Kōbe, April 2, 2026

Today the weather was pleasant again. In the morning it was still a bit cool, but once the sun started shining, it became comfortably warm. After exploring the nearby cities of Kyōto and Nara, we decided to take a closer look at Kōbe itself today.

We did everything on foot, which meant about three hours of hiking. This was interrupted by a few photo stops, visits to shops, museums, and temples, as well as lunch.

On our way, we went through China Town twice. Once earlier in the morning when there were no visitors yet, and again in the afternoon when we had to weave our way through the crowd. The China Town in Kōbe is also very charming, although it mostly features restaurants, snacks, and grocery stores offering mainly ready-to-eat dishes. Additionally, we saw cherry blossom trees in bloom at various locations.

First, we visited the Ikuta Shrine. It was built at the beginning of the 3rd century, making it one of the oldest temples in Japan. The main deity of the shrine is Wakahirume-no-Mikoto, the peaceful essence of the sun goddess Amaterasu Omikami. She is known as the goddess of marriage, and the Ikuta Shrine is Kōbe's most famous power spot. Therefore, countless people pilgrimage to the shrine, especially to find fulfillment in love. At the same time, it is not a tourist hotspot. The shrine also features a beautiful little forest with very large, old trees and a bamboo grove. It's simply a better experience when a place is not overcrowded and serves the purpose it was created for.

Next, we went to the Yokoo Tadanori Museum of Contemporary Art. A museum dedicated to the renowned Japanese artist Yokoo Tadanori. He was born in 1936, is still alive, and began his career in Tokyo as a graphic designer. Yokoo Tadanori drew inspiration from everything and everyone. For example, a retrospective on Picasso had a significant influence on him. He also absorbed worldviews such as theosophy and anthroposophy, as well as Dadaism; Indian music inspired him, and he in turn successfully inspired renowned musicians in Japan. He was closely associated with Western music groups, creating album covers, concert, and advertising posters for Earth Wind and Fire, The Beatles, Carlos Santana, Emerson Lake & Palmer, Cat Stevens, among others.

Based on his theater experiences, he founded a successful experimental theater himself. His cat inspired him for countless images and writings, and so on. He can best be classified within the realm of Pop Art.

He achieved international recognition in 1968 when he was part of the 'Word & Image' exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and four years later, he had a solo exhibition dedicated to him at MoMA. In Japan, he became an icon of modernity and won numerous awards. His network of relationships is impressive; whether it was other painters, musicians, or writers like Henry Miller, they appreciated Yokoo Tadanori, and he appreciated them. For us, he is somewhat hard to grasp; some things seem trivial, others absurd, and some are truly inspiring. For Japanese people, coming from a completely different tradition, their impressions must be quite different. Therefore, it is overall very intriguing.

On the top floor of the museum, there were two room installations. One was a corridor filled with eyes, and the other was a variably mirrored room with a view, creating completely disconcerting images that were, however, undistorted.

Finally, we walked back to the ship. Along the way, we had lunch in a small neighborhood restaurant. It was good as always. As in other places, you have to select and pay for your food at a machine there. Then, your food is promptly brought to the table.

On the last part of our walk, we met a Mexican couple from the ship who joined us on the way back. They reported that they had eaten Kobe beef. She was thrilled, while he sent back the first portion; he found the second one better but just mediocre. We consciously decided to forgo Kobe beef, as we do not like highly hyped items. However, we could not avoid the matcha trend since matcha is now incorporated everywhere.