What to know
The Kobe City Museum (神戸市立博物館, Kōbe Shiritsu Hakubutsukan) opened in 1982, merging the collections of the Kobe Archaeological Museum and the Namban Art Museum under one roof.
The museum's permanent exhibition features an interesting collection of maps from different regions and eras of Japan, as well as artifacts representing Japan's exchange with foreign countries, from its earliest cultural imports from China and Korea to traded goods that entered Kobe after its port opened to international trade in the 19th century.
The museum also has one of the world's largest collections of Namban Art ("Southern Barbarian Art"), a Japanese art style that developed from the first contacts with Western trade ships (which approached Japan from the south) in the 1500s. The rotating exhibits include colorful paintings and folding screens depicting scenes of early Japanese contacts with foreign traders and missionaries.
The museum also periodically hosts temporary special exhibitions.
The Kobe City Museum is about a ten-minute walk from either Motomachi or Sannomiya Stations, or a five-minute walk from Meriken Park.
Visitor information
Practical details to check before planning this stop.
- Hours
- 9:30 to 17:30 (until 20:00 on Fridays and Saturdays)
- Closed
- Mondays (or the following day when Monday is a national holiday), New Year holidays
- Admission
- 300 yen (~$1.92) (when there is no special exhibition), more expensive during special exhibitions
- English name
- Kobe City Museum
- Original name
- Kobe City Museum
Verify details before visiting. Currency conversion is indicative and may vary over time.