Neighbourhood in Chuo Ward, Kobe
Meriken Park and Harborland
メリケンパーク
Kobe's waterfront: the red Port Tower, the maritime museum and an earthquake memorial in Meriken Park, with Harborland's shops across the water.
- places to see
- 10
- walk past the highlights
- 1.2 km
- Hyogo
- Chuo Ward, Kobe
Meriken Park sits on the waterfront of the Port of Kobe. The park features the Kobe Port Tower, the Kobe Maritime Museum and a memorial to the victims of the Great Hanshin earthquake of 1995, where a damaged stretch of the old quay has been left as it was.
Across the inner harbour is Harborland, a former port area turned into shopping malls, restaurants and a small amusement park. Both sides are lovely at dusk, when the tower and the ships light up. The waterfront is a short walk south of Motomachi and Nankinmachi, and more of the ward is in our Chuo ward guide.
Don't miss in Meriken Park and Harborland
Start with these, then wander the side streets.
1. Kobe Port Tower
神戸ポートタワーKobe's red lattice tower on the waterfront, with a rooftop deck over the port.
2. Meriken Park
メリケンパークWaterfront park with the port tower, the maritime museum and an earthquake memorial.
3. Kobe Maritime Museum
神戸海洋博物館Museum of Kobe's port history under a white roof shaped like sails.
4. Kobe Harborland
神戸ハーバーランドShopping and dining area across the inner harbour, best at sunset and after dark.
Walk Meriken Park and Harborland in order
The highlights as one easy walk, about 1.2 km in all.
Stop 1
Kobe Port Tower
Start here
Stop 2
Kobe Maritime Museum
3 min walk
Stop 3
Meriken Park
2 min walk
Stop 4
Kobe Harborland
11 min walk
More around Meriken Park and Harborland
Other places within walking distance. Each shows its Japanese name for maps and taxis.
Kawasaki Good Times World
カワサキワールドA museum in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan.
Port of Kobe Earthquake Memorial Park
神戸港震災メモリアルパークA park in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan.
Fish Dance
フィッシュ・ダンスA historic site in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan.
Kobe Anpanman Children's Museum & Mall
神戸アンパンマンこどもミュージアム&モールA museum in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan.
Nankinmachi (Kobe Chinatown)
南京町Kobe's Chinatown, dating from the port's opening in 1868, with more than a hundred restaurants and food stalls.
Former Foreign Settlement No. 15
旧居留地十五番館Colonial-style building from the 1880s, the oldest survivor of Kobe's old foreign settlement.
Meriken Park and Harborland on the map
Every place on this page. Tap a pin for directions.
Questions
What is there to do in Meriken Park?
Go up the Kobe Port Tower, visit the Kobe Maritime Museum, see the earthquake memorial and walk along the water to Harborland for shops and dinner.
Is Meriken Park free?
Yes, the park is free and open all the time. The Port Tower and the Maritime Museum charge entry.
Sources
We checked the facts on this page against these sources.
More areas in Hyogo
- Nankinmachi and the Old SettlementKobe's Chinatown of street food and red gates, next to the stone buildings of the old foreign settlement and the Motomachi shopping arcade.
- KitanoA hillside district above central Kobe with Western-style houses built by foreign merchants and diplomats more than a century ago.
