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Voykit pocket guide · Japan
Kobe
神戸
Give Kobe one full day and one night, based at Sannomiya: harbour, Kitano houses and Nada sake in a single loop. Two nights only if you add Arima Onsen.
Kobe is a port city of 1.5 million between Osaka and Himeji, 20 minutes from Osaka by JR special rapid and 50 minutes from Kyoto. It is narrow north-south and long east-west: the sights sit in a band from the harbour up to Kitano, and the sake district of Nada lies east. Most travellers see it as a day trip; one night at Sannomiya lets you eat Kobe beef and see the night view without a late train.
- Country
- Japan
- Local name
- 神戸
- Best months
- Mar–May, Oct–Nov
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (hot and humid), Golden Week
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- JPY
- Money
- Cities are increasingly cashless; temples, small restaurants and some lodging taxes still want cash.
- Daily spend
- Budget ¥7,000–11,000 excl. bed · Mid ¥11,000–18,000 excl. bed · High ¥18,000+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Data-only eSIMs are the easy route: buy before you fly; voice SIMs need a residence card.
- Emergency
- Police 110 · Fire and ambulance 119
- Plugs
- Types A, B · 100 V · 50 Hz east (Tokyo), 60 Hz west (Osaka) · Most sockets are two flat pins without earth; European and UK plugs need an adapter. Phone and laptop chargers handle 100 V.
- Tipping
- Restaurants and bars: No tip; staff will chase you to return money left on the table.; Taxis: No tip; pay the meter.; Ryokan: Optional: ¥1,000–3,000 in an envelope for the room attendant; never loose cash.; Private guide: Not expected; a small gift or a thank-you meal is more usual.; Hotel porter: No tip.
- Water
- Safe from the tap everywhere; stations and parks have fountains.
- Toilets
- Free, clean public toilets in stations, parks and konbini; paper goes in the toilet. Rural and old stations may have squat toilets.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | ¥400–700 |
| Noodle soup or a Chinatown snack | ¥700–1,300 |
| Kobe beef, teppanyaki lunch set | ¥3,000–8,000 |
| Beer: draught in an izakaya / can at a konbini | ¥500–750 / ¥250–350 |
| 5 km taxi3.1 mi taxi | ¥2,200–2,700 |
| Subway or City Loop ride | ¥200–280 (check) |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | ¥2,000–4,000 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- UKB · Kobe Airport
- Port Liner light rail to Sannomiya, about 18 min, ¥330 (check)
- KIX · Kansai International
- High-speed ferry from Kobe Airport, about 29 min; or limousine bus from Sannomiya, 60–75 min
- ITM · Osaka Itami
- Domestic only; airport bus to Sannomiya, about 40 min
Typical fares
- Port Liner, Kobe Airport → Sannomiya
- about ¥330, 18 min (check)
- JR special rapid, Sannomiya → Osaka
- about ¥390, 20 min (check)
- Shin-Kobe → Sannomiya, subway
- ¥200, one stop
Get around
Three parallel east-west lines (JR, Hankyu, Hanshin) do the heavy lifting; each has its own Sannomiya station. The subway links Sannomiya to Shin-Kobe (¥200) and runs north to the Hokushin line for Arima. The Port Liner reaches the airport and port island, the Rokko Liner serves Rokko Island. The green City Loop bus circles Kitano, Chinatown and Harborland, ¥280 a ride or ¥700 for a half-day pass (check). Kobe is long east-west and hilly north-south: ride up, walk down.
See and do
Known for
- Kobe beef
- Kitano Ijinkan foreign houses
- Nada sake breweries
- Kobe Port Tower and Meriken Park
- Arima Onsen day trip
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Himeji | JR special rapid from Sannomiya or Kobe station, about 40 min | About 1 h |
| Osaka | JR special rapid from Sannomiya to Osaka station, about 20 min; Hankyu or Hanshin from their own Sannomiya stations, about 30 min | About 40 min |
| Kyoto | JR special rapid from Sannomiya, about 50 min | About 1 h |
| Arima Onsen | Subway to Shin-Kobe, Hokushin line to Tanigami, then Shintetsu Arima line to Arima-guchi and a bus | About 1.25 h |
| Awaji Island | Bus from Sannomiya across the Akashi strait | About 1 h |
| Nishinomiya and Koshien | Hanshin line from Sannomiya to Koshien, about 15 min | About 30 min |
Sleep
- Sannomiya
- The transport hub: JR, Hankyu, Hanshin and subway meet here, with the main shopping and eating district. Best for one night and for day trips.
- Motomachi and Kyu-kyoryuchi
- Old foreign concession, boutiques and Chinatown; 10–15 min walk west of Sannomiya, quieter at night.
- Harborland and Meriken Park
- Bay views, Port Tower and the earthquake memorial; good for a night view, thin on cheap beds.
- Shin-Kobe
- Shinkansen stop on the hill, one subway stop from Sannomiya; convenient only if you arrive or leave by bullet train.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Excuse me / Sorry | すみませんsumimasen |
| Thank you | ありがとうございますarigatō gozaimasu |
| This one, please | これをくださいkore o kudasai |
| How much is it? | いくらですか？ikura desu ka |
| Can I pay by card? | カードで払えますか？kādo de haraemasu ka |
| Where is the toilet? | トイレはどこですか？toire wa doko desu ka |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: A small bow; a handshake if the other person offers; avoid: Hugs, back slaps, loud greetings
- Names: Family name plus -san; avoid: First names unless invited; adding -san to your own name
- Paying: Put money in the tray at the register; avoid: Tipping, or leaving loose cash for staff
- Trains: Queue at the floor marks, phone on silent, ask before reclining on the Shinkansen; avoid: Phone calls, eating on crowded commuter trains, blocking doors with bags
- Escalators: Stand on the side locals use — left in Tokyo, right in Osaka; stations now ask people to stand still on both; avoid: Stopping at the top or bottom
- Shoes: Off at the step-up entrance; toilet slippers only inside the toilet; avoid: Stepping on tatami in shoes or slippers
- Shrines: Rinse hands at the basin; bow twice, clap twice, bow once; avoid: Walking down the centre of the approach, which is for the deity
- Gifts: Offer and receive with both hands; bring a small omiyage for hosts; avoid: Sets of four; cash outside an envelope
Scams and watch-outs
- Sannomiya station is split: JR uses 三ノ宮, Hankyu and Hanshin use 三宮. Check which one your train leaves from.
- Some Port Liner trains branch to Kita Futo instead of the airport: board one marked Kobe Airport.
- Kobe beef is priced per gram and menus vary wildly; ask the total before ordering.
- Summer is humid and the hills make walking tiring; carry water.
Kobe is a low-crime city and the 1995 earthquake damage is long rebuilt. The real risks are summer heat, hills that tire you out, and beef or bar bills with no posted prices: ask the total before you sit.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Kobe yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Kobe beef
- Kitano Ijinkan foreign houses
- Nada sake breweries
- Kobe Port Tower and Meriken Park
- Arima Onsen day trip
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Feel Kobe — official city travel guide: www.feel-kobe.jp/en/
- Kobe Airport official site: www.kairport.co.jp/eng/index.html
- Wikivoyage: Kobe, revision 5319549 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5319549
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Printed from Voykit (/kobe). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.