Kitano Ijinkan

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About Kitano Ijinkan

Kitano is the hillside neighborhood north of central Kobe where Western merchants and diplomats began to live after the port opened in 1868. Between the late 19th and early 20th centuries dozens of European- and American-style houses were built there, called ijinkan, ‘foreigners’ houses’. Some survived the 1995 earthquake and were restored.

The streets climb in slopes and stairways, with views over the port. About fifteen houses are open to visitors, several with combined tickets. The best known is the Weathercock House (Kazamidori no Yakata), of red brick, built in 1909 by a German merchant, with a weathercock in the shape of a rooster on the roof. Next door, the Green House (Moegi no Yakata), belonging to an American consul, has light-green painted verandas.

Other houses have their own themes: the Scalelike House (Uroko no Ie), covered with slate panels that resemble fish scales and featuring a small art museum; houses with period furniture, collections of objects and gardens. Some house cafés and shops.

At the top of the neighborhood, the Kitano Tenmangu shrine overlooks the houses and the port. Going down, Kitano-zaka street leads to Sannomiya, passing bakeries, cafés and restaurants. Ikuta Shrine, one of Kobe’s oldest, stands on the way among the city center buildings, with a small forest behind it.