By SHO【Traveler】

In this reflective and emotional video, YouTuber SHO【Traveler】revisits the city of Kobe on a journey to uncover the fates of long-lost local restaurants that once thrived 30 years ago. As he retraces the historical culinary footprints, he is met with the sobering reality that many of these once-popular establishments fell victim to the devastating Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake in 1995. This disaster, which took the lives of over 6,000 people and destroyed countless buildings, left an indelible mark on Kobe and its communities.

The video invites viewers to contemplate the impact of natural disasters on cultural memory and culinary heritage. Through his exploration, SHO pays homage not only to the restaurants that are now gone but also to all the survivors and establishments that managed to rise again despite the odds. Restaurants that did survive are treated with reverence, as SHO highlights their resilience and ongoing commitment to tradition and service.

Throughout Kobe’s streets, the host shares stories and memories tied to menus and dining experiences of the past – many handed down through local lore or past guides and recommendations. As he walks through neighborhoods that have been reconstructed or transformed, the remnants of yesterday’s gastronomy appear subtly in faded signage or oral history from locals.

This deeply personal travelogue does more than document a food journey—it paints a portrait of cultural loss, memory, and recovery in post-disaster Japan. Kobe, a vibrant city with a mix of traditional charm and international flavor, resonates as a backdrop not just for tourists, but as a place that holds personal and collective memory.

For viewers interested in history, food culture, and the enduring spirit of a city, this video is both informative and heartfelt, offering an off-the-tourist-path view of Kobe's culinary past.