Kobe City Museum
神戸市立博物館
Housed in the former Yokohama Specie Bank Kobe branch building, known for its Nanban art collection and its exhibits on Kobe’s port-opening history.
The Kobe City Museum building is the former Kobe branch of the Yokohama Specie Bank, completed in 1935. Its Greek temple-style columns are a landmark of the former foreign settlement. The collection is themed “International Cultural Exchange: The Encounter and Transformation of East and West.” It includes Nanban (Southern Barbarian) screens, Nagasaki prints, old maps and other Nanban and red-haired art. The famous “Portrait of St. Francis Xavier” is also in the collection. The permanent exhibition covers Kobe’s history from ancient times through the port opening. The museum often hosts large special exhibitions from overseas. Admission to the permanent exhibition is about ¥300, and special exhibitions are charged separately. It is closed on Mondays. Located in the former foreign settlement, it is about a 10-minute walk from Sannomiya Station.
Opening hours
09:30–17:30 (may extend Fri–Sat during exhibitions), closed Mondays
Nearby sights
- Kobe Former Foreign Settlement
- Nankinmachi Chinatown
- Meriken Park & Kobe Harborland
- Ikuta Shrine
- Kitano Ijinkan
- Sorakuen Garden
- Nunobiki Falls
- Disaster Reduction and Human Renovation Institution