Kobe is one of Japan’s largest port cities, and together with Osaka it forms one of the most populated areas in the country. Kobe is a relatively new metropolis, which in 1870 had just over 18,000 inhabitants. Throughout the time of the Tokugawa shogunate, the city’s port was directly controlled by the shogunate, and it was not until the opening of Kobe’s port to international trade in 1868 that major development began.

During World War II, Kobe was bombed by the United States, and on March 17, 1945, nearly 9,000 residents died during a bombardment that leveled approximately 20% of the city. The next major devastation struck on January 17, 1995, with the Great Hanshin Earthquake, which claimed 6,434 lives and left more than 200,000 homeless. The city’s harbor was also destroyed by the earthquake, reducing activity in the city, which has since been rebuilt.

Today, Kobe is a city with many sights, and you can start a tour of the city at the port, which has dominated Kobe’s history. Here is the Kobe Port Tower/Kōbe Pōto Tawā (神戸ベートタワー), which is the city’s landmark and an observation tower that was opened in 1963. The tower is 108 meters high and was designed with inspiration from a Japanese drum. From the top there is a beautiful view of the city and the area.

You find the Kobe Port Tower in Meriken Park/Meriken Pāku (メリケンパーク), a modern waterfront where you can visit the Kobe Maritime Museum/Kōbe kaiyō Hakubutsukan (神戸浴宝博物館) as well. It tells the stories of Kobe’s port and the development of Japanese shipping. The museum building is interesting with the roof symbolizing the sails of ships.

In Kobe, you can also get the history of the great Hanshin earthquake that shook the city in 1995. Just east of the Maritime Museum, you can see the Port of Kobe Earthquake Memorial Park/Kōbe-kō Shinsai Memoriarupāku (神戸港震災ボデリアルパーケ), which is a preserved part of Kobe’s old harbor quay as it appeared immediately after the earthquake’s devastation. In contrast to the ruined rubble in the park is the new harbor quay.

A little east of here you can visit the Hanshin Earthquake Memorial Museum/Hanshin Awaji daishinsai kine (阪神・淡路大震災記念). It is a memorial museum about the earthquake and its consequences for Kobe and the surrounding area through films and pictures.

Further east, you can visit the Earthquake Museum of the Hanshin Expressway (阪神高起 震災資料赛店庫). The collapse of the Hanshin Expressway over 635 meters was one of the major disasters of the 1995 earthquake, and at the museum you can take a closer look at the damage including sections of the collapsed structure.

You can also go back in time and visit the neighborhood of Kitanochō (北野町), located in the northern part of downtown Kobe. Kitanochō is a district known for its many European-style mansions built in the 1800s and 1900s for foreign merchants and diplomats. The district’s development was linked to the opening of Kobe Harbor, which brought international trade and foreigners. In Japan at the time, foreigners had to live in special areas, and that was in Kitanochō in Kobe’s case. Over the years, the immigrants began to build mansions, often in a style they knew from their home countries.

Kitanochō Square/Kitanochō hiroba (北野町店堂) is a good place to start a tour of Kitanochō. Here you can see Weathercock Hall/Kazamidori no yakata (風見鶏の館), which was built in 1909 by the German Gottfried Thomas. A few houses west of here is Moegi House/Moegi no yakata (萌黄の館), built in 1903 for Kobe’s American consul. Uroko House/Urokonoie (うろこの家) is another interesting house. It was built in 1905 as a luxury rental accommodation for foreigners, which is evident in the rooms of the house. In the western part of Uroko House, you can visit the Uroko Museum/Uroko bijutsukan (うろこ美術餐), which opened in 1982 with an exhibition of contemporary European art. From the museum you can also enjoy a panoramic view of downtown Kobe.

There are other interesting museums in Kobe such as Kobe City Museum/Kōbe Shiritsu Hakubutsukan (神戸市立館館). At the museum, you can see archaeological finds from the region, themes from Japanese history and a collection of so-called namban art. It was a particular Japanese style from the 16th-17th centuries, where the European missions and arrivals in Japan influenced the art.

Another good choice is the Hyōgo Art Museum/Hyōgo Kenritsu Bijutsukan (兵庫県立美術餓), a contemporary and modern art museum located on the city’s waterfront. The museum’s collections span both Japanese and international works, and there are also works with a focus on connections to the prefecture of Hyōgo. You should also take a walk in the cultural area of ​​Nankinmachi (南京町), the place where Chinese traders settled after the opening of the port of Kobe to international trade in 1868. Nankinmachi has since then developed into one of Japan’s Chinatowns.