What to know
On January 17, 1995 at 5:46 am, the city of Kobe was hit by the Great Hanshin Awaji Earthquake, resulting in the death of more than 5000 people and the destruction of tens of thousands of homes.
The Earthquake Memorial Museum, part of the Disaster Reduction and Human Renovation Institution (人と防災未来センター, Hito to Bōsai Mirai Center), was opened in 2002 to commemorate the tragic event and to educate visitors about earthquakes and disaster prevention. The museum includes a large screen theater with realistic images of the earthquake's destructiveness, a documentary film about the recovery process, lots of information about the earthquake and various interactive games about disaster prevention.
The Earthquake Museum is located in HAT Kobe, a relatively new city district east of the city center. It can be reached in a ten minute walk from Iwaya Station on the Hanshin Main Line (4 minutes, 160 yen from Sannomiya Station) or in a 15 minute walk from Nada Station on the JR Kobe Line (3 minutes, 150 yen from Sannomiya Station).
The Earthquake Museum is also just a few steps from the Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art .
Visitor information
Practical details to check before planning this stop.
- Hours
- 9:30 to 17:30 (entry until 16:30)
- Closed
- Mondays (or following day if Monday is a national holiday)
- Admission
- 600 yen (~$3.84)
- English name
- Disaster Reduction and Human Renovation Institution
- Original name
- Kobe Earthquake Memorial Museum
Verify details before visiting. Currency conversion is indicative and may vary over time.