In Kobe, I spent the day (and night) wandering the waterfront area known as Meriken Park. It’s a pretty standard waterfront area with lots to look at. That is why it became one of those places where you end up spending more time looking for something new to see.
A couple of museums, a massive “Be Kobe” sign, the red Port Tower, and several boat are located directly along the harbor. If you’re able to go during the day AND after dark, I would recommend that. It is so cool how they turns all of the lights on because it changes the entire space and give you a whole other set of pictures.
What I Saw at Meriken Park
BE KOBE and Kobe Port
Afterwards, since I’d been seeing photos of this thing all over Instagram, I literal just walked over to the Kobe monument and got a photo while it wasn’t too busy (and also because I knew I’d be coming back later). It’s bigger than you think it is, and there was maybe 5 or 6 people standing around waiting for their chance to get a shot in front of it. We snapped ours and left, but then we came back at night.
And, wow, man, those thing light up! They’re like giant white lights against the darkness, and they look so cool. That, along with the lighting, really added something to the experience; it made the entire area seem more special.
Plus, it was quiet here.
As for the plaza itself, it’s nothing special; it’s simply open and wide, and the Be Kobe sign is directly across from Port Tower (which you can see behind the sign): I took a closer look at the tower’s lattice-like red structure. It’s pretty distinctive and hard to miss from anywhere in the park during the day. In fact, the entire space is flat and paved.
This make it an easy place to stroll around and see the other buildings and sights without any real effort. Nearby we noticed Maritime Museum, which has a white framed structure that stand out amongst all the others. We also saw the Oriental Hotel down by waterfront.
Its curved roof reminds me of a ship’s sail.
We saw several other people going into the Maritime Museum but did not went in, although the lattice design was interesting to see up close. And then there’s the Oriental Hotel which just sits on the water and has an interesting shape that caught my attention multiple times. As we walked around I continued to see it from various angles and it would looked a little different each time based off where the light was hitting it.
Continuing along, we found ourselves back at waterfront path where we walked past the Mosaic mall and saw the Ferris wheel turning slowly in the background. Further down the path, I noticed a row of large granite stone erected alongside the path with a plaque that read: “kobe kaientai.” A little farther down, I also noticed a large mosaic-tiled sculpture. It looked like some sort of commemoration piece, but I didn’t pay much attention to the plaques.
There’s so much to see in Meriken Park, realy, that it’s easy to spend an hour simply walking around the park’s perimeter.
As the sun set, the couple of cruise ships moored there got lit up, as did a tall sailing ship whose masts reaches right into the sky. There was also a building that looked like a place for events or dining, which were brightly lit with people inside. It was so quiet, by dusk the entire park had a new mood, cooler and quieter, and the lights began to come on from the ships and buildings.
The Oriental Hotel’s sign glowed over waterfront and the cruise ships shone back off the water.
By this point, it was dark. I also looked up at the Port Tower, which was lit in red. This made it seem even more prominent against the night sky.
There’s a directory of what’s on each floor posted close to the tower’s base if you’re interested in going up; I thought about it briefly but we were on a tight schedule. Still, the tower itself, even from the bottom, is pretty cool, and you can’t help but steal frequent looks while wandering around the park.
At night it was all lit up and the white framed Maritime Museum was pretty. I had a chance to get close to it and saw how detailed the lattice work are. There was a Starbucks in a pavilion that sat by itself near water; it would of been a good place to stop for a bit and people watch if needed.
They lit the masts of the tall ship as well and that really stood out against the dark sky.
Finally, we ended our night by the Mosaic mall, which has a slow-turning Ferris wheel that was all lit up. We went around Christmas time, so there were some decorations up as well, and the lights reflected on the water and in the windows. Just wandering slowly with no real agenda seemed like a nice way to end the visit.
You really don’t need to plan too much for Meriken Park. You just show up and wander. It’s one of those places.
Meriken Park was an easy couple of hours spent soaking up the scenery, taking a lot more pictures than I had thought I would, and getting a decent idea about what Kobe’s waterfront area looked like. ) and the old ships all jumbled together, it was an easy place to spend some time and have fun. It’s definitely worth your while if you are visiting Kobe, particularly if you can stay until after sundown.
Ever been to Meriken Park? What other waterfront spots would you suggest?
