Kobe was a surprise for me. To be honest, I wasn’t expecting much, just beef. It was one of most enjoyable single days I’ve had in Japan.
I left having seen some animals, explored a couple nice gardens, hiked through nature, and eaten as much of that well-known beef as my stomach could hold. I was able to get in a healthy dose of all those things in a day, and while Kobe might be small place, there’s so much more to it than just beef! The mountains is right behind it, the harbour is sprawled out before it, and it has a very different feel from Kyoto or Osaka, it’s far more relaxed.
Here’s what I did if you’re here on a day trip. It all seemed doable without rushing, and everything make sense. End with a proper yakiniku meal.
Visit an unexpectedly great animal park.
My Best Day Trip in Kobe
Kobe Nunobiki Herb Gardens
To begin with, I rode the ropeway up into hills for the morning. The entire journey lasts around ten minutes and the lower station is located just inland from city centre. Tickets are available for a return journey.
I queued up early to purchase one, which was a wise choice as it get busier during the day. What I didn’t know was that the gondolas had glass floors. While I sat in the gondola staring at the forest and cables beneath me, I looked right down through my feet!
It’s no place for thinking too much; I spent most of the ascent looking straight down through my feet at the forest and cables below. As soon as we rose above the trees though, the views began to reveal themselves and by the summit you’re looking across the whole city and out to the harbour beyond. The herb gardens themselves is spread out over terraces on hillsides once you get up there.
From the upper station, I took the main path down past various themed sections of the gardens (I’m not really into herbs, so let’s just say it was worth it for the location). Rosemary and lavender wafted in the air as I walked along, with plenty of places to stop and take in views of the city. About halfway down is this huge greenhouse full of tropical plants, which has a cafe terrace attached to it.
I had a coffee here and sat for awhile on the terrace. They are all emptying tables here so it’s the sort of place you find yourself lingering in longer than intended. There’s a great view straight over the port and into Kobe from the terrace.
Walking around the gardens (which I did at a leisurely pace) before taking the ropeway down again was next. This way down provided an additional view of the city, as well as helped me understand more clearly why Kobe is so squished between the sea and the mountains. Two-and-a-half hours or so from start to finish seemed like just enough time for this visit.
BE KOBE and Kobe Port
Later in the day, I went down to Meriken Park. Just off the water is BE KOBE written in large white letters, and yes, they are as photo-worthy as you would imagine.
People stop and get their pictures taken there, and so did I. At night they light up, making them an even bigger attraction after dark.
There are a couple of sights clustered here as well, including the obvious one: the red port tower which looks a little like a drum and sticks out from all the rest of it. Then you have the maritime museum next door with its swooping white roof. I didn’t go inside either, just walked around and took in whole waterfront scene.
On one end of the park is the Oriental Hotel.
It is a long low building with a curved roof. It’s pretty striking actualy, particularly as the light was starting to fade.
From here I ambled my way towards the Mosaic mall area, a lot of restaurants and shops plus a Ferris wheel. It was touristy, but not unpleasant.
There were a couple other random pieces of public art and a big boat moored up at the pier. I decided to walk the full length anyway to find out what else is there. When I circled back around, the sun had set and the entire port had changed moods with the arrival of its evening lights.
I lingered until blue hour and saw that Ferris wheel and port tower lit up. Even though there were plenty of people on the plaza, it didn’t feel too crowded, which is surprising for a waterfront in a city.
If you plan your visit around sunset, this would be a great spot to kill an hour (or two). On a whim, I decided to go to Kobe Animal Kingdom and ended up spending a couple of hours there.
Kobe Animal Kingdom
I almost didn’t go because I had no idea what it would be like. Fair warning: it was one of the highlights. Unlike most zoos, the setup here isn’t about you looking at cages, instead, a lot of the animals are kept in open enclosures/glass-roofed halls where you walk around them.
There are some other amazing animals, like the sand cats.
They’re so small and cute, but they sleep all day, sitting on pieces of driftwood. One slept while I watched it for like ten minutes straight. And then there’s the shoebill.
That thing looks like it came out of Jurassic Park and has a giant beak. It was just standing there totally motionless, staring at nothing. I could not tear my eyes from it.
And they’ve got some pretty diverse animals here. On display was a sloth just hanging from a branch and doing nothing at all, a red panda climbing through the branches, a binturong (which I’d never even heard of before), a Pallas’s cat perched on a rock looking extremely grumpy, and a Sumatran tiger sprawled out in the sand. And then there are the penguins and flamingos, meerkats, and macaws… plus a sleeping fennec fox.
There’s food you can buy that feeds certain animals… I saw people feeding the capybaras by hand and they were really into it! And there was this giant anteater just sort of walking around with his massive tail dragging behind him.
Overall, everything felt well cared for, the animals was relaxed, and that made it even more enjoyable.
Kobe Beef Yakiniku
I ate at a yakiniku (grilled meat) restaurant specialising in Kobe beef. It’s near Sannomiya station, with table grills and a tablet for ordering. The menu was extensive, pages and pages of different cuts, grades, and styles.
To begin, I opted for the tasting platter, which presented me with a few different cuts of raw beef before I grilled them.
As for the reputation of the beef? Well, it deserves it. It was marbled to near-obscene levels and cooked quickly over the charcoal.
I ordered a selection of dishes including some offal. It is not something I normally eat, but I thought I’d give it a try anyway. Served with some rice and small sides, it was simple, no-frills and very, very good.
The menu spanned seafood, offal, skirt steak and tongue, cold noodle dishes, and of course, dessert. There were special pages for Kobe beef. Prices?
Well, they matched the Kobe beef and more, but hey, if there’s one place I want to have it, this is probably it. I didn’t get carried away; I got enough to be full, but not too much that I’d wake up the next morning regretting what I did.
While it was a good day trip, I’m happy I spent a full day in Kobe instead of just passing through. With all that beef, the animal park, the port, and the ropeway gardens, we had a pretty solid itinerary without feeling too overwhelmed. Kobe is one of those cities where you don’t feel like you have to do too much, which I found refreshing.
Have you been to Kobe? Is it on your list? If you only had a day, what would you prioritize?
