Japan / Kyoto, Osaka & Kansai / KobeKobe
Kobe Beef, a Harbour, and Hot Springs over the Mountain
A port city strung between Osaka Bay and the Rokko mountains, 25 minutes west of Osaka: Kobe beef at the teppanyaki counters of Sannomiya, the 19th-century merchants' mansions of Kitano, the Nankinmachi Chinatown, and the harbourfront of Meriken Park, where a memorial keeps a stretch of quay as the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake left it. Over the mountains by cable car and ropeway, or by bus, Arima Onsen is one of Japan's oldest hot-spring towns, with its rust-brown "gold" spring. The sake breweries of the Nada district have museums with tastings. Shin-Kobe is on the Sanyo Shinkansen, and Kobe Airport has domestic flights.
Highlights
- Kobe beef teppanyaki
- Kitano's Western merchants' houses
- Nankinmachi street food
- Meriken Park and the earthquake memorial quay
- Harborland at night
- Mount Rokko views over the bay
- Arima Onsen's gold and silver springs
- Nada sake brewery museums
- Nunobiki Falls above Shin-Kobe
Things to do
- Kitano Ijinkan: the old foreign merchants' housesMorning · 2h
- Kobe beef teppanyaki lunch in SannomiyaAfternoon · 1h 30m
- Nankinmachi Chinatown street foodAfternoon · 1h 30m
- Meriken Park, the Earthquake Memorial & Harborland at duskEvening · 2h 30m
- Mount Rokko and the ropeway down to Arima OnsenMorning · 3h
- Arima Onsen's Kin no Yu bath and old lanes (closed 2nd and 4th Tuesdays)Afternoon · 2h 30m
- Nunobiki Falls walk from Shin-KobeMorning · 1h 30m
- Nada sake brewery museums & tastingAfternoon · 2h
Tours & tickets
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When to go
Best time: March – May, October – November
Worth knowing
Cherry Blossom Peak: Prices and Crowds
Late March to mid-April is the most expensive and crowded time of year: hotels cost up to two or three times their usual rate (Kyoto most of all) and sell out months ahead, and the famous parks and temples are packed. Book rooms four to six months out, and visit the big sights at opening time.
Heads up
Golden Week Crowds (29 April – 5 May)
Golden Week is a run of national holidays from 29 April to 5 May: shinkansen and domestic flights sell out, hotels raise prices, and sights are packed. Book transport and rooms early, or plan around those dates.
Heads up
Obon Holiday Rush (mid-August)
Around 13–16 August Japan travels home for Obon: trains and flights are full (Nozomi trains ran reserved seats only at Obon 2026), and resort hotels charge peak rates. Reserve seats for every long journey that week.
Heads up
New Year Closures (29 Dec – 3 Jan)
Over the New Year holiday many museums, castles, gardens and small restaurants close from about 29 December to 3 January, while the big shrines are packed for the first visit of the year. Check opening days before you plan a sight for those dates.
Heads up
Rainy Season (Tsuyu)
From early June to mid or late July it rains most days, often all day, on Honshu and Kyushu: carry an umbrella, keep outdoor plans flexible, and expect landslide warnings to close mountain roads and some railways after heavy downpours. Hydrangeas are in flower and the crowds are thinner.
Heads up
Typhoon Season
Typhoons reach Kyushu and Honshu from August to October, worst in September. A direct hit stops shinkansen, flights and ferries for a day and closes sights; most pass within 24-48 hours. Check forecasts in the days before travel and keep a spare day before an international flight.
Heads up
Summer Heat and Humidity
Late July and August are often 35 °C and very humid in Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka and the west, and heatstroke alerts are common. Sightsee early and late, drink water and take breaks indoors; Hokkaido and the mountains are cooler.
- Cherry blossom (hanami) — Cherry trees flower for about a week, from late March in Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka to mid-April in the Alps towns and late April in Sendai; Okinawa's come in January and Hokkaido's in early May. Parks fill with picnics under the trees. It is the dearest and most crowded time of year: book hotels four to six months ahead, and expect Kyoto rooms at two or three times the usual price.
- Golden Week — Four public holidays in a week, when much of Japan travels: shinkansen and domestic flights sell out, hotel prices rise, and sights are packed. Avoid travelling between cities on the first and last days.
- Obon — The festival of the ancestors, around 13-16 August: families travel home, shinkansen and flights sell out (Nozomi trains ran reserved seats only at Obon 2026), and there are Bon dances and lantern floats in towns across Japan.
- New Year (Shogatsu) · 31 Dec — Japan's biggest holiday: temples ring their bells 108 times at midnight on 31 December and millions make the first shrine visit (hatsumode), Meiji Jingu and Fushimi Inari above all. Many museums, restaurants and offices close from about 29 December to 3 January; trains run, but are full around the start and end.