.
After that, I walked to Meriken Park while looking at the exhibition works in the old foreign settlement.
I was moved when I saw the night view of Kobe Port Tower before, but seeing the Luminarie there was the best.
On weekdays, the admission ticket is 1000 yen for the same day, and I enjoyed it for about an hour after entering around 7 PM.
The illumination of the Ferris wheel and the shadow play were interesting as well.
On the way back, I aimed for the Flower Clock, but I gave up due to tiredness and saw the night view from the 24th floor observation lobby of Kobe City Hall instead.
What looked like floating in the air was the Kobe landmark "Sanroku Electric Decoration."
The next day, I planned to go to Kitano Ijinkan by bus, but I didn’t know where the bus stop was, so I walked instead.
After climbing the steep hill, I bought a pass ticket for the four buildings of Yamatede, and it took me two hours to see things that should have taken one hour.
There were wonderful exhibits of art, furniture, decor, dresses, and statues.
The stairs in the building are steep, so please wear comfortable shoes.
On the way back, I took the city loop bus back to Sannomiya Station.
I walked just under 20,000 steps on the first day, and just over 13,000 steps on the second day.
I bought financiers and pirozhki at the underground department store of Hankyu, took my luggage out of the coin locker between Hankyu and the west ticket gate, and boarded the train.
There was a restaurant called Ikkanro inside the west ticket gate, but I regretted not buying anything as I was in a hurry.
This time I couldn’t eat any cake, and I couldn’t go to Nankinmachi, Daimaru, or Center Plaza West either.
If I had made it a 3-day, 2-night trip, I could have seen the Lunar New Year Festival and want to go to Mt. Rokko. I'm excited about going again next year!