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Park · Kobe, Hyogo
Port of Kobe and Meriken Park
The Kobe port waterfront, with Meriken Park, the red Kobe Port Tower, the Maritime Museum, the 1995 earthquake memorial and the Harborland promenade.
Illustrative images. The pictures in this guide are illustrations based on the real place, not photographs, and may differ from it.
A look at the place
Port of Kobe and Meriken Park in pictures
These pictures are illustrations based on the real place, not photographs. They may differ from the place.
Click the picture to enlarge it.
Discover
About Port of Kobe and Meriken Park
Kobe’s port was opened to foreign trade in 1868 and became one of Japan’s largest. The central waterfront, between Meriken Park and Harborland, has been turned into a promenade area with parks, museums and a bayfront boardwalk from which you can see ships and the Rokko Range rising behind the city.
Meriken Park occupies a reclaimed area in the center of the waterfront. There stands the Kobe Port Tower, a 108-meter red tower with a lattice structure shaped like an hourglass, offering an observation deck and a terrace. Beside it, the Kobe Maritime Museum, with a white tubular roof that resembles ship sails, tells the history of the port and navigation.
In one corner of the park, the Kobe Port Earthquake Memorial preserves a section of the quay destroyed by the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake in January 1995, with twisted poles and displaced stones, alongside panels about the reconstruction.
Across the inner bay, Harborland brings together shopping centers, restaurants, a Ferris wheel and the Mosaic boardwalk, from where sightseeing boats depart across the bay. At night the tower, the museum and the ships are illuminated, and the view of the waterfront with lights on the hills behind is one of the city’s highlights.
Before you go
Practical information
Cidade Turismo reviews its information regularly, but something may have changed. Check with the place before planning your trip.
How much time to set aside
1–2 hours for the park, the memorial and the boardwalk; more time for the tower and the museum.
Best time
Late afternoon and evening, when the tower, ships and hillside lights come on. Clear days give the widest view of the Rokko Range. Sightseeing boats run on fixed schedules: check before you go.
How to get there
Motomachi Station (JR and Hanshin) is about a 10–15 minute walk to Meriken Park. Kobe Station (JR) and Harborland Station (subway) are next to Harborland.
Tip
See the earthquake memorial before going up the tower. At dusk, walk from Meriken to Harborland and watch the waterfront light up.
Official website
Get your questions answered
Frequently asked questions about Port of Kobe and Meriken Park
What to do at Kobe Port?
Go up Kobe Port Tower, visit the Maritime Museum and the earthquake memorial in Meriken Park, walk to Harborland and take a bay cruise.
What is the Kobe earthquake memorial?
A section of quay destroyed by the January 1995 earthquake, preserved in Meriken Park with panels about the city’s reconstruction.
How do you get to Meriken Park?
On foot, about 10–15 minutes from Motomachi Station (JR and Hanshin).
How tall is Kobe Port Tower?
About 108 meters, with an observation deck and rooftop terrace.
Is Kobe beautiful at night?
Yes. The waterfront with the tower, the museum and illuminated ships, and the lights on the hills behind, is one of the city’s evening walks.
Beyond the guide
