Kobe

Kobe is one of Japan's underappreciated cities. A cosmopolitan port city with an international flavor, hemmed in by Mt. Rokko, it constantly comes up number one in expatriate rankings of the best place to live in Japan
Located roughly in the center of Honshu, Japan's main island, Kobe is easily accessible by land, sea, and air. It is about 3 hours and 20 minutes from Tokyo by Bullet Train. Together with Osaka and Kyoto, it forms the focal point for the economy of western Japan.
One of the more interesting areas is Kitano. Since the late 1800s the area has served as a residential district for foreigners. With many houses in semi-Western and semi-Japanese style, the town is rich in exotic atmosphere characteristic of Kobe. Some of the houses, called "ijinkan" in Japanese, are open to the public, or used as boutiques and restaurants offering ethnic foods; others are still inhabited by foreign residents. Kyukyoruchi also has many old western style buildings.

Sightseeing:

Kobe's main attraction for the Japanese is its concentration of Western-style houses, some dating back to the days when Kobe was opened for foreign trade in 1868. Europeans who grew up in similar scenery may find them less fascinating.

• Ijinkan (異人館) (walking distance from either Sannomiya or Shin-Kobe stations) Kōbe's number-one attraction is the Ijinkan or Barbarian Houses. These are 19th-century residences of Kobe's foreign traders, clustered in the Kitano area.
• Kyu-kyoryuchi (旧居留地), near Motomachi station (Hanshin Line or JR Line). This is where foreign consulates and trading companies built their offices. Several 19th-century buildings have been converted into restaurants and shops. Notable buildings include Chartered Square, once the Chartered Bank branch and the 15th Building (十五番館), once the American consulate. The area is also packed full of high-fashion boutiques like Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Prada and Fendi.
• Meriken Park (メリケンパーク) near the harborfront has a poignant memorial to the devastating Hanshin Earthquake in 1995, which killed 6,433 people. Kobe Tower nearby is the unofficial symbol of the city and offers a viewing pavilion (￥600).
• Fruit Flower Park(フルーツ?フラワーパーク), 35 min by bus from Sannomiya, Open daily is 10 AM to 6 PM (except on　holidays). Phone: 078-954-1000. This park is surrounded by a lot of flowers and greenery. Many people hold their wedding ceremonies here every year. In spring, the park becomes even more beautiful as about 100.00 tulips bloom. The Hotel Fruit Flower is near the park, which is visited by many families.

Kōbe is a well-known center of sake production and many sake breweries are in the Nada (灘) area, and have tours or museums open to the public. You can pick up a map of the sake breweries at the tourist information office in Sannomiya.

• Sawa-no-Tsuru Museum (沢の鶴資料館) (10-minute walk from Hanshin ōishi station 大石駅). 078-882-7788. Open daily 10 AM to 4 PM, closed Weds. This museum is probably the best of the bunch, with an informative multi-level exhibit partly labeled in English, and a well-stocked gift shop. Free entry, but no free sake.
• Hakutsuru Sake Brewery Museum (walking distance from Hankyu Mikage station 御影駅 or Sumiyoshi station 住吉駅), 078-822-8907. Open daily 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM, closed Mon. This museum is located inside a former brewery, and features traditional tools, dioramas and English-language videos to explain the sake-making processes. At the end, you can sample some sake, which is non-pasteurized, presumably because it doesn't have to travel far from the factory. Write your name on a piece of paper provided by the guard and return that at the end. Free entry, free sake.
• Hamafukutsuru-Ginjo Brewery and Shop Open daily 10 AM to 5 PM, closed Mon. 078-411-0492. Reportedly, Hamafukutsuru offers factory tours, rather than just a museum.

Things to do:

• Mt. Rokko (六甲山 Rokko-san) and its Rock Garden, the first an easy cable car trip for suitable romantic evenings, the second a light day's hiking with an excellent view. The view over the glittering expanse of Osaka Bay is canonized as one of the Three Great Night Views.
• Kobe Collection (神戸コレクション). Fashion event. Held Twice a year (Aug-Sep, Feb-Mar) in Kobe since 2002. Popular with young women.
• Kobe Jazz Street (神戸ジャズストリート). Famous Jazz event in Japan. Held every October at jazz bars and hotels in Kobe since 1981.
• Chikin George One of the most famous place with live music in Japan. Near Sannomiya station.

Nunobiki Falls is one of three of Japan's most important waterfalls. A 15 minutes walk up Mt. Rokko from Shin Kobe station.