Kobe Japan:
City Lights On The Water

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Kobe Japan`s main attractions for tourists, like Kobe Harborland and Meriken Park, are in its port area.

Kobe Harborland is perfect for a late afternoon/ early evening date with that someone special.

It has a funky little open air mall called Mosaic (above) that faces the harbor. Mosaic has about 90 stores, restaurants and a cinema as well as a small amusement park complete with ferris wheel.

The Harborland area also has Hankyu Department Store and Sofmap, a large discount electronics store.

The area is especially romantic as the sun sets and the surrounding lights cast their glow across the water.

If you are by yourself and/or not in a romantic mood you can always get some great photos of Kobe Port Tower which overlooks the bay on the opposite side.

Behind Kobe Tower is Meriken Park, named after the Meiji Era word for American. It is home to the Kobe Maritime Museum. Meriken was extensively damaged in the Great Hanshin Earthquake of 1995 and has a memorial for those who died in the port area.

The "Kobe Japan Earthquake" took approximately 6000 lives and left more than a quarter of a million people homeless. Even more were without power, water and gas.

If you visit Kobe today, you would never be able to tell that it was affected by such a terrible natural disaster.

Kobe Maritime Museum Opening Hours:

10:00am - 5:00pm (last entry 30min before closing)

Closed:

Every Monday or next day if it is a public holiday

December 29th - January 3rd

Entry:

500 yen

Kobe Port Tower Opening Hours:

9:00am - 8:30pm

Closed:

December -February 6:30pm

December 31st and January 1st 4:30pm

Entry:

600 yen

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