Kobe Tourism - Travel to Kobe
Kobe is one of Japan's underappreciated cities. A seaside town with an international flavor, hemmed in by Mt. Rokko, it constantly comes up number 1 in expatriate rankings of the best place to live in Japan.
| Table of contents |
Get into Kobe
Travel to Kobe By Plane
The nearest international airport is Kansai International Airport. The fastest (albeit traffic-prone) way to get from there to Kobe is the Airport Limousine bus, although the JR Rapid Express connecting at Osaka is not much slower and more dependable.The nearest domestic airport is Osaka's Itami Airport, but Kobe's own airport, built on reclaimed land in front of the harbor, is scheduled to open in 2005.
Travel to Kobe By Train
The San'yo Shinkansen stops at Shin-Kobe station, only 15 minutes but a hefty ¥ 2,810 from Osaka. Shin-Kobe is a subway stop north of the city core.Considerably cheaper and probably more convenient are the multitude of normal train lines linking the two cities. Note that the main station in Kobe is confusingly not Kobe (which is to the west of the center), but Sannomiya. You have a choice between:
- JR Kobe line, from JR Osaka station (21 min, ¥390)
- Hankyu and Hanshin lines, both from Umeda station (both 28 min, ¥310)
Get around in Kobe
Kobe Tourism By Train
All three train lines in the Get in section cross Kobe in a west-east direction, and provide the cheapest and fastest way to travel across town.
By subway
Kobe has two subway lines, one running along the coast (the Kaigan Line), one up into the mountains (Yamate-Seishin Line). Both are more expensive than ordinary trains and unlikely to be of use for the casual traveler except when connecting to Shin-Kobe.
Travel to Kobe By Bus
For traveling in a north-south direction, your only choice much of the time is the city bus.
On foot
Kobe is thin in the north-south direction, but long in the west-east direction. Since much of it is built on a hill, the most feasible approach is to take a bus up, and then walk your way downhill.
See Kobe
Kobe is admittedly a little short on must-see attractions.For the Japanese, Kobe's number one attraction is the Ijinkan or Barbarian Houses, in other words the 19th-century residences of the traders who lived here. Europeans who grew up in similar scenery tend to find them less fascinating.
Meriken Park near the harborfront has a poignant memorial to the devastating Hanshin Earthquake in 1995, which killed over 5000. Kobe Tower nearby is the unofficial symbol of the city and offers the usual overpriced viewing pavilion.
Do Kobe
Buy
Kobe's shopping is clustered around the Sannomiya train station and the Center-Gai shopping arcade leading off from it. Many of the unassuming little cafés and specialty shops in the arcade in fact have histories tracing back well over a hundred years.
Eat - Travel to Kobe
Kobe is known worldwide for its Kobe beef, exquisitely marbled, very fatty beef and very, very expensive beef. Recommended for a splurge.Cheaper eats can be found in Kobe's Chinatown. Fittingly, Kobe also has a wide array of restaurants offering international cuisine, a good choice when you've had one sushi piece too many.
Drink
Kobe's specialty are tachinomiya, lit. stand-and-drink bars.
Sleep - Kobe Tourism
Kobe has a wide variety of accommodation, ranging from love hotels near Shin-Kobe to luxury hotels by the waterfront.You could do worse than opt for the Kobe Harborland New Otani, a recently opened member of the prestigious New Otani chain. While not quite swanky as its Tokyo flagship, the location near JR Kobe station is excellent and internet rates can be had for around ¥10000 a night (plus taxes).
Get out
Kobe's two best-known getaways are
- Mt. Rokko and its Rock Garden, the first an easy cable car trip for suitable romantic evenings, the second a light day's hiking with an excellent view
- Arima Onsen, a hot-spring town located at the terminus of the Mt. Rokko cable car
External Links for Kobe Tourism
