Kobe¶
Introduction¶
Kobe, the capital of Hygo Prefecture, has been a major city throughout Japan’s history and is a sophisticated and cosmopolitan city. There are great places for shopping and plenty of restaurants serving both Japanese and international cuisine. The Great Hanshin Earthquake in January had devastating results in Kobe but everyone is trying to get back to as normal a life as possible under the circumstances, and many of the shops and restaurants that closed due to the earthquake are now open again. The information provided in this section is for your reference—it came from before the quake, so as you set out for Kobe please realize that the particular place you want to go may not have reopened yet.
The main commercial areas in Kobe are Sannomiya, Motomachi, Kitano, Port Island, and Harbor Land. The wonderful thing about Kobe is that everything is relatively close together so it is possible to walk from Shin-Kobe in the northeast of Kitano to Harbor Land in the southwest. The two main train stations are Sannomiya (northeast of the port) and Motomachi (northwest of the port). The JR Kobe station is conveniently located by Harbor Land and Port Island is accessible by the Port Liner Bus.
The areas around Sannomiya and Motomachi are a shopper’s paradise, but if it’s mainly restaurants and cafes you’re after, head for Kitano (north of JR Sannomiya). Northeast of Kitano is the Shin-Kobe Oriental Hotel and the OPA Shopping Center–more shops and restaurants. Harborland, a huge shopping and office complex, was born as a result of waterfront development and is well-known as a sight-seeing, shopping, and gourmet zone. The “feel” is definitely American, not Japanese. Port Island is the location for the Kobe International Conference Center and the Kobe Science Museum. You’ll also find “Exotic Town” on Port Island (close to the Portopia Hotel).
How to get there/transportation¶
From Osaka there are three ways to reach Kobe: JR, Hanshin or Hankyuu lines from Osaka station. Usually it takes about 20 to 30 minutes to reach Sannomiya station from Osaka, depending on the train. The JR line is now running normally and provides easy access to and from Kobe. Sannomiya, Motomachi, and Kobe stations are all on the JR line, as is Osaka (Umeda) station, to the east of Kobe (Sannomiya to Osaka: 20 minutes). The Hanshin and Hankyu lines were still in question at the time this year’s Handbook was written–check with your school or JR services. The JR Sanyo Shinkansen has resumed as normal service and the Shinkansen station in Kobe is the Shin-Kobe station, to the northeast of JR Sannomiya.
Taxis¶
In Sannomiya, the best place to get taxis is on Nakayamate-dori. In Harborland, look in front of the New Otani Hotel or in front of JR Kobe Station. Kobe, the capital of Hyogo prefecture, is Japan’s sixth largest city, and contains one of the world’s largest ports. Arguably the most open, international, and easiest to navigate of Japan’s cities (it is reported that Nihonjin as well as gaijin answer their phones with “Hello?” in Kobe), Kobe provides an inviting change from Osaka or Nara. The city is sandwiched between the Rokko mountains and her port, making it one of Japan’s most attractive cities.
Kobe, with its great harbor, also has a lot of good ferry connections to the rest of Japan (see Ferries section).
Places to dine¶
Kobe is famous for its restaurants of every type and variety, serving both Japanese and international cuisine. Kobe is especially known for its tender Kobe beef steak (prices may not be quite so tender), European-style baked goods and Chinese cuisine. Many of Kobe’s restaurants are found in the Motomachi & Sannomiya areas, as well as the Kitano district and Nankinmachi (Chinatown). The Harbourland area, near Kobe tower, also contains a wide variety of restaurants.
Try these for starters:
Casablanca Club. Kitano-cho, 13-1-6, Chuo-ku¥4,000. open daily except Tu, 17:00-24:00; 078-241-0200.
Swiss Chalet. Kitano-cho 3-2-4, Chuo-ku, Lunch 2,500, dinner ¥4,500; 12:00-21:00; 078-221-4343. Selection of good European food, with emphasis on fondue.
Sizzlers. Harbor Land, Mosaic 2F. All you can eat salad, soup, bread, and dessert for about ¥1800; 11:00-23:00. From JR Kobe station walk along Kobe Gas light street, go past the Old Spaghetti Factory on the right and follow the road round to the Mosaic Building.
Windows on the Harbor. Sky Harbor Land, Ogasta Plaza 17F; Lunch ¥1300-1500, dinner ¥2500, ¥3200 and ¥4,500; 11:00-22:00. Buffet Style, view of the harbor.
Sabbath. Harbor Land, Mosaic 3F; 078-360-2996 (reservations may be needed on Saturdays); lunch ¥1000-¥1500, dinner ¥2,500. Drinks start at ¥500. Brazilian food–large pieces of meat on a large barbecuing rod. live band, 19:00-21:00–do the samba!! From JR Kobe station walk along Kobe Gas light street, go past the Old Spaghetti Factory on the right and follow the road round to the Mosaic Building.
There are also great French, Indian, Italian, Japanese, Mexican Middle Eastern, Morrocan, and Spanish restaurants in Kobe–call info centers and ask about the following:
Shopping¶
As with dining, Kobe can be a shopper’s heaven, with a very large variety of boutiques, department stores, etc. Remember the mantra: Sannomiya, Motomachi, Kitano, and just follow the crowds.
Sannomiya¶
Sannomiya: includes Daimaru and Sogo department stores, as well as the Santica underground shopping complex beneath Sannomiya station. Also Tokyu Hands (“Creative Life Store”).
Shin-Kobe Oriental Hotel (see OPA Shopping Center): everything from The Sharper Image to Bennetton, and other stuff like the American Pharmacy. The Shin-Kobe is a huge, tall, gray, axe-head-like building about 20-25min. walk from Sannomiya up Flower Road, or take a quick ride on the subway.
