Salmon is well known for returning to the river where it is born – and I am certainly that way.
For almost two decades, I have been going back to Kobe – the city where I was born – almost every year. Even while I was living in Penang, I punctuated almost every year-end home leave with a two-day/one-night trip from Yokohama (where my parents live) by Shinkansen.
サケが生まれた川に帰るように、私もこの20年近く、生まれ故郷の神戸にほぼ毎年帰ってきました
ペナン島に住んでいたときも、年末帰省の際は（両親が留守を守っていた）横浜から新幹線に乗り一泊二日で神戸に帰っていました
This year (2021), with more flexibility in time, I wanted to go home in a different way.
Since I have been running all around my current neighborhood this year, I thought of doing a run across Kobe. Kobe is at least 35 kilometers/22 miles long, so I thought it would be interesting to start at the east end and see how far west I could go.
今年（2021年）は時間に柔軟性ができたので、違った帰り方をしてみたいと思いました
今住んでいる横浜市を縦横に走っているので、神戸を東から西に向けてどこまで走れるかチャレンジしようと思い立ちました
From the Hills into Sake Country 六甲の麓から灘五郷へ
On the third Saturday of November 2021, I set off from Ashiyagawa station on the Hankyu Kobe Line shortly past 9:30AM. This station is located in the neighboring city of Ashiya, but I wanted to make sure I run into Kobe from the very eastern end.
Hankyu’s Kobe Line is well known for running through a high-end residential area, which I can feel in the neatly manicured greenery.
2021年11月の第三土曜日、朝9時半少しすぎに阪急神戸線芦屋川駅を出発
きれいに手入れされた植木に 高級住宅街であることをひしひしと感じます
After crossing the city limits into Kobe, I find a house inviting me to “come hither” and check out their selection of children’s books. If I wanted to do so, I would need to wait one more hour before the shop opens.
神戸市内に入り、こんな素敵な書店を発見 開店まで1時間も待てず、泣く泣くパス
This city is full of hills, so Co-Op Kobe supermarket delivery trucks are busy doing their rounds.
坂の多い東灘区ではコープこうべ（かつての「灘生協」）の配達トラックが大活躍
しかし生協を「コープさん」と呼ぶとは、よほど生活に密着しているんですね
Passing through the Konan University campus.
甲南大学のキャンパスを通っていきます
On my previous trips home I used to admire the sight of locals running up and down the Sumiyoshi River. Today it’s my turn to do the same.
これまでランナーの姿を「素敵だなぁ」と眺めつつ歩いてきた住吉川 今回はその仲間入りです
Near the mouth of the river – where it flows into Osaka Bay – is one of Japan’s most famous sake (rice wine) brewing communities: Nada-Gogo 灘五郷, or the Five Sake Villages of Nada. Join me for a little tour.
河口近くで右折し、いよいよ「灘五郷」に入っていきます
The sake and the beef may be better known, but it’s really the seaport that put Kobe on the map. Busan and Shanghai might be busier these days, but cars and other goodies are still loaded onto ships from here.
神戸といえば、日本酒やビーフもさることながらやはり「みなと」 釜山港・上海港に越されて久しいかもしれませんが、自動車など輸出品の積み出しは今も健在です
Unexpected Discovery in My Old Neighborhood ふるさとで新たな発見
The Great Hanshin Earthquake of January 17, 1995 changed the city permanently. New developments came up along the waterfront, while shopping arcades with more history have fallen eerily silent.
1995年1月17日の阪神・淡路大震災はこの街の姿を決定的に変えてしまいました 港に近い地域の再開発が進む一方で、春日野道の歴史ある商店街は閑古鳥が鳴く状況
But I was relieved to see other arcades still teeming with activity, such as Oyasu-tei Arcade which features at least one halal food shop.
それだけに、JRの南側にある「大安亭（おおやすてい）商店街」が活気を呈している姿に安心 ハラール食材の店まであります
From Oyasu-tei westward, I end up running through my old neighborhood Sannomiya, Kobe’s central business district, despite initial plans not to do so.
大安亭商店街から右折しそのまま走ると、生まれてから8歳まで住んだ三宮へ 当初避けようと思っていましたが、結局戻ってきました
Perhaps it was Malaysian food that attracted me to Sannomiya this day.
While doing a Google search for articles on similarities between Penang and Kobe, I ran into an article introducing a Malaysian restaurant in the San Plaza underground shopping mall. I usually eat light during a run, but after almost one full year without Malaysian food I knew I would regret passing up this opportunity.
