Arima · Families
A large onsen hotel with rooftop baths, less intimate than a small ryokan but much easier with children and with suitcases. From ¥25,000 per person including two meals. A good option for anyone who wants to try an onsen without the price of Goshobo.
Photo: 663highland / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.5)
Arima · Historic
A ryokan operating since 1191, one of the oldest in Japan. From ¥40,000 per person including two meals. The water here is kinsen, brown-orange iron water, and Hakone has none like it. 30 minutes from Kobe and an hour from Osaka, so it is a real onsen without leaving Kansai.
Kobe · Kobe beef
A Kobe beef restaurant run by the local cooperative. A clear choice for anyone who wants to try Kobe beef at a place that specializes in it. On the 1st floor of Hotel The B Kobe, closed on Mondays.
A hundred-year-old teppanyaki house in Kobe, certified A5 Kobe beef on the iron plate. One of the reliable ways to eat real Kobe beef in the city itself.
An intimate teppanyaki counter in Kobe, Kobe beef with a precise sear. It is small, so an advance reservation matters.
Kobe · Certified kosher
The community of Kobe and Osaka runs an Israeli kitchen with catering, and sends chilled kosher meals anywhere in Japan, usually within 24 hours. The solution for Hiroshima, Hakone and Hokkaido. Order 3 days ahead and ask the hotel for a refrigerator.
Price checked September 2026
Kobe · Synagogue
The oldest active synagogue in Japan, and the oldest Jewish community in the country. Kobe took in Jews from Russia, Germany and Baghdad from the start of the 20th century, and in 1940 and 1941 thousands of refugees holding the transit visas of Chiune Sugihara passed through it. The original synagogue was destroyed in the bombings of World War II, and the cornerstone of the current building was laid in 1970. This is an active community and not a tourist site, so you arrange a visit or a prayer service in advance with the Jewish Community of Kansai. The address: 4-12-12 Kitano-cho, Chuo-ku, in the Kitano district.
Price checked September 2026
Kobe · Old kissaten
It opened in 1948 with only three tables, and moved to its current location in 1952. The building is in a northern German style, was damaged in the Great Hanshin earthquake of 1995 and reopened half a year later, and was rebuilt in 2005 for structural safety. 8:30 to 22:00 (since 1 June 2026), which means both a morning coffee and one after dinner. The pancakes are served at the main store only. A ten-minute walk from Kitano.
District · Kobe
The former foreign settlement: old bank and office buildings that became brand shops and cafes, and Building No.
Closed from 30 November 2026 to 4 March 2027 for an elevator replacement and interior work, and reopens on 5 March. Entry is ¥700, and ¥900 after the reopening. In Takarazuka near Kobe, dedicated to the 'god of manga', the creator of Astro Boy and Black Jack. There is an animation studio where you make a short clip, and rare manuscripts.
Photo: DVMG / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0)
An outdoor ninja park on Awaji Island, with the Hidden Leaf Village, scrolls and missions. Entry to the park is free and you pay per attraction: the basic Naruto ticket is from ¥3,300 for an adult. You get there by direct bus from the Sannomiya bus terminal in Kobe, about 45 minutes, but there are only two direct trips a day in each direction.
An outdoor role-playing park where you get a map and real quests, fight monsters and collect items. In the same complex as the Naruto park, but on a separate ticket: from ¥3,400 for an adult for the basic ticket.
Kobe Harbor · Free
An open shopping and restaurant complex on the water, with a lit Ferris wheel and terraces that look over the harbor. Free. From the Mosaic terraces you see the lit Port Tower in the evening.
Price checked October 2026
Photo: Oilstreet / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.5)
Kobe Harbor · Viewpoint
A red tower in the shape of a Japanese drum from 1963, which reopened in 2024 after a renovation, with an open rooftop. ¥1,000 for the observation deck and ¥1,200 with the rooftop. The symbol of the city, and at night it is lit in red lines.
Price checked September 2026
Photo: Laitr Keiows / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Kobe Harbor · Free
A park on the harbor with the BE KOBE sign for photos, and a corner of the pier that was left in ruins from the earthquake of 1995 as a memorial. Free. The sunset is from here, and facing it are the Maritime Museum and the tower.
Price checked September 2026
Photo: KishujiRapid / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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