A few weeks back, Aki’s family and I visited the city of Kobe to pick up our car (Honda Street G whaaaat?!?). Kobe is mostly known for its beef, but was also a hub for foreigners in Japan, in the early 1900s.

The historical area of Kitano-chō features traditional Western houses from Europe and is one of Kobe’s main tourist attractions. The buildings are in pristine condition and since most Japanese never leave the country, Japanese tourists get all excited when visiting Kitano-chō. There’s plenty of Western-style restaurants, some even run by real foreigners (this is rare, trust me :). Most of the houses are turned into museums nowadays and can be visited, but entrance fees are generally high. Kitano is a great spot for photography and streets are busy, especially on the weekends. You also get a great view of the city, as the area is located on a mountain. As with most mountains in Japan, there is also shrine on top, which is worth to check out :)

Kobe Kitano-chō Gallery

I captioned some of the pictures to give you a better idea of what it’s about. Simply hover of them to read the captions.