Kobe City: Features, Popular Tourist Attractions, Gourmet

Kobe City in Hyogo Prefecture is a beautiful port town surrounded by mountains and sea, attracting numerous tourists from both Japan and abroad as one of Japan’s premier tourist destinations. Developed around Kobe Port, which opened during the Meiji era, it’s a captivating city where exotic ambiance perfectly harmonizes with Japanese culture.

The city is renowned as one of Japan’s top culinary destinations, featuring Kobe beef, authentic Chinese cuisine in Chinatown, and Motomachi’s famous cake shops and sweet treats. Particularly, Kobe beef, one of the world’s three great Wagyu brands, continues to captivate food connoisseurs with its finely marbled texture and deep umami flavor.

Popular tourist attractions include the Kikosodai observatory on Mount Maya, famous for its “10-million-dollar night view,” the historic foreign residences in Kitano-cho, Harborland’s Mosaic, and Nankinmachi (Chinatown). The Port Tower and Meriken Park, symbols of recovery from the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, have also become iconic tourist spots in Kobe.

Mount Rokko offers year-round activities, including hiking, autumn leaf viewing, and winter sports at Rokko Snow Park. Arima Onsen, one of Japan’s three oldest hot springs, has been beloved by literary figures throughout history and remains a popular destination for tourists today.

Access is convenient from all over Japan via bullet train or airplane, and the city’s comprehensive public transportation system allows efficient travel between tourist spots. Kobe warmly welcomes visitors as an attractive tourist city where history and modernity coexist in perfect harmony.