Kobe

We spent the next morning doing some laundry and doing some last minute shopping at Hiroshima. After lunch, we made our way to the next destination - Kobe!

It was close to evening by the time we were done with checking in and settling down. There was this beautiful park at the back of our hotel so we decided to explore the hilll before heading downtown for dinner.

It was very windy and cold, Sofia was pretty exhausted by the time we reach middle of the hill.


So we took the ropeway again to enjoy the city view.


Of course, the highlight of the day was to have Kobe beef for dinner!! That is exactly what Kobe is famous for right?
We chose this little restaurant where you can order any type of Kobe beef and grill it at the table yourself. The beef tasted REALLY good. We were told that there are actually quite a few conditions to "qualify" Kobe beef, for example:

-Tajima cattle born in Hyōgo Prefecture
- Farm feeding in Hyōgo Prefecture
- Bullock or castrated cow, to purify the beef
- Processed at slaughterhouses in Kobe, Nishinomiya, Sanda, Kakogawa and Himeji in Hyōgo Prefecture.
- Marbling ratio, called BMS, of level 6 and above.
- Meat Quality Score of 4 or 5
- Gross weight of beef from one animal is 470 kg or less.

On top of that, the cattles are fed one beer per day, massaged with sake daily, brushed to set their fur, and fed on grain fodder. I am not sure if the above is true unless I visit the farm itself and witness all these "extra" treatments but if this is truly happening, then it does have an impact on the beef because it was REALLY GOOD! In the end, the three of us went back to the hotel with a bulging waistline!

Hiroshima II

The next day, we visited the famous Miyajima island where the Itsukushima Shrine is located. The moment we stepped off the ferry, we were greeted by deers living on the island and they wondered around freely. Sofia was attracted to them like bees to honey and all our calls to her simply fell on deaf ears. She just wanted to get her hands on the deers!! Given the chance, she would have patted and kissed all of them.



This is the Otorii (grand gate). We just took a picture from a distance because it was low tide and it was pretty muddy all around. If it is high tide, the gate would look like it is floating on water.


The stroll through Momijidani park was lovely, so much so that Sofia fell asleep in the stroller and poor Daddy had to carry her up the hill to the Momijidani Ropeway Station.


From the Momijidani Ropeway Station, we took a cable car up and down Mt Misen. From the carrier we enjoyed the beautiful view of the Seto Inland Sea and virgin forests.

Somethings in life are just too good to be missed, for example, Hiroshima's fresh and succulent oysters grilled on charcoal till perfection. They were so yummy!! It cost around US$4 for two huge pieces and they were ALL MINE!! Simply because "these things" does not go down well with Daddy, so I had them to myself. They were really fresh and sweet, I think Daddy was kind of tempted when he saw how much I enjoyed them. He was hovering over me like a vulture, wondering if he should take a bite. Haha! It was a PERFECT ending to a long day at Miyajima island!

Hiroshima

Our second morning in Fukuyama was lousy, it was raining so the plan to visit the castle across the street was thrown out of the window. Instead we spent the whole morning doing what city folks do - shopping ... Sofia and I hit the mall at the train station, enjoying the fashion display, toys, etc ... Our hands were definitely itching in our pockets but the dangling price tags do serve their purpose well. They are just like the mosquito repellents placed strategically back home to keep away the bugs, but here, the price tags repels my hands very effectively!

Daddy got back late in the afternoon and we made our way to our next stop - Hiroshima, via the bullet train. Sofia was all excited to take the train (again!) and indeed, she was very well behaved. We guess it could be due to the cold weather, she would obediently let me put on all the layers and sit quietly in the stroller. She probably realised that sitting in there will keep her warm.

This is Japan savoury pancake, Okonomiyaki (お好み焼き). It is very popular in Osaka and Hiroshima and the way it is made differs between the two cities. This is the first time we are trying the Hiroshima pancake and Sofia loves it. Well, she just love anything that is SWEET.

