Kobe as tourist destination

Hi All,

Apologies for this question - call it being bored at work.

At present I'm planning my last trip to Japan and the one major city on Honshu I have not seen any of the sites is Kobe. I've visited the city for work and stayed a few nights.

I'm interested in peoples views on Kobe as a destination and whether I should skip the city and spend 2 nights somewhere else or stay here for 2 nights as planned in mid-late December.

The harbourside is quite pretty and cosmopolitan. I quite liked it, and would go back if it was on my way somewhere.

Kobe is a great place to visit! And it has some unique attractions, like Kobe Animal Kingdom (https://animalcafes.com/v/25525.html ), where you can feed and play with kangaroos and capybaras and camels and other friendly big animals. And you can arrange a do-it-yourself tour of several different sake museums (https://bento.com/phgal_sawanotsuru.html ) and smaller breweries. The Sannomiya neighborhood is also a lot of fun.

Hi!

I... didn't really feel Kobe was super interesting as a tourist. It's a friendly city. It's easy to get around. It's kind of attractive and has good shopping. I've not been to Arima onsen though which I hear is quite nice. Outside of the animal park, it's not really been on my list of places to go back.

Good luck!

Thanks for the info all. It's giving me plenty to think about and I have not heard about the zoo mentioned in Kobe.

I've currently got 2 nights in Kobe but have a problem of a planned arrival on Yakushima on December 31st which has the potential problem of not giving me enough time to buy food since everything on the island (or so I am told) is closed on New Years day.

Did anyone find Arima onsen to be anything spectacular - or is it just another nice onsen town?

Taikonoyu in Arima Onsen has IMHO quite nice atmosphare - maybe little bit similar like the interiors James Bond or Deception kind of movie? The price is steep but for some reason i have been their twice. Would visit it again should i have time in Osaka region.

Kobe's position in the Kansai region is very similar to Yokohama in Tokyo area. These two cities developed as international port cities since the late 19th century, so the main attractions are related to Western or Chinese culture.
In the case of Kobe, these are Kitano Western-style buildings, Nanjing Chinatown, many Western confectionery shops, Kobe beef steak houses, and women's fashion.
So, while Kobe may seem less attractive than Kyoto and Himeji for westerners, the city is popular as a sophisticated and fashionable city among the Japanese.

Other highlights of Kobe are:
Sake museums
http://www.kikumasamune.co.jp/kinenkan/en/index.html
https://enjoyfukuju.com/en/visitus/
http://www.hakutsuru.co.jp/english/culture/museum.html

Night view from Mt. Rokko
https://www.feel-kobe.jp/kobe-yakei/_en/area/mountain/

Memorial Museum of the 1995 Kobe earthquake
https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g14127419-d1153607-r474458...

I love Kobe beef. But it is very expensive.

I stayed in Kobe for 3 nights, including a day trip to Arima Onsen. I enjoyed the city, it reminded me of San Francisco a little bit. Arima was a typical large onsen town, charming but touristy. But it is not one of the places I would go again and again (like Kyoto and Nara) - once was enough.

I rather like Kobe - it is neither too large nor too small. The Port Tower and Chinatown aren't bad at all, and while the Sorakuen Garden might not be on my Top 10 list of best gardens, it is not bad either. The Ikuta Shrine is is surprisingly good. Mt Rokko wasn't bad, but depending on the season you go, you might not have much time at night to enjoy the city view.
If you want a more relaxing time, there is also Awaji Island nearby with a few scenic places.

1) I would love if you go to Kobe. I have never been, but your travel reports would for sure inspire me to at least give it a try, one of my weekends from Osaka.
2) Awaji island merits some time in itself. I haven't been yet, but there is some superb modern architecture. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Awaji_Yumebutai and https://www.architravel.com/architravel/building/water-temple-shingons...
And some really nice looking onsen: https://www.awajishima-kanko.jp/en/hotspring/
But maybe you have been already?

This all sounds reasonably interesting and I'm happy to see that some of my ideas of where to visit are also on 'the list'. My original list of places to visit included....

Day 1:

Ikuta Shrine
Sorakuen Garden
Kobe Chinatown
Kobe Maritime Museum
Kobe City Museum

Day 2:

Earthquake Museum
Hyogo Art Museum
Kobe Zoo
Sawanotsuru Museum

+ night at Arima Onsen.

Arima Onsen is currently looking at bit too expensive for me now compared to other towns, but it might come down in price after 6 or 3 months (looking at mid-late December).

Awaji island looks interesting but seems as though it's best reached by car if I only have half a day. Sorry about being so price conscious compared to normal - call it waiting at the airport for 4 weeks in Europe (Spain + Poland) which means I'm pinching pennies at the moment until I'm happier in a couple of months with my bank balance....

after watching this YT video about Kobe I placed this city on my must-visit list for my next trip to Japan ;-)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuYiYzmO3qk

Tadao Ando has a lot of buildings in and around Kobe.
If I were visiting, I�fd go to the Hyogo prefectural
art museum. I love his buildings.

Hi,
I live in kobe:)
There are some kind water falls (Nunobiki no Taki)Just near the shin kobe station. you can go easily and really like nature behind Sannomiya(major city of kobe). Have a nice visit in my city;)

It looks as though I will be here for 1 or 2 nights now. I also think I like Ando's work - but it's been a while since I've seem his stuff (he has a building on Naoshima right???)

Ando, Naoshima, yes.
He designed all the big stuff there: Chichu, Benesse House, the Lee Ufan museum, and he also did one of the art houses there with James Turrell (Minamidera).

Specially for modern architecture my cousin (architect in Tokyo) recommended this webpage:

http://www.worldarchitecturemap.org/locations/country/japan

Likebike - you can let you cousin know that I'll be at the Guggenheim in Bilbao in 2 weeks. But yes - I will look at that site in more detail eventually in the coming months. Better get back to planning what I'm doing in Krakow tomorrow.....

I planned to make a day trip from Osaka to Kobe on 1st January 2020 since most attraction places in Osaka will be close that day.

Will Chinatown be open on 1st Jan at least?

Your visit will coincide with the Kobe Luminarie, IMHO, a winter illumination not to be missed.

https://japancheapo.com/events/kobe-luminarie/