Join us on a tour of beautiful and eccentric Kobe, as we visit Chinatown, Ijinkan, ride on a ropeway, and enjoy delicious Kobe beef.
The second part of our Kansai trip was in Kobe (神戸), the port city that’s about 25 min from Osaka. Yes, that Kobe city which is world renowned for their amazing beef. If you are planning to visit Osaka and have time for a side day trip, I highly recommend visiting this beautiful seaside city.
(click the map to enlarge)
Places to Visit in Kobe Japan
As I grew up in Yokohama and live in San Francisco, which are both a port city similar to Kobe, I am biased about these coastal cities. Kobe was one of the first Japanese cities to open its port for trading, so there are quite a few foreign influences. While walking around, I noticed very interesting buildings. Some buildings had a classic European look on the bottom and modern building on top.
Getting around Kobe
If you are planning to visit Kobe for a day, you can purchase a 1-day city loop pass for 660 Yen (adult) and 330 Yen (child). The bus only travels 1 direction and will stop by many of the popular tourist attractions. The entire route takes about 1 hour if you stay on the bus.
Kobe Chinatown 神戸南京町
Our first stop is Kobe Chinatown! There are only 3 Chinatowns in Japan, Kobe, Yokohama, and Nagasaki. When the port opened to foreigners in 1868, the Chinese immigrants also came and established themselves in Kobe.
Of course Spiderman would love Kobe Beef!
There were a lot of food stand featuring different Chinese cuisines.
It was fun browsing souvenir shops selling Chinese themed gifts.
Ijinkan at Kitano-cho 北野異人館
Towards the hills of Kobe, there are about 20 existing buildings where the westerns used to settle starting in the late 1800’s. It used to be over 1,000 buildings but the current remaining ones are in great condition.
We visited one of the most famous house, Uroko-no-Ie (Uroko’s House).
Uroko’s House served as a luxury rental, it is also known as the “scales” house due to its tiled exterior.
Antique plates and settings decorated the interiors of the house.
There is also a museum on the ground.
From the top floor of the museum, there’s a great view of downtown Kobe.
The famous Weathercock house with the weathercock on top of the roof.
Kobe Nunobiki Herb Gardens and Ropeway 神戸布引ハーブ園・ロープウェイ
Nearby the Ijinkan is Kobe Nunobiki Herb Gardens and Ropeway. At the top of the ropeway, there’s an amazing panoramic view of Kobe and surrounding areas.
There are 2 stops you can get off on the ropeway, the highest stop takes you to the top of the garden and you can take a leisurely walk to the end of the garden next to the lower stop.
Along the walking path, all the plants are labeled and identified.
A greenhouse at the center of the garden houses tropical plants that require higher humidity.
Not only at the very top, all along the path you can see views of beautiful downtown Kobe.
Meriken Park メリケンパーク
Now we’ve been visited the hills of Kobe, it’s time to go near the water. Meriken Park includes Kobe Port Tower, Kobe Maritime Museum, 2 hotels (Hotel Okura & Meriken Park Oriental Hotel), and The Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake Memorial Museum.
Kobe Port Tower is 354 ft (108 m) high and has an observation deck at a height of 296 ft (90.28 m).
There are quite a few prototypes and products from Kawasaki Heavy Industries on display.
View of the Kobe Harborland from Hotel Okura.
Food in Kobe
Steakland (ステーキランド)
While touring around Kobe, one of the food you have to eat here is Kobe Beef. However it is very pricey in most restaurants. Not to worry! One of the most popular “tourist restaurants” that serve reasonably priced Kobe Beef steak is Steakland (ステーキランド), with the Kobe sets starting at 4480 yen.
The many prizes the restaurant had won for purchasing beef.
Fried garlic!
Kobe Beef!
The Kobe Beef steak was super tender and juicy! The crunchy garlic contrasted really well with the texture and added a ton of flavors.
Tooth Tooth
We actually spent the whole day in Kobe with my best friend Yukako. She took us to Tooth Tooth, a popular French patisserie in Kobe. EVERY SINGLE DESSERT looked so delicious and we had a hard time choosing what to eat! They have 5 shops all over Kobe.
Look at the amount of blueberries! It was my pick!
Kushibaru (串バル)
For dinner, we ate at Kushibaru with Yukako and her husband. It is very unique because the skewers were not grilled or deep fried, it’s cooked over teppan (very Kansai-style!). The food was amazingly delicious and flavorful. It doesn’t have yakitori’s smoky taste, but does have the nice tappan char flavor.
I hope you enjoy my brief tour of Kobe. If you have more time than me, you can alo try sake tasting at sake brewery, visiting museums and shrines, and shop at Sannomiya. I hope you will enjoy your visit to Kobe. If you’ve been already, please let me know your favorite place and food there in the comment box below.
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Thanks for this post Nami. Highly considering adding Kobe to our IT…if only to try their beef. Just need to save for the experience,haha!
Hi Ava! Haha! It’s really worth it. 😉
Hey Nami! Thanks for sharing your wonderful journey.
We went to the same restaurant for the Kobe beef last year and it was delicious!!!
Much to my surprise it was not expensive at all!
Kobe is a very city. Cheers
Hi Clement! You did! I asked the staff and they said they serve Thigh meat, which is how they save the cost. I think it’s a very reasonable experience of eating a true kobe beef (despite the cut/part). 🙂
Wonderful pictures! Sounds like you had a terrific time. Thanks for a fun read.
So glad to hear that you got to meet up with Cooking with Dog and other famous Youtubers! 🙂 Thanks for the comprehensive tour of Kobe, and for the wonderful food photos. I can imagine the difficult time trying to choose between the desserts at Tooth Tooth. Love the photos of your son and daughter with the statues too!
