Kobe Highlights Tour - Full Day

“Discover the Best of Kobe” is a truly superb experience and one I would wholeheartedly recommend to anyone visiting Japan. The itinerary was thoughtfully curated, offering a wonderful blend of culture, scenery, and exceptional food. A particular highlight was the visit to the Hakutsuru Brewery, which provided a fascinating insight into traditional sake production. The ropeway up to the Nunobiki Herb Garden was equally delightful, with stunning views and a peaceful atmosphere that made for a perfect escape from the city. Steve was an excellent host throughout—friendly, knowledgeable, and attentive to every detail. He also arranged a fantastic restaurant where we enjoyed some of the most delicious Kobe beef imaginable, which was undoubtedly a standout moment of the day. Thank you for such a memorable experience and a truly great day exploring Kobe.

On our first day in Kobe we were met at the Naka passenger terminal by Steve, a Welshman who lives in Kobe. Steve proved to be an excellent guide with a good knowlwdge of the city. Being a native English speaker was a bonus as I have a problem with foreign accents. He had a very personable nature and was very easy to talk to, We walked around Meriken Park and had a look at the Port of Kobe Earthquake Memorial, part of Meriken Park. A section of the old port has been preserved to show the damage caused by the 1995 Earthquake when around 6000 people were killed. We continued on to Chinatown where we had some made to order pork buns. The line at the shop was about a dozen when we arrived and continued to lengthen. Steve said that by lunchtime the queue might be 50 metres. The buns were delicious. We then walked along a covered shopping mall that was about 2 kilometres long before getting a train to the sake making district where we visited the Hakutsuru Sake Brewery and Museum and did a bit of tasting. The history of sake brewing was well explained and the films and signage were in both Japanese and English. We caught a train back to central Kobe for lunch of grilled mackerel and rice with miso soup, something we probably wouldn't have chosen if we had been on our own. We then took the cable car to the Herb Gardens at the top of the mountain where there were incredible views over the city..

Our group had a great day with Steve. He’s very easy going, friendly and accommodating. Even though he’s not native to Kobe, he’s very knowledgeable of the area. We enjoyed an amazing lunch of authentic Kobe beef and was a great food experience as well as seeing the major highlights of the city. It was a good experience to ride the trains/subway to get a more true experience of the city. We highly recommend Steve.

Stephen was fantastic! Very knowledgeable, funny, adapted to what we wanted to do. Had great recommendations for lunch break. Was always very prompt to responding to emails and questions! Would definitely recommend to others looking for guide to Kobe!