Things to do in Kobe, Japan: a first-timer's guide

Often overshadowed by Kyoto and Osaka, Kobe is a cosmopolitan port city with plenty to offer in its own right. From sake breweries and scenic cable car rides to world-famous beef and waterfront strolls, here are the top things to do in Kobe, Japan.

Things to do in Kobe

Set between the mountains and the sea, Kobe has been shaped by its location on the northern shore of Osaka Bay. The busy waterfront is now home to Harborland, an entertainment and shopping district with a big Ferris wheel that’s lit up at night, and Meriken Park, where you can whizz up to the top of the landmark Kobe Port Tower for great views across the harbour.

Part of the port has been left as it was following the earthquake that devastated the city in January 1995 and is now preserved as the Port of Kobe Earthquake Memorial Park. You can gain an even better insight into the terrible events that day, and the lessons learned, at the thought-provoking Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake Memorial Disaster Reduction and Human Renovation Institution, 3km east along the waterfront.

Kobe climbs up the foothills of Mount Rokko, and you can hike up the mountain or take a funicular train to a lookout point that enjoys fantastic views down over the city as far as Osaka, particularly at night, when this vast urbanized strip sparkles in the dark. From the summit, a cable car runs down the other side of Mount Rokko to Arima Onsen, a historic hot-springs town famous for its restorative waters.

What to see outside the city

A 15-minute ride on the Shinkansen (bullet train) west of Kobe, striking Himeji-jō is the best-preserved castle in Japan. This UNESCO World Heritage site of stout towers and fortified passageways dates back over 400 years and is peppered with secret hideaways and defensive tricks.

While you’re here, it’s also worth visiting Himeji Kōko-en, a series of tranquil Japanese gardens just across the castle’s moat. Even closer to Kobe, in the other direction, Osaka is known as Japan’s Kitchen, and for good reason – take your pick from the weird and wonderful seafood at Kuromon Ichiba Market before grazing on assorted street-food snacks under the neon lights of the Dotonbori district.

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What to eat and drink in Kobe

You can hardly come to Kobe and not try its signature style of wagyu beef, a marbled butter-soft steak that’s synonymous with the city. Settle in to a counter seat at Misono, near Sannomiya Station, choose your cut and then watch the chef cook it to perfection on a teppanyaki grill in front of you – you normally wear a paper apron to avoid any unsightly splashes.

Wash your beef down with Nada-no Sake. The Nada district of Kobe is part of the Nada-Gogō, the most renowned sake-producing region in Japan, and you can sample some sakes straight from the barrel at breweries such as Kiku-Masamune and Kobe Shu-Shin-Kan, both a 10-minute ride on the Hanshin Line from Sannomiya.

The JNTO is the official tourism organisation of Japan. For more information on visiting Kobe, see the Kobe Tourism Bureau website.