Hi Kimmi! Thank you so much for your kind comment. Oh yes, meeting and TALKING to Cooking with Dog was definitely highlight of the day!!! 🙂
Wow, Kobe is beautiful!!! It looks like so much fun! I have never been to Kobe and would love to visit one day. Your photos are all so beautiful and the food looks SO delicious! Thank you so much for sharing with us 🙂
I enjoyed reading this guide so much! Will be sure to check these places out when I travel!
Thank you for reading, Diana! Hope you get a chance to visit one day!
Thank you for going to the trouble of such a thorough post on Kobe. Have to laugh at myself: of the 30-or-so times I have been to Japan both on business and for pleasure I must have been to Osaka at least half-a-dozen of them. Have I been to Kobe? No!! Should I have gone? Obviously!! Am jealous of your ‘Kushibaru’ dinner: would so much like to participate!! Am amused at ‘Tooth Tooth’ being a patisserie : the cakes surely look pretty, but good for teeth – 🙂 ?? Have a god trip home!!!!
WHAT!? Eha!!! You bypassed Kobe?! LOL. Too bad you didn’t get a chance in the past, maybe one day! I know, Tooth Tooth sounds like a dentist, and it’s funny it’s a pastry shop name. 😀 Thank you so much for always reading my posts and for your kind words. xo
Am going to Osaka to visit my son and his family for 2 1/2 months. I am planning a visit to Kobe. I enjoyed reading about your visit.
Wonderful! If you have 2 and 1/2 months, you have a plenty of time to visit places that I’ll share… 🙂 Right now it’s super hot in Osaka area, hopefully your visit is when it’s cooler… 🙂
It is so funny, because I am in the Osaka area until the 16th of August. It came really handy on whrre to go in Kobe!!! Thank you!!!
Hi Ranko! Really!! I don’t think I can finish writing Arima Onsen (near Kobe) and Himeji Castle posts (maybe one)… but I highly recommend both place if you need an excursion from Osaka area! Make sure to visit Kyoto too (I have posts about Kyoto too). 🙂
Nami, this blog brought tears to my eyes. Since moving back to Australia after living in Japan, I have been back to Kobe twice. My special friends live there so it brought back such wonderful memories. Many thanks Gail Robertson.
Hi Gail! Thank you so much for reading my post. I wish I could stay there for a longer time (especially my best friend lives there). We went to Arima Onsen too, so we only spent in Kobe one night (one whole day). Hope you get to visit Kobe again! Such a beautiful city like Yokohama. 🙂
Last time I was in Kobe was 1981. From your pictures things have changed a lot. Thank you for posting. We were entertained by a business where they served kobe beef. I like the Teppan cooking rather than grill.
Al Grappone CA
Hi Al! A lot of big cities have changed drastically. You’ll be surprised if you visit Japan. It’s best when Kobe beef was treated by a company. LOL. I love teppanyaki too (not Benihana style). 🙂
Thanks for taking me down memory lane, I visited Kobe in 1992 and did similar tours. Nunoiki still looks wonderful and it’s amazing to see how all the trees, plants and shrubs have now matured. I have many photos from be rope way carriage, and poses beside the large black sculpture outside the conservatory. Food looks amazing as ever.
I think of Kobe everyday as my car, a Nissan Figaro was registered there before I imported it. Great city, almost as good as Yokohama- which will always be my favourite as that’swhere I lived and worked for several years. But lets not mention Shakeys Pizza and Victoria Station near Kannai!!
Hi Leon! Thanks so much for sharing your story! I love hearing stories from JOC readers. 🙂
Did you say Shakey’s Pizza? OMG!!!! As a child, it was my ideal meal place and got so excited when my mom (she loves it too) says let’s go eat there. I love the “spicy” (as a kid) french fries (with black peppers) and pizza… I remember the plastic cup for soda that I was allowed to drink only when I was out… I think this was when I was in elementary school. I used to go to a swimming school in YMCA in Kannai (in front of stadium) and I still have vivid memory of it. What’s Victoria Station? I don’t think I knew that as a kid. 🙂
Thank you SO much for sharing your Kobe travels. I always love seeing your travel photos and reading your narratives.
Thank you June! We still have a lot to cover from this year’s trip. 🙂 Hope you continue to enjoy! Thanks so much for reading!
Koe is really a beautiful city
thanks for taking us to this wonderful escape!
Thanks so much for reading, Helena! 🙂
OMG, all that food looked so awesome and great except for the Asparagus I am not a fan of it. ????
But also I am so Jealous of you for getting to see Shinichi and Satoshi again and then also Cooking with Dog and Runnyrunny!!???????? I watch Cooking with Dog a lot along with your channel and TabiEats. Half of the time I wan tto cry cause I can’t get 90% of the stuff you all have or can get like Matcha. and the noodles and the sauces and of course the pans like to make Tamago even though can use a round pan its just not the same. *sighs*????
But I love Seeing and hearing about you and your family’s adventures in Japan. Thank you so very very much, for the time and effort you and Your family take to give us Japan lovers a taste of your country. And a big Thanks to Mr. JOC for taking time to upload the videos while you are in Japan even though he is super busy Man. Domo Arigatou Gozaimashita! ????????????
Thank you so much for your kind words, Tania! Yeah, it was super cool to meet and talk to Cooking with Dog (Francis)! Ochikeron was supposed to come, but she couldn’t come. Such an amazing group of Japanese YouTubers all at the same time! I was so lucky to be in Japan to attend this event. Shinichi and Satoshi have been great friends since we did collaboration. I love hanging out with them! Thank you for watching our videos and for your love to Japan and it’s food and culture! We’re all happy there are people like you in the world who love our country! 🙂