Kobe lies in Hyogo Prefecture which is part of The Kansai region of Japan. About Kobe. The Shin-Kobe Ropeway cable car leaves from the Kitano area and provides great views of Kobe and the Inland Sea (9.30 am-5.30 pm Sat-9 pm, Sun-8 pm. Since the opening of Kobe Port in 1868, soon after the end of the isolation period of Japan, … Flights to and from Kobe Airport run between 7am and 9pm. The first floor of the museum houses an extensive collection of costumes, including 18th-century ballgowns, folk costumes, shoes, jewellery and accessories. But hold on, Kobe has much more to offer than just juicy steaks. Kobe's other culinary treat is located in Nada, a ward of Kobe, which has been famous for hundreds of years as one of Japan's best sake producers. Copyright © 2021. Smaller than Tokyo and Osaka, Kobe is more accessible and less formidable. There is a direct jet-foil boat to Kansai International Airport (KIX) from the Kobe City Air Terminal (KCAT) on Port Island, with buses to Sannomiya. Japanese landscape garden in central Kobe. Visit the Hakutsure Sake Brewery Museum year-round. Bars & cafes The Best Bars in the Japanese City of Kobe. Posted March 2, 2017 by Stephanie. Kobe Airport can be reached by Port Liner automated train from Sannomiya (320 yen; 16 minutes), bus, car or speed boat (30 minutes) from Kansai International Airport (service opened in 2006). The flights are operated by JAL, ANA and Skymark. Buy your tickets on the City Loop Bus when you get on at any stop. Get quick facts about Kobe, Japan, before leaving on a trip. Kobe (神戸, Kōbe) is the capital of Hyogo Prefecture and one of Japan's ten largest cities. However, with Kobe’s location on the Shinkansen Line just a few minutes away from Osaka on route to the famous Himeji Castle and Hiroshima, and only 20 minutes from Kyoto on a fast train it really should be a place you visit in Japan. The city, which is the capital of Hyogo Prefecture, is one of Japan’s largest, and is located just a few kilometers from Osaka (and Kyoto for that matter). View on Map. Kobe Japan – The word Kobe is synonymous with two things in the world: A globally recognised basketball player, and the supreme melt-in-your-mouth beef that hails from a humble city in Japan. Kobe is known for its western-style houses many of them dating to 1868 when the area was established. Food & Drink The 10 Best Cafes in Kobe, Japan. Among Rokko Island's attractions is the Kobe Fashion Museum, Japan's first museum dedicated to fashion (Mon-Sat 11 am-6 pm, 500 yen). Kobe is also home to a number of public and private universities. Western-style international hotels include Hotel Sunroute Sopra Kobe, Crowne Plaza Kobe Hotel, the Hotel Isago Kobe near JR Shin-Kobe Station, the Sannomiya Terminal Hotel, a 4-star hotel attached to JR Sannomiya Station, the budget Green Hill Hotel Urban in Kitano and the APA Hotel Kobe-Sannomiya. Kobe Airport has flights to Ibaraki, Ishigaki, Kagoshima, Naha (Okinawa), Nagasaki, Sapporo and Tokyo (Haneda). Ferries arrive and depart from Naka Pier, next to Port Tower, about 10 minutes south of Motomachi Station. Kobe Japan Travel Guide - Things to do and eat in Kobe City including Kobe beef. Tourist information centers on Flower Road near Sannomiya Station (tel 078-322-0222) and inside Shin-Kobe Station. The Disaster Reduction and Human Renovation Institution, Print out a map of the Kobe City Loop Bus, Tours of Japan - Tokyo, Nikko, Hakone, Kyoto, Nagoya. All rights reserved. Enjoy Dating Kobe Girls. Kobe Harborland's entertainment and recreation-oriented facilities feature brick warehouses that evoke the look of Kobe as it looked in the late nineteenth century when it was one of Japan's very few international port cities. A Guide to the Best Museums in Kobe, Japan. Thankfully, some of the old city survived; Kobe boasts Japan’s oldest mosque, built in 1935, and one of only three Jain temples in the country. It was a maritime gateway from the earliest days of trade with China and home to one of the first foreign settlements after Japan reopened to the world in the mid-19th century. Today the city is completely rebuilt, and few signs of the terrible event remain. The history of the city of Kobe, whose name literally translates to Gate of the Gods, is roughly similar to that of Yokohama and Nagasaki . Kobe's status as one of Japan's foremost international ports and trading centers, along with Yokohama, dates back to the town's opening to foreign traders in 1868. Westerners built their wood and brick houses (ijinkan) in Kitano, up the hill from Sannomiya, now Kobe's main station for JR and Hankyu trains. still a great place to sample a wide variety of Chinese cuisine and shop for Chinese souvenirs such as Chinese tea, lanterns, incense and all things panda-related. Kobe has some beautiful attractions; the area of Ijinkan has several western-styl… "southern barbarian") art, namely wood block prints detailing Japan's early Western visitors, both traders and missionaries. The Kobe Fashion Museum is Japan’s first public museum dedicated to fashion and is located in the Rokkō Island area in southeast Kobe, a short walk from Island Center Station. This exotic and charming port city has managed to be reborn from its ashes time and time again. The earthquake killed 5,378 people, damaged or destroyed 152,000 buildings, and is said to the most expensive earthquake ever to strike an urban area [ source ]. Kobe, Hyogo 650-0036. How to get to Kobe, Japan? See & Do Get Ready To Party at These Annual Festivals and Events in Japan’s Port City Kobe. We spent most of our time wandering and eating, of course. Kobe offers much much more than just Kobe Beef! If you have any updates, suggestions, corrections or opinions, please let us know: Copyright © 1996-2021 japan-guide.com All Rights Reserved. Alternatively take a JR train to Akashi and take the ferry (13 minutes). THE KOBE CLUB. Kobe has an awesome selection of nature and city activities to satisfy anyone looking for a good time. Includes population, expat hangouts, and places of interest in Kobe. Tokyo Tours with VoyaginKyoto Tours with Voyagin, Japan Entertainment: bars, restaurants, clubs. If you’re travelling from abroad, the easiest way to get to Kobe is to fly into Osaka Kansai Airport. There’s also the Kobe-Kansai Airport bay shuttle service – a high-speed ferry that links the airports. The city is visited by thousands of visitors every year. Address: 8 Chome-1-8 Onoedōri, Chūō-ku, Kōbe-shi, Hyōgo-ken 651-8511, Japan (see map below) Metro Stop: Kobe-Sannomiya. Japan's most beautiful castle is a short 40 minute train ride away in Himeji. Japan. Showing the City Loop One-Day Pass gets you a discount at over 30 attractions along or near the route. Daimaru Kobe Block 30. Attractively located along the waterfront in the Port of Kobe. The glass-covered museum, built with an exterior frame designed to sway in an earthquake with shock absorbers to withstand vertical and horizontal movement, presents a computer-generated film of the disaster, a diorama of a Kobe city street after the earthquake and real footage of the event.Tel: 078 262 5050 Access: A short walk from JR Nada and Hanshin Iwaya Stationswww.dri.ne.jp. Restaurants 10 Must-Try Restaurants in Kobe, Japan. Kobe Misaki 'Wing' Stadium (now Noevir Stadium Kobe) more Kobe Stadium info. Kobe's main nightlife areas are Sannomiya, Kitano and Motomachi. Visit the Hakutsure Sake Brewery Museum year-round. There's more to Kobe than just its beef, famously massaged and beer-fed. Kobe was established as a port in 1868 as a privilege to the ships from the western countries. The cheapest ticket on the Kobe subway is 210 yen. Kobe, a major port city in Western Japan, located close to Osaka and Kyoto, is home to a sophisticated port cityscape, boasting many stylish cafes and historical buildings. Kobe is today considered one of the most cosmopolitan Japanese cities. The coronavirus outbreak is having a large impact on travel to and within Japan. A 15-minute ride on the Shinkansen (bullet train) west of Kobe, striking Himeji-jō is the best-preserved castle in Japan. Kobe Japan – A Complete Travel Guide To Read Before Your Trip. Kobe Maritime Museum in Meriken Park has an exciting modernist exterior and a collection of model ships and audiovisual displays. Introducing a wide range of information, from the greater Japan area's most talked about shops, sightseeing spots and events to the souvenirs you can find there. Modern art in a spectacular building by Ando. Kobe subway is useful for making the transfer from Shin-Kobe Station after arrival by shinkansen to