First let's head to the Comme Chinois Boulangerie and Patisserie Cafe located in the basement of the Sannomiya Building South Wing, just next to Exit 3 of the Sannomiya-Hanadokeimae Station on the Kobe Municipal Subway Kaigan Line.

This is a representative Kobe bakery where people are constantly coming and going lured by its delicious bread.

The shop stocks about 50 ~ 60 types of bread in a day. There is a wide selection of standard hard breads, breads stuffed with wieners and vegetables, Danish pastries using seasonal fruit such as apples and tangerines, sweets of all types, such as baked cookies and cakes, as well as confiture.

Comme Chinois first began as a French restaurant in 1983. Mr. Saku Shoji, a French chef, created many original types of bread and it was this rich variety that led to the popularity of the shop

Each season is marked by breads using the fruit of that season. One of the joys of visiting this shop lies in the expectation of discovering something new.

In the back of the shop you can find the Honest Cafe, where you can enjoy a calm breakfast in Kobe. It is open from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and here you can eat the bread and pastries you purchase.

Especially between 8:00 and 11:00 a.m. water and wet towels for your hands are available as a self-service in order to help hold down the price of drinks. This is the perfect place to have breakfast before a day of sightseeing in Kobe.

I ordered two types of the recommended standard croissant. For drinks you have a choice of coffee, black tea, herb tea, or juice and I ordered a hot coffee (486 yen).

The surface of the Croissant Sac is not coated with egg yolk so that even people allergic to eggs can eat it without worry. The bread dough is folded over in only four thick layers which give it a firm texture and the croissant oozes out butter when you bite into it. The dough in the Croissant Mon Style, on the other hand, has been folded over 9 times so each is thin and the texture is light. The taste was so surprisingly light and simple I felt like I could have eaten many more.

One other item I recommend is the Sonna Banana. Mascarpone cheese and banana are wrapped up in a chewy Brie dough, and when warmed, it is a very delicious item for breakfast or brunch in Kobe. It is crisp on the outside and the banana on the inside has a soft, creamy texture, This is really scrumptious!

The Honest Cafe also has a lunch menu that is served from 11:30 a.m. Please try the casual-style French cuisine by Chef Shoji that includes roast beef and pasta, as well as an assortment of sandwiches such as panini and burgers.

It’s good to keep in mind that popular types of bread quickly sell out, so if there is a type you like, you can call ahead and have them put some aside for you. Before going sightseeing in Kobe, stop by in the morning for breakfast and enjoy freshly baked bread. You are bound to find some that you will like from the wide selection.

The next shop is just a 1-minute walk from the west exit of the Minato Motomachi Station on the Kobe Municipal Subway Kaigan Line. It is the Round Point Cafe in the area near the Kobe Port Tower.

Mr. Shuhei Umetani, the owner, said that he wanted to create a cafe like those in foreign countries where the aroma of early morning coffee fills the air. This shop opens at 7:00 a.m. on weekdays and in addition to regulars who come every morning, many foreign expats who work nearby come here for breakfast in Kobe.

The area in the back of the shop is just like a traditional townhouse.

Five types of hot sandwiches are offered on the popular breakfast menu. I tried the Sloppy Joe which was recommended. It has a slightly sweet meat sauce, cheese, onions with just the right sweetness, and ground beef. It is quite delicious and very popular. I gobbled it up in no time.

Other popular items on the breakfast menu are the Egg & Cheese Sandwich (300 yen), Honey Ham Cheese Sandwich (350 yen), Marshmallow Peanut Butter (400 yen), and Mushroom, Bacon, and Cheese (450 yen).

Also popular are baked items such as the homemade scones, the types changed weekly (from 230 yen) and the homemade New York cheesecake (450 yen).

Mr. Umetani said that his inspiration for his coffee shop came from the more than 100 coffee shops and cafes he visited traveling around dozens of foreign countries. From that experience, he now uses coffee beans from about 9 countries in Africa, South America, and Southeast Asia.

Here is a tip. If you order any type of S-size coffee between 7 and 10 in the morning, such as the popular cafe latte, cafe Americano, or cappuccino, you can get it at the morning breakfast price of just 300 yen. That is about 70 to 90 yen less than the normal price.

Soft background music is played in the shop. “I enjoy listening to records rather than piped in music. I think my large collection of jazz and R&B provide easy listening,” Mr. Umetani remarked.

There are also electrical outlets and WiFi which travelers appreciate. Come to the Round Point Cafe to experience the international atmosphere of Kobe and enjoy a sumptuous breakfast.

Our final destination is north of the Kobe Sannomiya Station on the Hankyu Hanshin Electric Railway. The Kobe Kitano Hotel sits atop the gently rising Tor Road and offers a luxurious European style breakfast it calls “the best breakfast in the world”.

And the reason for boasting to have the world’s best breakfast? That's because the breakfast menu, created by the French culinary heavyweight Bernard Loiseau, was acclaimed by the Small Luxury Hotel Association of France as being "Best in the World".

Mr. Hiroshi Yamaguchi is both the general manager and head chef of the hotel. He previously mastered his French culinary skills under the tutelage of Mr. Loiseau and Mr. Yamaguchi is the only chef to have been officially allowed to recreate the breakfast created by Mr. Loiseau.

Of course, the only place in the world where you can enjoy this breakfast is here. Even if you do not stay at the hotel, if there is a vacancy you can make a reservation (6,500 yen, reservations taken a month in advance, up to four people in a group).

Now it’s time to enjoy the Kobe Kitano Hotel breakfast!

The course consists of the following: in the back row from the left, different types of bread, fresh confiture, cafe au lait; in the middle, two types of ham, five vegetable juices, three types of butter, prunes, yogurt, Pot-au-feu, soft-boiled egg; and in front, tapioca au lait, and seasonal fruit. This all comes at once! The colorful dishes laid out before me made my heart beat faster! The aroma of the bread and coffee made my mouth water.

Next to the soft-boiled egg is an egg cutter. This is used for removing the top part of the egg shell (photo shows how the egg looks after it has been used).

Normally a fresh salad is not served in a European breakfast. As such, there is no fresh salad in Mr. Loiseau’s menu, however responding to the requests of guests, this breakfast offers “salad you can drink” in the form of fresh vegetable and fruit juices full of enzymes.

Here is the recommended way to eat this breakfast.

The breakfast comes with several types of bread; freshly baked croissant, pain au chocolat, and financier. Lots of butter and the jambon blanc ham are recommended for the hard bread.

The fresh confiture made from seasonal fruit and the chestnut flower honey go fabulously well with the yogurt.

The coffee and milk each comes in its own pitcher, so you can either enjoy your coffee black or if you prefer make cafe au lait. The milk comes from the Tajima region of Tamba in norther Hyogo Prefecture and is pasteurized.

The Kobe Kitano Hotel is popular with staying guests who come for the breakfast. Guests who are regulars highly acclaim the breakfast for always being delicious. Mr. Yamaguchi has made a few changes to the breakfast menu created by Bernard Loiseau.

“The basic style remains unchanged. I’ve just taken into consideration requests from guests as well as current culinary trends to use fresh local ingredients rather than ingredients imported from France. If you continue to use always the same ingredients in exactly the same way, it begins to feel old because ingredients and flavors reflect those popular at the time. So, for the menu to always be delicious, from time to time small evolutions are necessary,” said Mr. Yamaguchi.

And that is the secret to the delicious flavor of the “best breakfast in the world”

I hope you will have an opportunity to try these delicious places serving breakfast in Kobe. The places mentioned above will be happy to welcome you and provide you with a memorable morning meal.