Kobe in 3 days

Nunobiki Herb Garden (布引ハーブ園 — Mt. Rokko foothills, accessible by the Kobe Nunobiki Ropeway (Shinkobe Station, 1 min walk from Shin-Kobe Shinkansen Station; ropeway ¥1,060 return, 10-min ride)); Japan's largest herb garden (8.5 hectares on the southern face of Mt. Rokko at 400m altitude, with a panoramic view of Kobe and Osaka Bay); the garden has: 75,000 herb and flower plants from 200+ species in themed sections (the rose garden (Rose Garden Nunobiki — 250+ rose varieties; peak June and October), the lavender field (Lavandula angustifolia, the 'true lavender' from Provence (southeastern France); blooming June–July in the mountain micro-climate), and the chamomile meadow). The Nunobiki Waterfall (布引の滝 — accessible by a 10-min walk from the lower ropeway station (the waterfall can be seen without the ropeway); the four cascades of the Nunobiki Falls are the only waterfalls in Japan to be mentioned in the Manyoshu (万葉集 — the oldest anthology of Japanese poetry, compiled 759 CE)); the upper ropeway station has a café (herb tea and Kobe beef hamburger (¥1,500)).

Nada-Gogo (灘五郷 — the Five Villages of Nada; Nada Ward, eastern Kobe; the most important sake-brewing (日本酒 — nihonshu) district in Japan (producing approximately 30% of all sake made in Japan)); the exceptional sake produced in Nada is due to: (1) Miyamizu water (宮水 — the spring water from the Nishinomiya area (between Kobe and Osaka); Miyamizu has a specific mineral composition (high potassium, phosphorus, and magnesium; low iron and manganese) that promotes optimal yeast activity in sake fermentation); (2) the local Yamadanishiki rice (山田錦 — the 'king of sake rice'; a Hyogo Prefecture sake-specific rice variety with large grains, high starch content, and low protein — the ideal characteristics for fermentation into premium sake)). The sake breweries (Hakutsuru 白鶴, Kiku-Masamune 菊正宗, Nadagiku 灘菊) have public museums and tasting rooms: the Hakutsuru Sake Brewery Museum (Sumiyoshi-cho — the most comprehensive display of traditional sake making; free entry, free tasting at the end of the tour).

Mt. Rokko (六甲山 — 931m; the mountain range that forms the immediate backdrop to Kobe; accessible by the Rokko Arima Ropeway (摩耶山ロープウェー) from the Shin-Kobe area (ropeway ¥1,600 return, 30 min to the summit area)); the Rokko summit area has: the Kobe Observatory (a 360° panoramic view of Osaka Bay, Kobe, Osaka, and on clear days Awaji Island and the Seto Inland Sea); the Rokko Nordic Walk course (the mountain has 50km of well-marked walking trails); and the Rock Garden (ロックガーデン — a natural granite rock garden trail requiring light climbing gear). The night view from Mt. Rokko (the 'Night View of Ten Million Dollars' — 一千万ドルの夜景 — is the most famous view in Kobe and one of the 'Three Great Night Views of Japan'; the Kobe city lights stretching from the mountains to the sea, with the Osaka plain visible to the east, are extraordinary from 30 min after sunset). Ropeway last descent: 21:00 (summer schedule).

Kobe has the finest cocktail bar culture in Japan after Tokyo (a combination of the city's long history of international sophistication — the foreign trading community introduced cocktail culture to Japan through Kobe in the 1870s–1880s — and the post-earthquake reconstruction of the entertainment district with a concentration of independent bars). The Bar District (Center-gai — the bar streets of central Kobe between Kitano and the city centre): Bar Gimlet (the oldest surviving cocktail bar in Japan, opened 1924 by a British merchant; the Kobe Gimlet (gin + fresh lime juice + simple syrup, garnished with a lime twist) was the first cocktail served in Japan); Bar Protoss (the most celebrated cocktail bar in Kobe, known for the 'Rock Kobe' cocktail — whisky, angostura bitters, and a single large spherical ice ball (the Japanese art of ice-carving for cocktails: a single hand-carved perfect sphere of ice from a block, cut with a knife in 30 seconds by trained bartenders)). Open from 18:00, best from 21:00.

