Top Things to Do in Kobe, Japan

Kobe is a little town on the southern side of the main island, about 20 miles west of Osaka. It’s not a very big touristy area, but if you ever get the chance to spend a day in Kobe, I highly recommend it as everything is in walking distance (I spent about a day and a half and found time to do everything I wanted and more). Kobe is also a GREAT place for some amazing food so I included a few of my favorite eats to the list!

If you are looking at traveling from Tokyo to Kobe, the JR would be your best bet since the two stations are connected by Tokaido/Sanyo Shinkansen allowing the fastest route.

There are two different trains that you can pick from but they come at different prices. The Nozomi trains require about 160 minutes to reach Shin-Kobe Station from Tokyo, while direct Hikari trains require roughly 195 minutes. If you purchased the JR pass that I talked about in my Japan Travel Guide, then you will want to take the Hikari line, since that is what your pass is valid on (JR pass is not valid on Nozomi). If you did not purchase a JR pass, a regular one way fare from Tokyo to Shin-Kobe is 14,420 (about $135) yen for a non-reserved seat or around 15,000 yen ($140) for a reserved seat.

Without further ado, here are the Top Things to Do in Kobe, Japan.

Nankinmachi (Chinatown)

You will notice in all of my future travel guides that, somehow, I always seem to end up in a Chinatown where ever I am. This visit happened to be the during the time of Chinese New Year, so the entire street was just a massive celebration. Of course its all opinion, but this was the highlight of Kobe for me. If you love the Chinese culture, and street food, this is a MUST!

Ikuta-jinja Shrine

Visiting Kobe is not complete without a trip to Ikuta-jinja Shrine. The Ikuta-jinja Shrine is located just north of the Kobe-Sannomiya, which is very convenient to the rest of the city. Just like Nankinmachi, this is a must do in Kobe. If you want the best experience, I recommend going early before the rest of the crowd.

Hakutsuru Sake Brewery Museum

If you like Sake, this is the place for you! It’s located a little outside of Kobe, so you will have to either take a taxi (about 20 minutes) or the metro (about 30 minutes). The museum is completely free, and offers english in all exhibits. After the exhibit, there is sake tasting so don’t miss it!

Kobe Port Tower

If you are docking at Kobe Port or just looking for something to do, take some time to visit the Kobe Port Tower. The tower was completed in 1963 and stands at 330 feet high and was designed to resemble a traditional hourglass-shaped Japanese drum that is often used in Noh and Kabuki theater. For an amazing view of the city, I recommend visiting at night. Make sure to check out the revolving bar on the 11th floor for a sake tasting!

Kobe Motomachi Shopping Street

This shopping street is located right next to Chinatown and is filled with little shops, restaurants, and grocery stores (the food on this street is amazing). It does open a little later in the day, so this is not a place that you should visit in the early morning. If you are looking to experience a shopping street culture and local lifestyle, this is a good place to be in!

Food

You can’t visit Kobe without trying Kobe Beef! Kobe Beef can be very expensive depending on where you go. We found a restaurant, at the very end of the street in Chinatown that sold Kobe Beef Sushi for $5!

Ramen… another must in Japan! There are a TON of famous ramen restaurants throughout the country but I find the best to be the little stores that no one knows about. Marugin Ramen had the best ramen in Kobe!

You will find these little fish shaped pastries all around Japan. I never passed by a stand without buying one and I don’t think you should either! They have so many different fillings in the center but the red bean flavor definitely wins!

JAPAN TRAVEL GUIDES