The next morning, we headed to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and Museum. The museum exhibit presents the facts of the atomic bombing, with the aims of contributing to the abolition of nuclear weapons throughout the world, and of promoting world peace. The Peace Memorial Museum collects and displays belongings left by the victims, photos, and other materials that convey the horror of that event, supplemented by exhibits that describe Hiroshima before and after the bombings and others that present the current status of the nuclear age. Each of the items displayed embodies the grief, anger, or pain of real people. It was heart-wrenching to walk through the museum, looking at the exhibits and to learn that many of the victims were children at school.

We could not spend as much time as we would have liked at the museum as Sofia was super bored. No games, nothing interesting (to her), everyone was solemn and quiet, except her. Once we exited the museum and entered the park, she was overjoyed.

Here are some photos taken while we were running around at the park:

Sofia outside the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum.

An accidental photo of us taken by Sofia at random, I am surprised it turned out well!

A "tiger" set free at the park.

Sofia and "her" fountain.

The atomic bomb dome.

A huge train engine replica at the park.

We ended the long day with a beautifully cooked omerice which tasted just as good.

First Stop at Fukuyama

Sofia and I started off with an early morning flight from Taoyuan airport to Kansai airport (Osaka). The plan was to make our way to Fukuyama via trains and meet Daddy for dinner. The ride on the plane was pretty smooth and before we landed at Osaka, Sofia dozed off and the bumpy part started.

I woke her up after we touched down and in a blurry state of mind, she WET her pants! Of course she was very uncomfortable and stood there at the plane's exit, wailing at me to change her pants and all. I had no extra change of clothes and the soonest would only be possible after we collect our luggage. So I pulled her along, heading to the nearest toilet first to empty her bladder. After that came the luggage collection and change of clothes for her in the toilet. I was completely thrown off balance with having to manage the big luggage, stroller and Sofia.

Once that all was done, we headed to the train station to buy our tickets. What came next was yet another surprise. The lady advised me to buy the train tickets to Shin-osaka and Fukuyama at the airport as it would be cheaper and I readily agreed. I requested for reserved seats on the Shinkansen (Osaka to Fukuyama) as it would be an hour ride. She could not find any two seats that were next to each other so she proposed to have us seated in the "SILENCE CAR" and that was the only way out. SILENCE CAR!!!??? Yes, we are suppose to KEEP QUIET and NOT TALK in the car. I had no choice but nodded ... back in my mind, I was racing for a solution, how am I suppose to keep a 3yo QUIET for a good one hour?

This was the sticker behind every seat to remind all the passengers to KEEP QUIET. My solution? I took out all the snacks I had in my goodie bag and offered them to Sofia, no questions ask. It must have been the best train ride for Sofia in her life, snacks round the hour, no strings attached ... With that, I had her munching non-stop all the way to Fukuyama. At least the munching sound from her mouth is not that audible ...

We checked into the New Castle Hotel at about 4pm, our room had a gorgeous view of the castle across the road. The plan was to check out the castle tomorrow morning while Daddy is away for meeting.

There was also a beautiful cathedral across the road but seems a bit far to walk to. We went to grab some lunch and washed up before taking a short nap, it was such an eventful day for just the two of us.

Holiday in Taiwan

I finally went for my overdue holiday with Daddy and Sofia end of April to Taiwan and Japan. It was a business trip for Daddy and he extended it in Japan for our break.

I took it so slow in Taiwan that we practically did nothing except spending wonderful time with my cousins, enjoying home cooked food and chatting away.


Sofia, as usual, started off shy and reserved but when she realised that there was an endless supply of chocolates and cute crackers popping out of the fridge and cupboards, she need not hide behind me anymore!


Life is much more delicious with 舅舅 and 舅妈 who gives her things that Daddy and Mummy do not. Oh, it was sooo EASY to win her heart! After a few big chocolates and cookies, she was practically eating from their hands and playing with them! Looks like my cousins have not forgotten the way to win a child's heart after 20+ years.

It was a good weekend there in Taipei city, before we headed off to Japan (Fukuyama) to join Daddy.