We get up early and go buy some breakfast food in Tokyo station. We are taking the Shinkansen to Shin-Kobe this morning, arriving around 1pm. The plan is then to have lunch in Shin-Kobe and explore the area before going to Kobe’s central station area, where we have a hotel. The train ride is swift and comfortable, and we get to see Fuji-san once more, from closer than the last time! In Shin-Kobe, we quickly find a coin locker, store most of our stuff in one locker, and go to a restaurant that has a reputation for serving an excellent Kobe beef set meal. We have the place to ourselves, and enjoy delicious meat and vegetables with a chef cooking, all in front of our eyes. Delicious and nice experience.
We then exit and start walking in the hills of Kobe. We reach the Nunobiki waterfalls, continue to the Nunobiki Dam, and walk along the reservoir. It is pleasant to enjoy nature for once. Along the way there are some shrines, a charming old bridge (Tanigawa bridge), and some viewpoints. The views of the bay are great! Cicadas are making noise, but not the one we are used to hearing. This is clearly a popular weekend spot for the summer. Eyquem and Gadea spot a wasp that has paralyzed a big spider. The wasp proceeds to pull the spider in her nest hole: it will lay eggs in the poor spider, who will regain mobility and live as a host until… We continue our way and encounter a female Japanese wild boar with 3 little ones. The mom moves cautiously, then accelerates to safety. Meanwhile, Noe, Gadea, and Eyquem move cautiously away then accelerate to safety. The little boars follow the mom for a while, but then speed back to where there were coming from. Hopefully, the family will reunite later! On our side, we finish the descent, get our stuff from the locker, and take subway and train to the hotel. We relax for a while and then go out to the piers to take a look at Kobe and have a nice little dinner.
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