foodie sunday in kobe

This past Sunday, we met up with Satoshi's friend and his son at Oji Zoo in Kobe.

It had been ages since I had been here! It was Satoshi's first time.

We started off by having lunch at a nearby cafe, Nim Cafe.

Apparently, the place is usually packed, but we got there right when they opened so we were able to get a table.

I had their BLT this also came with a vichyssoise, salad & tiny dessert (orange gelatin)...950 yen.

Satoshi had their daily pasta (clam and cabbage) and his friend had their omu-rice...900 yen each.

Since it was a Sunday, there were many people at the zoo and the neighboring areas.

The weather was nice but hot!

We got to see the zoo's panda.

There was also an exhibit area with this mural of the world.

I liked how they used shapes of animals to make this, here's a closer look.

On the property is also an amusement park. There are many rides, and you need to purchase tickets before riding. It reminded me of the days when we used to have carnivals at a local park in Hawaii.

I was amazed at how close up you could get to some of the animals...

The property is huge, but we managed to see a lot.

There are a lot of sakura (cherry) trees too, so this is a great place to visit when they are in bloom.

We went to a nearby shopping arcade to re-fuel.

This tiny kushikatsu stand, Ittoen, was a nice place to have a snack.

We had several sticks (quail egg, tako, shrimp, fish), the guys shared a beer, while I and the little guy had some soda...2130 yen.

And then we walked through the rest of the shopping arcade.

I came upon this cute bakery, Nico Neko-do. They make a cute (and delicious) Hello Kitty bread filled with custard...130 yen.

And this one filled with peanut cream. I was surprised at how sweet their peanut cream was (I think they mix peanut butter with frosting or something similar). Slathered in a baguette this was delicious though.

It was a long day, but we got to see a lot and eat a lot...thanks for a great day!

Oji Zoo
200 meters from the Hankyu Oji-Koen station
Admission

Nim Cafe
6-1-15 Nakahara-dori
Nada, Kobe
Phone: 078.806.3707
Hours: 11:00-22:00
Closed Tuesdays

Ittoen
5-2-24 Suido-suji
Nada, Kobe
Phone: 078.801.6332
Hours: 11:00-23:00
Closed Mondays

Nico Neko-do
2-16 Suido-suji
Nada, Kobe
Phone: 078.777.1734
Hours: 7:00-19:00
Closed Tuesdays