この日三宮を通ることになったのは、マレーシア料理につられたためだったかもしれません
Googleで「ペナンと神戸の共通点」を検索していたとき、地下街「さんプラザ」の一角にマレーシア料理屋があることを知りました
通常ランニングのとき食事は極力軽くしますが、1年近くマレーシア料理を食べていなかったのです これを逃したら後悔しそう！
I step into the restaurant, order a plate of nasi lemak – one of the national dishes of Malaysia – and am amazed by what they had to offer. Chicken rendang (a sort of curry) with a very rich taste, prawn and squid (calamari) dish with a distinctive sweet/sour/spicy Peranakan flavor, and the requisite fried egg/anchovies/nuts combination. The most de luxe nasi lemak I have had.
そこで店に入り、お勧めのナシレマ（マレーシアの代表的料理）を注文すると出てきた料理にびっくり
リッチな味わいのチキンレンダン、ビネガーとスパイスが効いた独特の味わいのプラナカン風エビとイカ、そしてナシレマに不可欠の卵・カタクチイワシ（アンチョビ）・ナッツ
これまでで最もデラックスなナシレマでした！
Oh, the sambal! This seafood/red pepper paste tasted so good, I simply could not help asking for a little more.
Auntie Mei Hwa, who is originally from Butterworth in the state of Penang and speaks beautiful Kansai dialect, is happy to offer me a generous second portion.
Kamsiah!
しかもマレーシア風ひしお味噌・サンバルが！本物の味についお代わりを所望
ペナン州バターワース出身で見事な関西弁を話す女将の梅花（めいふぁ）さん、喜んでたっぷり出してくれました カムスィア（ペナンの福建方言で「ありがとう」）！
女将の手づくりは本物です！
Here’s the restaurant information in Japanese, from Tabelog. Show this to the staff at the information counter at the hotel or train station and they should be happy to assist.
お店の名は「マレーシア風カレー＆ペナン料理 梅花」 三宮にお越しの際はぜひ！
https://tabelog.com/hyogo/A2801/A280101/28048589/
Taking A Break ちょっとひと休み
After the hearty Malaysian lunch, I feel a need to work it off by going a bit farther. I tell myself to slow down as I continue through the Old Foreign Settlement 旧居留地, but then the sight of other runners gets the better of me as I enter Meriken Park. Great place to chill on a sunny day like today.
マレーシア料理でお腹を満たした後、お腹を落ち着かせつつ旧居留地へ
しかし、メリケンパークで他のランナーの姿を見るとついペースアップ
Then I start to feel a bit cramped as I pass through the shopping/dining complex in the Harborland development which now goes by the name of Umie (“oo-mee-eh”, means “to the sea”). I find an elegantly outfitted cafe on the ground floor – of course, it has to be if it’s operated by Nishimura’s. Perfect place and time for a break.
Umieに名を変えたハーバーランドを通りつつ、脇腹に違和感を覚えたので少し休憩
素敵なカフェがあるなぁ、と思ったら「にしむら珈琲店」の支店ではありませんか！
Into Unexplored Territory 未踏の地へ
Powered up by beloved tastes of my first and third homes, I continue my run past Kobe station and into Hyogo Ward.
The safest bet in this unexplored territory would be to stay on a main northeast/southwest street called Daikai-dori, but main streets tend to look alike in any city. It’s time to find a back street which runs parallel to Daikai-dori – that’s where I tend to find more personality.
第一と第三のふるさとの味でパワーアップし、神戸駅を通過して兵庫区へ
これまで歩いたことのない地域なので、北東から南西に向かって走る大開通をゆくのが最も確実なのでしょうが、大通りはどの都市も似たようなもの
大開通に並行して走る裏通りを行きます
With more than 20 kilometers behind me, and I am left with less and less energy to photograph scenery unless I find something quirky, funny, or otherwise particularly interesting.
Thankfully, the Hyogo and Nagata Wards do not lack for subjects of that sort. Here’s a sample:
ここまで20キロ以上を走り風景写真を撮る気力も失せてきましたが、兵庫区と長田区は面白おかしい、また個性的な光景に事欠きません
そのほんの一例をご覧に入れましょう：
ユーモアとは？”Humor” is “Thinking of YOU MORE than myself” – thoughts from a Buddhist temple
The name of this eatery-cum-grocery store is Anpontan, which is one of several expressions meaning “blockhead” or “dummy”.