Center Gai has a lot of shops, a bit less pricey. There’s Mr. Jackets for tapes & CDs—good import selection. Take escalators up from second crossroads on the Center Gai. There’s also a Body Shop, close to Mr.Jackets.
There is yet another shopping network under Sannomiya station, called Santica.
Kobe Grocers is supposed to be a cheaper source of foreign food than Meidiya (Motomachi). Find Tokyu Hands and follow the road that runs north from behind the store. Walk for 5 minutes until you cross the first major intersection, and the KG is on the right about 20 meters north of this.
Motomachi¶
Motomachi shopping arcade (runs east-west just south of the station) is another convenient starting place for a day of exploratory consumption. From the station, go south towards Daimaru. On your left you’ll see the small restaurant and a take-out stand called Inkanroo Buta-man. The Japanese swear that Inkanroo serves the best niku-man (Chinese meat dumplings) in Kinki. Close to the eastern end (near the station) is a Maruzen, with English books on the third floor. For foreign food, there’s a Meidiya foreign food store down the arcade from Maruzen.
If you keep heading South towards the port, past the entrance to Motomachi arcade, you’ll see the fu dogs marking the entrance to Nankin-machi, or Chinatown. It’s the place for dried fruit and Chinese delicacies. It’s an international bazaar and great for people-watching (yeah that’s right—justify your shopping excursion as a cultural-anthropology field-work observation!).
Motoko Town is a long narrow arcade of teeny stalls running west from Motomachi Station under the tracks. You can get a lot of off-the-wall stuff here, from cut-rate leather jackets to smashed-up guitars. You can bargain here. Say chotto maketenka and maketeena (remember not to say you’re an ALT with a big budget! Do we have to tell you that?). The further west in the arcade, the more varied the shops.
Harbourland¶
West of Motomachi or south from Kobe Station. You might even feel like you’re shopping in a Western (Californian?) mall—there is an Old Spaghetti Factory, a Sizzler, a Wendy’s and many other restaurants for the Western palate. There’s a little Italian place by the “river” that serves a small blue-cheese pizza.
Kitano¶
A neighborhood to the north of Sannomiya once home to many foreigners, which contains a wide assortment of stylish boutiques.
Port Island & Rokko Island¶
Contain some discount stores and western shops like Price Club, Laura Ashley, the Nature Company, etc. To get to Port Island, take the Portliner from Sannomiya Sta. to Minami Koen Sta. and look for the Vandle sign. Rokko Island can be reached by taking the mono-rail-inspired Rokko-liner.
Sightseeing¶
With its international flavor, Kobe boasts many interesting and fascinating places of interest.
Check out Nankinmachi, one of Japan’s largest Chinatowns, close to the shopping/dining areas of Sannomiya and Motomachi, or take a look at the European-style houses, boutiques and churches (hey, they’re exotic if you’re Nihonjin) in the Kitano district, or go east and up the cable car to Mount Rokko, which provides a beautiful view of Kobe, day or night.
On the man-made Port Island are Portopia Land amusement park and the Kobe Science Museum. South of Motomachi, near Harbourland you’ll find Kobe Tower and the Kobe Maritime Museum.
Other places of interest include the small but beautiful Nunobiki falls (behind Shin-Kobe station), the Sakagura district of old sake cellars, Sorakuen garden and Suma beach.
Nightlife¶
Chicken Jorge. Live house. Low-key atmosphere, eclectic music. Cover ¥3000 in the past, drinks and food extra. Getting there: Walk north-west from Sannomiya to Tokyu Hands. Turn right and go north to Ikuta Jinja, and Chicken Jorge is on the west side of the shrine; look for a doorway with graffiti.
Sone Jazz House. Hear live jazz almost every night in a nice, relaxed atmosphere. Drinks and dinner. When I went, there was a “cover” of ¥500. Mixed drinks start at ¥700 and entrees at around ¥1500. Open from 5 pm to 2 am, and the band usually starts around 8 pm. Go early to get good seats, because it fills up quick. Located a few minutes north of Sannomiya. Address: 1-24-10 Nakayamate-dori, Chuo-ku, Kobe; phone: (078) 221-2055.
There’s much more than just this, but where to start the list?
Info¶
Some of the above info will doubtless have changed, so the best thing to do is to call an info center in advance and ask for information. Furthermore, you may wish to learn more about the post-quake situation and what you might do to help people (some residents were still living in shelters and tents when this edition of the Handbook was written). Call NIFS or Mike Davies for information about volunteering. Here are some helpful info sources:
Kobe City Tourist Information. #10-20 Kitano-cho 3-chome, Chuo-ku, Kobe 650. TEL: 078-261-0070. Call them and they’ll send information. Then send equivalent postage (in stamps) back to them.
Hyogo Prefecture Int’l Association and Advisory. 10:00-17:00. English, Chinese, Spanish, Portuguese–078-382-2052/078-360-8511
ECC (Consultation in English). 078-594-6462, 18:30-20:00.
Osaka Immigration Office, Kobe branch, 078-393-5452/5453
Kobe YMCA 078-241-7201
Kobe Student’s Youth Center 078-851-2760 (Korean)
Mindan 078-371-3010 (Korean)
Medical Consultation–AMDA International–06-636-2333. 9:00-17:00 Mo-Sat Japanese, English, Spanish; Thai Mo, Wd; Portuguese Tu, Th, F.
Kobe Int’l Community Center. 5th floor, Edo-machi SK Building, 92 Edomachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe 650. TEL: 078-302-7970. Facilities include information service, meeting corner library, meeting room, and typewriters & a Macintosh for public use.
