Around the World and Back — Gururi, a Korean Café in Kobe's Hidden Neighbourhood

Step one street back from Sannomiya and the pace of the city changes entirely. There's something nostalgic about this neighbourhood — unhurried, a little worn around the edges in a good way. Fans of the 2022 animated film Suzume may recognise it: Ninomiya is one of the areas that inspired the film's setting.

Tucked inside the shopping arcade here is a small Korean café and dining restaurant called Gururi.

Push open the door and the room wraps around you: travel photographs pinned to walls, bottle caps collected from countries across the world, coasters, Korean soju bottles, lids of all colours, gold-coloured makgeolli cups. It feels less like a restaurant and more like a room full of shared memories — everything the two owners brought back from the road, arranged around you.

The name means "going all the way around" in Japanese. It suits the place perfectly.

How a Working Holiday Became a World Trip

Che, who is Korean, and Midori, who is Japanese, met during a working holiday in Australia.

A shared interest in food and different cultures grew into a shared dream: to travel the world together.

They quit their jobs and left. What followed was a year-long adventure across 50 countries.

In Rio de Janeiro, they were mugged at knifepoint — a frightening experience neither has forgotten. In Laos, they obtained a mahout licence and learned to work with elephants. The trip held room for both kinds of stories.

Photo courtesy of Gururi

In Morocco, locals taught them how to make tagine and couscous. In Bolivia, they fell in love with salteña — a juicy, dumpling-shaped pastry that Midori still calls the best thing she ate anywhere in the world.

Every surprise, every difficulty, every meal became part of the foundation of what Gururi would become.

The End of the Road Was the Beginning

The idea for the restaurant came from a single conversation with a friend they ran into during their travels — someone who had joined them in India for part of the journey and now ran three cafés of his own.

"You both love food, and you're not afraid of trying new things. Have you thought about opening a place?"

Back in Japan, they moved in with that friend and apprenticed under him.

The satisfaction they found there — the real, daily kind — pointed them directly toward Gururi.

Why Ninomiya

After travelling the world, they came home to Kobe. The atmosphere of Ninomiya — a little removed from the centre of Sannomiya — felt right.

"'The back side of Sannomiya' — there's something about that phrase that just gets you, isn't there."

Quiet and warm at the same time. Exactly the kind of place that earns the word "hidden."

A Menu Built from Every Place They've Been

The original concept was a restaurant that would make the world feel close. That idea evolved into Korean food as the entry point — rooted in Che's heritage and already loved across Japan — with the stories of their travels waiting just beyond.

The signature: "Devil's Red" vs "Angel's White"

The Devil's Red Sundubu Jjigae can be adjusted for heat — though at its most intense, even Che breaks into a coughing fit. The contrast is the Angel's White Sesame Sundubu Jjigae, which contains no meat. It came from a request by a regular Buddhist monk, and its deep, mellow richness has made it a favourite among vegetarians and Korean food newcomers alike.

The dish that crossed borders: Prawn Coconut Curry

They spent a month in India, getting sick, recovering, and eating through it all. The flavour that stayed with them longest became the base — then they added a Korean twist. What was meant to be a quiet off-menu option became a fixture, because too many regulars refused to let it disappear.

Three chicken dishes you won't forget

The house-made tartar Chicken Nanban was the signature dish at the restaurant where they trained — a taste they ate as staff meals and eventually carried forward as Gururi's tribute to Japanese comfort food. The Spicy Yangnyeom Chicken and Burnt Honey Butter Chicken are both original creations, developed in-house over time: crisp outside, juicy inside, and the kind of flavours that keep people coming back.

Open All Day — No Lunch Gap

Gururi doesn't close between lunch and dinner, a decision that came directly from experience on the road.

"When you miss the lunch rush, almost everything shuts. I kept running into that problem when I was travelling in Japan," says Che.

One afternoon, a family arrived — hungry, between meals, classic lunch refugees. Che looked closer and realised: they were from Cuba, the very first country he and Midori had visited on their world trip.

"The girl who was maybe in high school back then — she was a mother now. That hit me."

Gururi has become a place where journeys circle back.

A Space That Welcomes Families

Raising children in Japan, Che and Midori noticed how few restaurants made parents feel genuinely comfortable.

So the second floor became a Japanese-style tatami room, stocked with toys. Word spread, and now the upstairs fills up quickly — used for mums' get-togethers, family outings, parties with friends and colleagues, and private evening bookings. Reservations are essentially required.

A Place to Leave Feeling Lighter

When asked about the future, the answer came simply.

"We want this to be a place full of excitement and smiles."

"A place where people can share in the joy of travel, and of life."

Gururi — Korean café and dining, run by a couple who went all the way around the world and came home.

A small hidden corner just beside Sannomiya, where the feeling of being somewhere else lingers a little longer.

Maybe your own story starts turning here too.

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Gururi | Korean Café & Dining

• 📍 3-5-5 Kotonocho, Chuo Ward, Kobe, Hyogo
• 🚃 5-min walk from JR Sannomiya Station
• ⏰ Wed / Thu / Sun: 12:00–21:00 (Food L.O. 20:00 / Drinks L.O. 20:30) · Fri / Sat: 12:00–22:00 (Food L.O. 21:00 / Drinks L.O. 21:30)
• 🗓 Closed Mon & Tue
• 📱 Instagram: @gururi77

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