Kobe
Seattle’s very first sister city, Kobe is a short train ride from Osaka and Kyoto (less than an hour) and very walk-able. Compared with Osaka, it is a smaller, more relaxed seaside city… with mountains.
Kobe has a decent amount of high-end dining and the city itself feels very international and refined, but not pretentious. I expect that as this page fills out more, the coffee and restaurant section will be the most populated…
A good daytrip destination, but if a more quiet home base is your vibe, maybe Osaka and Kyoto are your daytrips!
Coffee
Coffee LABO frank
Recommended
Highly
Notes
A cozy coffee shop with welcoming baristas. I had an Ethiopia coffee and tiramisu and both were delicious! It was busy on a Sunday afternoon but I was able to snag a seat at the bar. Menus had English; I don’t recall it being cash only.
Restaurants
Kobe Beef Steak Ishida
Recommended
Highly
Notes
I probably should have paid more attention to the price estimate in Google, but it was an amazing lunch. Make a reservation in advance (I did not, but they squeezed me in and I wandered for an hour); their site is available in English. When you go to make a reservation, you can select an option to have English-speaking staff support. The chef preparing my meal was incredibly friendly and attentive.
Scenic
Nunobiki Herb Gardens & Ropeway
Recommended
Highly
Notes
Transparently, I was here just after New Years so there wasn’t much to see in the Herb Gardens. You can hike up (no thanks) or take the ropeway to the observation deck, where there’s some shops and a restaurant. Nice views of the city. I walked down maybe halfway, touring the gardens and wandering in a few structures, and then took the ropeway the rest of the way down.
A shrine that is about halfway between the ropeway and the port, so I stopped by on the way. It was incredibly crowded for New Years, but it was a pleasant, smaller shrine that is worth a stop, in my opinion.
If time allows
If time allows
A memorial commemorating the 1995 earthquake, including a portion that displays preserved damage. If you’re headed to the port, check it out.
The waterfront park at the… waterfront, where the Earthquake Memorial Park, Kobe Tower, and Maritime Museum (did not go to the museum, personally) are located.
If time allows
Head to the observation deck for a panoramic view of the city and port. My main objective may have been a BLACKPINK pop-up shop; I’m not sure what else is there at other times. A smaller tower, in terms of things inside, but a nice visit.
If time allows
Shopping
Name
Daimaru Kobe
Recommended
If time allows
Notes
The same department chain in the Osaka page. I was in search of specific confectionaries to take back; worth browsing the basement levels for the food shops if you’re not planning to visit other department stores.