While people generally think of beef when they hear the word “Kobe”, the city from which this premium meat comes from has much more to offer. As Japan’s sixth largest city and capital of Hyogo Prefecture, there is plenty to do in and around Kobe. The city has a rich history, having played an important role in the country's foreign trade as one of its main ports since the Meiji era.

If you're looking for an easily accessible day trip from Osaka (or Kyoto), other than Himeji or Nara, Kobe may be just what you're looking for. I had a great time exploring Kobe on a day trip from Osaka and am happy to share with you the day trip itinerary I followed to discover this city.

How to Get to Kobe

It is very easy to get to Kobe from Osaka or Kyoto.

From Osaka station, take a special rapid train on the JR Tokaido-Sanyo Line and stop at Sannomiya station. The journey takes 20-30 minutes and costs ¥420 (the ride is also covered by the JR Pass or other regional passes).

From Kyoto, the journey is the same but longer: take a special rapid train on the Tokaido-Sanyo Line and also stop at Sannomiya station. It will take around 50 minutes and costs ¥1,100.

A One-Day Itinerary to Explore Kobe

Arrive at Sannomiya Station and Start the Day with a Visit to Ikuta shrine

Located a 5-minute walk from Sannomiya station, Ikuta shrine (生田神社, Ikuta-jinja) is known as one the oldest Shinto shrines in Japan. Founded in the 3rd century by Empress Jingu, the shrine worships the goddess Wakahirume no Mikoto, the goddess of weaving and connections. As such, the shrine is known as a power spot for love and relationships. It is fun to see this shrine blending in with modern buildings that surround it. You cannot miss its two torii gates marking the shrine’s entrance.

Have lunch around Sannomiya Station: Enjoy a Kobe Beef Lunch Deal

Here is my special tip: if you want to try Kobe beef in Kobe, why not save some money by looking for a lunch deal? Several restaurants around Sannomiya station and Kobe’s Chinatown offer cheaper lunch options including Kobe beef.

I had an early lunch at Steakland Kobe and had a wonderful lunch experience. While the cheapest lunch menu starts with a steak menu for ¥1,200, you can try their Kobe beef lunch menu for ¥3,500 (150g of beef plus salad, miso soup, rice and vegetables). As the place is popular, I would recommend checking if advanced reservation is available or come early (lunch hours are between 11am and 2pm). Beyond the price, I was very happy with the quality of service and the old-fashioned atmosphere.

If you don’t fancy a taste of Kobe beef, you will find several lunch options around Sannomiya station, or you can have lunch at the next stop on this itinerary.

Visit the Kobe Nunobiki Herb Gardens

With around 75,000 herbs and flowers of some 200 species in bloom throughout the year, the Kobe Nunobiki Herb Gardens (神戸布引ハーブ園) are the largest herb gardens in Japan. Situated on the side of a mountain, you can enjoy spectacular views of Kobe and Osaka Bay from the ropeway that takes you to the park entrance and throughout your walk.

The gardens offer a variety of attractions, including a rest house modelled on Wartburg Castle, an old German castle, fragrance and spice museums, a glasshouse, a herbal footbath, as well as romantic spots such as the a lovers’ bell and the “Statue of Love”. There is a restaurant called “The Herb Dining” at the top of the park with a viewing deck, whick uses herbs picked directly from the gardens, as well as a couple of other cafés in the park. I also enjoyed visiting the garden’s shops to find herb-related products (tea, perfumes, cosmetics, small decorations…).

Whatever the season, you can admire the seasonal flowers that bloom throughout the year. When I visited at the end of September, I was enchanted by a whole hill of cosmos in bloom.

To explore this charming garden, you should allow at least a couple of hours. Personally, I was very tempted to spend my afternoon on one of the hammocks in the recreation area, but I persuaded myself to leave this enchanting place to continue my exploration of Kobe.

