Kobe Harborland, Hyogo | Japan is Nippon

A shopping and strolling area on a former freight yard by Kobe Port, with harbour and Port Tower views from the Ferris wheel and bayside restaurants.

View across Kobe harbor from Harborland to the red Kobe Port Tower and Mount Rokko — Photo: そらみみ, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Harborland at night with illuminated trees and the lit-up Ferris wheel — Photo: Oilstreet, CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons

A harbour district born on an old freight yard

Kobe Harborland is a shopping and leisure area south of JR Kobe Station, facing Kobe Port. The site was once Minatogawa freight station on the Japanese National Railways (the forerunner of today's JR); the freight station closed in 1982, after which redevelopment of the site began.

The name "Harborland" was chosen from public suggestions in 1984, and the district held its machibiraki (its official opening as a new town) in September 1992. In April 2013 the large shopping centre umie had its grand opening.

umie MOSAIC and the Ferris wheel

Stretching along the waterfront, umie MOSAIC is, according to Kobe City's official tourism website, a large shopping mall with around 230 shops and restaurants plus a cinema. Many places have terraces facing the harbour, so you can eat with a view of the sea.

Mosaic's landmark is the Mosaic Big Ferris Wheel. From the top you can see over Kobe's port and cityscape, and at night it is lit up in bright colours. It is closed on some days for inspections, so if you want to ride it, check the notices on the official website.

There is also Kobe Renga Soko, restaurants in old red-brick warehouses; the Kobe Anpanman Children's Museum & Mall for kids; and THE KOBE CRUISE Concerto, a restaurant ship that cruises around the harbour.

The place for night views

From the Harborland waterfront you can see the red Kobe Port Tower and the Kobe Meriken Park Oriental Hotel across the harbour. After dark, the illuminated cityscape is reflected in the water and the whole place takes on a completely different mood from the daytime.

Kobe Port Tower, Meriken Park and the cruise ship terminal are about 10 minutes' walk away, so you can take them all in on a stroll along the harbour.

Getting there

It is about 5 to 10 minutes' walk from JR Kobe Station. Harborland Station on the Kobe Municipal Subway Kaigan Line is also close by, and it is about 15 minutes on foot from Kosoku Kobe Station. Opening hours differ from one facility to another, so check each one's official website.

Tips

If you want to see both the daytime harbour and the night view, plan to arrive in the late afternoon: you can stroll while it is still light and then stay on for the night view.
On event days such as fireworks displays there may be traffic restrictions. Check the notices on the official Kobe Harborland website before you go.
Port Tower and Meriken Park are within walking distance. We recommend spending half a day exploring the harbour area on foot, Harborland included.