料理屋さん兼総菜屋さん、その名は「あんぽんたん」
Sign reads “Pigeon droppings are a major nuisance in this neighborhood. Pigeons are cute, but please be considerate and refrain from feeding them” – well, who says pigeons are cute? I personally find them pretty violent…
ハトが可愛いなんて、だれが決めたん？めちゃ獰猛な生き物やのに…
The five-language sign on this street corner indicates the presence of a sizable Vietnamese community in Nagata Ward.
5か国語の標識からも分かる通り 長田区にはベトナム人が多く住んでいるようです
Outside an izakaya (gastropub): “Three things keep the man of the house happy – Sake, good food, and plenty of (uninterrupted) time in the toilet”
酒と飯と雪隠！
Very straightforward messaging from Kobe Christ Glory Church, an Open Bible Church congregation: “Salvation Is Here!”
キリスト教会が日本でこんなにダイレクトに存在をアピールする教会は珍しい気がします
“Limited Express Cleaning” – a “limited express” is usually the fastest type of train on a Japanese rail line, thus the connotation of speedy service on this shop’s name.
クリーニング「特急舎」さん、どのくらい早いんでしょうか？
Shopping arcade near Itayado station. Is this doggie guarding the owner’s veggie shop, or is he/she simply a mascot?
板宿駅近くの商店街にて こんなかわいいワンちゃんが迎えてくれる八百屋さんも珍しいのでは？
If you’re into takoyaki, you might want to check out this cheeky-looking shop – it’s called “Aho-ya”, which in Kansai dialect means “Dummy!” or “Nonsense!”
Apparently this is a chain originating in Osaka, with 13 outlets in the Kanto area as well.
同じく板宿の商店街 たこ焼き屋さんの名はズバリ「あほや！」 関東にも展開しているチェーンのようですね
Official Website (sorry, Japanese only): http://www.ahoya.net/index.html
All’s Well That Ends Well 終わり良ければ総て良し
I could have gone farther, but I wanted to end my run in familiar territory before finding myself injured or burned out in a place from which I cannot find my way back.
I’ve gotten off the train in Tsukimiyama at least twice – on my way to the Rikyu Park back in elementary school, and on my way to a worship service at a Reformed Presbyterian church nearby. A very logical place to call it a day after almost 29 kilometers/18 miles.
本当はもう少し先まで行けたのですが、後戻りできない場所でケガをしたり燃え尽きたりするのも避けたいものです
そこで、小学生のとき離宮公園に行った際、また大人になってから近くの教会（神戸神愛教会）に行った際下車した山陽電車の月見山駅でリタイヤ 走行距離は29キロ近くに達しました
Since I have come this far west, I hop on a westbound train on the Sanyo Electric Railway to watch the sunset at one of my favorite scenic spots in the city: Takinochaya station.
This station sits on a cliff overlooking the Akashi Strait, where you can view the world’s longest suspension bridge in the distance.
ここまで来たからには、神戸有数の景色の素晴らしい駅に行かねばなりません
山陽電車滝の茶屋駅 ここから眺める明石海峡の眺めは最高！
If you want to get closer to the bridge, you can walk (or, in my case, run) along the tracks toward Tarumi and get this view at Higashi-Tarumi.
On the way, I find another funny sign – a karaoke bar whose name can be translated as “Beautiful Pig”. I wonder what kind of mama-san (see NOTE below) would greet me if I have a chance to visit?
もう少し明石海峡大橋に近づきたいと思ったら、線路沿いを垂水に向かって歩きましょう
その途中でこんなスナックを発見 どんなママさんが迎えてくれるのかな？
After this, back to Sannomiya to get some dinner supplies – cooking a pot of bouillabaisse to share with my old buddy who kindly let me stay at his place in Amagasaki.
The tower with the round facade is Hankyu’s station, which finally regained its grandeur 26 years after the great earthquake. What a way to declare to the world: “Kobe is Back!”
垂水からはJRで三宮に戻り、家に泊めてくれた旧友と共に囲む夕食（ブイヤベース）の食材を買ってきます
阪急の駅ビルは震災から26年のときを経て、ついに本来の美しい姿を取り戻しました
「高層ビルを建てなくてもいいのに」とは言いますまい 感慨に浸らずにはいられません
NOTE:
Mama-san: This is a generic term used to refer to female proprietors at independently owned/operated nightlife establishments. They specialize in serving drinks and engaging patrons in pleasant, relaxing conversation – and nothing more.
I understand some of you might raise eyebrows at such a sissy-sounding expression, but this is one way in which Japanese males (especially older generations) let their hair down after a full day working in very stressful business environments.