To access the ropeway entrance from Sannomiya station, you can either take public transports (one stop on the Seishin-Yamate line to Shin-Kobe station) or walk for about 20 minutes. Using the ropeway, the roundtrip ticket from the lower station including the entrance to the garden costs ¥1,800.

An interesting alternative is to take a one-way ticket, take the ropeway for the way up to the top station and, after exploring the gardens, hike down the mountain from the lower entrance and pass by the Nunobiki Waterfall, considered as one of the three Greatest Divine Waterfalls of Japan.

In my case, I chose to take the ropeway both ways, from the lower station to the top station, then walk down in the Nunobiki garden to the mid-way station and take the ropeway back down and only saw the waterfall from the ropeway window.

For more details regarding access, opening hours and entrance fee, you can check the official website of the garden here.

Walk around Kitano area

Back at the lower Nunobiki ropeway station, you can walk by towards Sannomiya station but this time passing by the Kitano district (北野町, Kitanochō). Take a stroll through this small historic district, where foreign merchants and diplomats settled after Kobe’s port was opened up to foreign trade. Several western buildings (called Ijinkan) are open to the public for a small fee (combination tickets are available to visit several buildings for a reduced price). To find out more about the buildings and tickets available, click here. Even without visiting the buildings, the area offers a pleasant setting for a stroll, and there are several restaurants and cafés where to take a break (including the popular Starbucks Coffee in one of the historic buildings).

Explore Kobe Harbor

Kobe is Japan’s third largest port city after Tokyo and Yokohama, so a walk around Kobe harbor should also be included in your itinerary. You can take a JR train to Kobe station from Sannomiya station. From there, walk to the beginning of the Harbor Walk, a walking path that goes around the harbor from the brick warehouses area to Meriken park and the popular “Be Kobe” sign.

During the stroll, contrary to me, you may be able to enjoy the view of the iconic Kobe Port Tower (which unfortunately I was not able to as it was hidden and under construction during my visit). According to its official website, the Kobe Port Tower is due to reopen in spring 2024, which means you can add a stop at this observation tower on your Kobe itinerary in the future if you fancy. A view of Kobe harbour at sunset or at night must be amazing!

Finish Your Day around Kobe’s Chinatown

From Meriken park, you can walk in 5 minutes to the final stop of this itinerary: Nankin-machi, one of Japan’s three Chinatowns (along with Yokohama and Nagasaki), an area that developed after the port was opened to foreign trade in 1868 and Chinese merchants settled near the port of Kobe. Nowadays, the little area is full of shops, restaurants and food stalls selling popular Chinese products (manju, bubble tea,…). How about a Chinese dinner or snack before leaving Kobe after a day of exploring? Motomachi station, where you can catch a JR train back to your starting point, is nearby.

Kobe One-Day Itinerary in a Map

Other Suggestions around Kobe

If you are planning to stay overnight in Kobe, or if some of the suggestions above don’t appeal to you, perhaps you might want to add/switch to your Kobe itinerary a visit to the Nada district (灘) , Japan’s largest sake production area. I haven’t been there myself, but it looks like an interesting area to visit to learn more about the history of sake production in Kansai and buy memorable souvenirs, with several sake museums and breweries open to the public (tours and sake-testing are also available).

Final Thoughts on Kobe

Kobe is not usually on the itinerary of foreign first-time visitors to Japan who often prefer Nara or Himeji as day trips from Osaka or Kyoto. If you have the time or are looking for other day trips ideas, I hope this article has convinced you to add Kobe to your list of places to visit in Japan. Having lived in Tokyo for 4 years, visiting Kobe from Osaka fet a bit like a day trip to Yokohama from Tokyo (which I have often done to enjoy a mix of urban modernity, seaside promenade and temple/garden walk).

Looking for other day trips ideas from Osaka? Check my article on Koyasan, a sacred mountain filled with beautiful shrines and temples: “A Memorable Day Trip to Koyasan from Osaka”.

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