Kobe with a baby: Travel Tips

She was slightly older than a year old. But, still a baby in our eyes.

A little background: In October 2019, we went to our first international trip to Asia. First, we went to Singapore and then to Japan.

We flew from Singapore to Osaka, Japan. A few days later, we went to Kobe for a day trip.

Before you continue, please know that this is part of my huge Asia series. Please read the other posts here (will update as I continue to write):

• Review: Flying with EVA Airlines
• How to handle baby jet lag
• Kid-Friendly Places to Visit in Singapore
• Free Things to do in Singapore
• 8 Unique Restaurants in Singapore
• Singapore on a budget: 7 Ways to save money
• Sentosa with a baby: 7 Tips
• Our Experiences at Paid versus Free Play Places in Singapore
• Osaka with a baby: Travel Tips
• Kobe with a baby: Travel Tips (this post)

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There are so many things for you to do with your family in Kobe. Some of the attractions include Anpanman’s Children Museum, Kobe Port Tower, Harborland, and the Nunobiki Herb Gardens.

Depending on the age of your child or children, you might want to check out some of these.

Since we were doing a day trip to Kobe, we chose one attraction which was the Nunobiki Herb Gardens. I didn’t really know Anpanman (don’t judge me) and we didn’t have time to go to Harborland.

Our friends who we travelled with checked out a play place in one of the malls. We didn’t as Baby K was napping during that time.

If we had more time, I would have love to check out Harborland, the popular vintage Starbucks house, and maybe just relax by the port.

I was surprised that Kobe was actually bigger than expected. Watching YouTubers walk around the Kobe in a day made me forget that I travel on a much slower pace because of a baby.

If you have a baby, don’t try to see everything in a day. Break it up to 2 days or just choose what is most important to you.

The food in Kobe is really good. We had the infamous Kobe beef twice. Yes, we are those people. We had a more affordable Kobe beef for lunch and really expensive one for dinner.

To be honest, they are both really good. I do prefer the lunch price much better.

One thing that I mentioned in my post “Osaka with a baby” is that you need to do your research before going to restaurants with your baby.

For lunch, we went to Steak Aoyama and had the most amazing experience. We basically had the restaurant to ourselves.

The process was to make a reservation on Facebook messenger. Show up on time (we barely made it lol). Order one of their lunch sets (we got the Kobe Wagyu Beef) and enjoy the show.

The chef was hilarious! He was showing us all the different currency he’s collected to showcase his customers that came from around the world. If you can only go to one place for Kobe beef, go to Steak Aoyama.

They do not have baby chairs for Baby K. However, we brought our portable cloth high chair (similar one here). She was able to sit with us and enjoy her own meal of baby food. Sorry baby!

For dinner, we went to another popular place Mouriya. Now this place has a few locations. I wanted to book the family friendly location, but it was closed for the day that we were planning to go to Kobe.

In Mouriya, you can tell that they are excellent in what they do. The servers come and put an apron on you and you get a chef cooking the Kobe beef in front of you just like at Steak Aoyama.

This location is bigger so they’re able to accommodate more people, even walk-ins.

Our friends who were travelling with us ordered the Champion steak while we got a leaner version.

They let us try theirs and it was basically pure fat. If you really enjoy the buttery taste and melting fat, then it is for you. Unfortunately, it was a little too much for us. We do enjoy some meat in our steak.

But be prepared to pay, it is very expensive. If you are looking for the once-in-a-lifetime experience eating Kobe beef, this would be one to check out.

We did not get a chance to check out other restaurants in Kobe, but I definitely recommend for you to do your research before you go.

As I also mentioned in the Osaka post, when it comes to baby food, here are your options:

• Order something on the menu for your baby
• Buy precooked baby food from baby stores such as Akachan Hompo or supermarkets
• Check out grocery stores or convenience stores such as 7-11 and prepare your own baby food

The best way to go about knowing about food and family friendly restaurants is to look up reviews online. Also, be aware that some restaurants might be smoking friendly. It is up to you whether you want to eat at those restaurants or not.

Overall, the food is Kobe is of good quality and really yummy.

We were staying in Osaka and decided to take a day trip to Kobe. Having said that, there are a few options for you if you want to stay in Kobe:

1. Hotels

2. AirBnBs

Hotels are really great if you want the full service of having your bed made, getting hotel slippers, and having someone to hold your luggage after you checked out. I highly recommend booking with Booking.com as they run deals throughout the year. As of this writing, they have a deal of 25% off for Asia.

Check out Booking.com here.

AirBnB is also another good option. Depending on your family’s needs, such a kitchen, or a little bit more space, this might be the best option for you. Click here to save CAD$45 off your first stay.

If you need to prepare food for your little one or just like the convenience of having one, definitely check out the AirBnB options. The price is usually cheaper than Hotels. However, the downside is that you’ll need to check in and check out yourself. Also, if you need to store your luggage after your check out time, you’ll need to find a locker storage at the train station.

Both accommodations are good. Check out Booking.com for your Hotel Stay and AirBnB for CAD$45 off your first stay.

As mentioned previously, we checked out some shopping malls. The one we went to (forgot the name) had a ToysRus. We bought this sushi toy for Baby K for only 100 yen.

Many of the malls have both local and international brands. Also, the one we went to had a food court and nursing area.

In the nursing room area, there are little booths with curtains for you to sit and feed your baby. They also have free hot water for anyone to use.

I am not a big shopper when we are travelling because I don’t want to carry heavy luggage around. Or at least, I don’t want M, my husband, to have to do that. Unless it’s something that is significantly cheaper in Kobe, we tend not to buy too many things.

We are guilty for letting Baby K pick one toy from ToysRus. It’s cute! (I know, priorities LOL)

If you want to buy something in Kobe, look online to see where the stores are located. Hopefully, they will have the item you are looking for. Or, you can just enjoy window shopping like we do.

While travelling in Kobe, I found that there were certain baby items that we love and glad to have.

First, it’s our baby carrier (or Amazon here).

Baby K was able to sleep in it, get a better point of view being in it, and just be closer to us. She feels secure and would gladly sit in it while we walk around. This is our baby carrier that I highly recommend.

Next, it’s our portable changing pad (similar one here).

Having a portable changing pad allows us to change her anywhere. Even though some washrooms have a changing station, I will still put our changing pad on top of it. I love how it’s very compact and have pockets to put diapers and wipes.

It’s as easy as grabbing it with one hand and the baby in the other.

I really appreciate having the changing pad as it is convenient and also clean for my baby’s bottom.

Thirdly, I mentioned the cloth portable high chair.

It came in handy when we needed it. You can find it online here.

The downside to this is that it only fits in a specific type of chair (high back and square corners). Other than that, it helps when some restaurants in Kobe does not have high chairs readily available.

Do you have anything you want to add to the list? Please let me know in the comments below.

Thank you so much for reading my blog post “Travelling to Kobe with a baby”. If you like what you read., please pin the image below and share it with others. Thanks again!