Himeji Castle (姫路城 — Himeji city, 50km west of Kobe; 30 min by Shinkansen (¥1,500) or 60 min by JR Shinkaisoku express (¥990)); UNESCO World Heritage Site 1993; the finest surviving example of Japanese castle architecture and one of the most beautifully maintained historic buildings in Japan: the White Heron Castle (白鷺城 — Hakurojo; named for its brilliant white plastered walls that give the impression of a heron in flight); the castle complex: 83 buildings on a 107m hill (the 'Great Keep' (天守閣 — tenshu-kaku) — a 6-storey donjon built 1609 (the primary construction period) by the Ikeda clan, with 5 smaller towers connected by internal passages and defensive walls; the structural system (the central post (心柱 — shinbashira) — a single massive camphor tree trunk runs from the basement to the top floor, absorbing the lateral forces of earthquakes and typhoons)); the recent restoration (2009–2015 — the White Restoration (平成の大修理): the exterior plaster was completely replaced, restoring the original brilliant white that had turned grey since the 1950s). Adults ¥1,000.

Suma Beach (須磨海水浴場 — Suma Ward, western Kobe; accessible by JR Sanyo Line to Suma Station (25 min from central Kobe, ¥280)); the closest sandy beach to Kobe (18km west of central Kobe); a 1.3km sandy beach on Osaka Bay that has been Kobe's swimming beach since the Meiji era (the Suma area appears in The Tale of Genji (源氏物語 — Murasaki Shikibu's 11th-century novel, the world's first novel) as the place of Genji's exile — the Suma and Akashi coast was considered a wild, remote shore in the Heian period (794–1185)). The beach today: well-maintained (the water quality ratings are consistently among the best for the Osaka Bay coastal beaches (the bay has improved dramatically since the 1990s water quality legislation)); beach huts (the temporary beach restaurants that operate July–August); and the Suma Aquarium (須磨海浜水族園 — one of the oldest public aquariums in Japan (1957), with the most complete collection of Seto Inland Sea marine life). Adults: free beach; ¥1,400 aquarium.

Kobe Fashion Museum (神戸ファッション美術館 — Rokkokochi Artificial Island, Higashinada Ward; the only museum in Japan dedicated exclusively to fashion history: the collection covers 400+ years of European and Japanese fashion history (the 18th-century French court dress, the 19th-century Victorian and Edwardian silhouette, the early 20th-century Poiret revolution and the 'uncorseting' of Western fashion, and the Japanese fashion tradition from kimono to the 1990s Comme des Garçons / Yohji Yamamoto avant-garde that came from Kobe and Tokyo)); Adults ¥500. Dinner at the Kobe Harborland (the Mosaic complex (モザイク) — a large entertainment and dining complex on the harbour reclaimed land, with restaurants from casual udon to Kobe Beef steakhouses; the view of the Kobe Port Tower and the harbour at night from the Mosaic terrace is the definitive Kobe restaurant experience).

Mosenji Viewpoint (保久良神社 — Hokyura Shrine; the shrine and viewpoint on the Rokko foothills above the Okamoto area (accessible by 30-min walk from Okamoto Station or by taxi ¥1,500)); the view at night (the Kobe cityscape from the slopes of the Rokko range, with the bay and Awaji Island visible in the background): the 'Ten Million Dollar View' close-up version (without the cable car cost); the shrine (a mountain shrine dedicated to the fire deity (Kagutsuchi) with ancient stone markers); the path to the shrine is lit by 200 stone lanterns (燈籠 — tōrō) that are illuminated at night, making the approach both atmospheric and practical). Alternatively: the scenic ride on the Kobe City Bus Line 2 (the 'City Loop' bus — ¥280, loops the main sightseeing areas with commentary) for a relaxed final evening overview of the city.