Sannomiya. tory’s CITY GUIDES. Its port was among the first to be opened to foreign trade in the 19th century alongside the ports of Yokohama, Nagasaki, Hakodate and Niigata. Awaji Island can easily be reached from Kobe by Express Bus from JR Shin-Kobe Station to Sumoto on Awaji (2 hours) and on to Tokushima on Shikoku. Car parking fees are presently free for 1 day and 1,000 yen per day thereafter. The iconic red, cylindrical 108 meter-high Port Tower overlooks Meriken Park, provides fine high-rise views of the city, and has a revolving cafe. The bus from Kansai Airport to Kobe takes just over an hour and costs ‎¥‎1,950 (around £13). One ride: 260 yen for adultsDay pass: 660 yen for adults. If you’re interested in shopping, Umie MOSAIC is very close by as well. Today Kobe has developed into a cosmopolitan city with a wide range of attractions and lots of fun things to see and do. The most tourist-friendly bus service is the Kobe City Loop, on a retro-style bus that passes many of Kobe's main attractions starting from Kobe Port Tower to Harborland, Chinatown, Kobe City Museum, Sannomiya, Kitano Ijinkan, Shin-Kobe Station, Sannomiya Bus Terminal, City Hall and back to Kobe Port Tower and Meriken Park: 17 stops in all. 1000 yen). Perched on a hillside sloping down to the sea, Kobe is one of Japan… For example, when the same breed—Japanese Black cattle—is raised in the Mie Prefecture, it is known as Matsusaka, another highly prized beef. The city is located on a scenic harbor and also has its own mountain which offers sweeping views across the region. The historic Kitano-cho area is pleasant to stroll around with its many trendy cafes, museums and boutiques and Kitano is also home to Kobe's historic mosque (the first in Japan, built in 1935) and more recent Jain temple. Japan Travel Guide: Kobe. Currently located near the port of Kobe are parks such as Kobe Harborland, Kobe Port Tower, and Meriken Park. The New U-Line Card is simply a pre-paid card deducted from with each use. Perched on a hillside sloping down to the sea, Kōbe (神戸) is one of Japan's most attractive and cosmopolitan cities. Would you be interested to participate in a virtual guided tour to a tourist spot in Japan using video and a chat function? The central district of Kobe is located around Sannomiya. This onsen is so old that it is even recorded in the Nihon-shoki. In the bay just south of the main Sannomiya center are two artificial islands: Port Island and Rokko Island. The second Kobe chocolatier on this list also struck me as being of lower quality, probably because of their cutesy animal-shaped bonbons, very popular with locals. Sign in and subscribe for the latest Japan travel news and updates. Kobe is a port city in Hyogo Prefecture, 33 km west of Osaka, and one of Japan's most pleasant cities for both residents and visitors alike, with a laid-back cosmopolitan feel. In 1995, Kobe was hit by the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, which killed over 5000 people … Here is some useful information for expats moving to Kobe, including information about schools, housing, hospitals, communities, and more. A one-day pass is available for both Kobe subway and city bus (Shi Bus Chikatetsu Kyotsu Ichinichi Johsha Ken 市バス・地下鉄共通1日乗車券) for 1,030 yen. We strive to keep Japan Guide up-to-date and accurate, and we're always looking for ways to improve. Hours: 9 am-9 pm (last admission 8.30 pm), but until 7pm (last admission 6.30 pm) December-February. Kobe Destination Guide. The JR Sanyo Shinkansen bullet train stops at Shin-Kobe Station. Save to Foursquare. Measuring 7.2 on the Richter scale, the earthquake caused over 5,500 deaths as buildings and highways collapsed and fires swept the city. Its port was among the first to be opened to foreign trade in the 19th century alongside the ports of Yokohama, Nagasaki, Hakodate and Niigata. Celebrated hot spring resort within the city limits. Japan can be a really fun country to visit, but it is also a different world. Meriken Park is a spacious, waterfront with museums, memorials and luxury accommodation. Kobe Airport, named "Marine Air", opened February 2006 on a reclaimed island just south of Port Island, and has flights to and from seven cities: Kagoshima, Ishigaki, Nagasaki, Naha (Okinawa), Ibaraki, Sapporo and Tokyo (Haneda).