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Photo: 百楽兎, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Exhibits rich history of the port city with many photos, artifacts, models and some actual ships. Also houses Kawasaki World, a corporation museum for the Kawasaki Heavy Industries (no additional fees).
Kobe Maritime Museum is a museum in Kobe, Japan focusing on the history of Japanese shipping and Kobe harbor.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
メリケンパーク
Located on the harborfront has a poignant memorial to the devastating Hanshin Earthquake in 1995, which killed 6,433 people.
Built in 1962, it is the world's first sightseeing tower with a pipe structure. The unofficial symbol of the city. 108 m tall. 5 levels of observatories.
神戸華僑歴史博物館
A museum about the many Chinese merchants and tradespeople who settled in Kobe following the opening of the Port of Kobe to foreigners in 1868.
南京町, nankinmachi
The original settlement of Chinese merchants. Today, it is rather touristy though it offers some "Japanized" versions of Chinese food such as pork buns (豚饅頭 buta-manjū, more often buta-man). Its architecture is still rather pleasant though.
旧居留地
This is where foreign consulates and trading companies built their offices. Several 19th-century buildings have been converted into restaurants and shops. Notable buildings include Chartered Square, once the Chartered Bank branch and the 15th Building (十五番館), once the American consulate. The area is also packed full of high-fashion boutiques such as Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Prada and Fendi.