Things to do in Kobe

At just over 3,000 feet, Mt. Rokko offers one of the widest unobstructed views in the region. You’ll see the coastline, Osaka Bay and, if the sky cooperates, parts of the Inland Sea. Getting to the top doesn’t require a hike — just a short ride by cable car or coach.

If you’ve booked the Princess “Kobe, Sake Brewery Museum & Mt Rokko” excursion, the day starts in Nada, one of Japan’s most respected sake-producing areas. The museum is set inside an actual wooden kura, or brewery, where you’ll walk through the traditional steps of sake-making before sampling a few varieties. The drive continues uphill to the Mt. Rokko lookout point, which offers panoramic views that are especially striking in late afternoon.

Kitano sits uphill from the main port area. During the Meiji era, it was one of the few places where foreign residents were permitted to live and build. The results are still on display: wood-framed houses, stained glass, weathered brick and a few former residences turned into museums or cafés. You can walk the neighborhood at your own pace, or follow a suggested route that connects several of the best-preserved homes.

Side streets offer small shrines, family-run businesses and the kind of low-key historical signage that gives context and allows you to better understand how the area developed. Or just take pictures (hey, aesthetics can be as important as history).

Himeji Castle is located about 40 miles west of Kobe. It’s one of the few castles in Japan that was never destroyed by war or rebuilt in modern materials. Most of what you see (stone foundations, wooden interiors, multi-layered walls) dates back to the early 1600s.

Want to get the most out of your visit to this historic site without any of the stress? The “Himeji Castle & Kokoen Garden” excursion takes care of the logistics. After touring the castle grounds, you’ll visit Kokoen Garden, a series of landscaped spaces built on the site of a former lord’s residence. Each garden is styled differently, using waterfalls, bamboo groves or seasonal flowers to reflect specific design principles. Lunch is included, along with time to walk the grounds before returning to port.

Kobe beef gets most of the headlines ( and it deserves its reputation). But the city’s food scene includes far more than steak. This is a place where the kitchen doesn’t stick to one script.

Only a small percentage of Tajima-gyu cattle raised in Hyogo Prefecture meet the requirements to be called “Kobe beef,” and most of that meat is sold in Kobe itself. The point is that you’re unlikely to find a cut of real Kobe outside of Kobe… so you’d better taste it while you’re there. Steakhouses range from casual to high-end, and reservations are usually recommended. That said, if you want to try a smaller portion without the full sit-down meal, some restaurants offer tasting menus or lunch specials.

Outside the beef bubble, Kobe has a broad mix of influences. Chinatown (Nankinmachi) offers quick bites and specialty dishes, while bakeries and French cafés reflect the city’s European connections. You won’t have trouble finding something that sounds familiar — or something you’ve never heard of.

Nada is one of Japan’s top sake-producing regions. The water here is high in minerals and low in iron, which contributes to the clean flavor profile that local brewers aim for. Several of the larger breweries offer tours, some self-guided, others staffed with English-speaking docents.

Even if you’re not a sake drinker, the process is worth seeing. Old rice steamers, wooden fermentation tanks and pressing equipment show how the industry scaled up without losing its handmade roots. And most sites include a tasting counter… you wouldn’t want to miss out on a cultural experience, now would you?

If you’ve never been to a hot spring town, Kobe offers an easy way to get your feet wet.

Arima is located on the northern side of Mt. Rokko, and is one of the oldest hot spring resorts in Japan. It’s reachable from Kobe in about 45 minutes. There are two types of spring water here. The kinsen (“golden spring”) contains iron and salt. It comes out of the ground clear, but once it hits the air, the iron oxidizes and the water turns a deep golden brown. The ginsen (“silver spring”) is clear and contains up to twice the amount of salt as seawater. Together, they offer a different kind of soak that locals value for its gentler properties.

Kobe is close to several of Japan’s best-known historical centers. If you’re interested in things to do in some Kobe day-trip options, you’ll have no trouble finding destinations worth the travel time.

Kyoto is about 90 minutes from port by coach or train. The Princess “Best of Kyoto” excursion gets you there, hassle free, and covers three major sites. Nijo Castle features polished wooden corridors and “nightingale floors” that creak as a form of palace security. The Golden Pavilion is one of the most photographed buildings in Japan. Heian Shrine offers a large courtyard and vivid orange structures set against carefully manicured grounds.

Transportation and lunch are included, along with a stop for local shopping before heading back to the ship.

For a more focused experience, the “Fushimi Inari Shrine, Sanjusangendo Temple & Zen Garden” excursion takes you through Kyoto’s quieter side. You’ll walk under hundreds of red torii gates at Fushimi Inari, then visit Sanjusangendo, a long wooden hall lined with 1,001 statues. The final stop is Ryoanji, a Zen temple known for its raked rock garden.

The pacing here allows for reflection and photographs, with breaks built in throughout the day.

Nara served as Japan’s capital in the 8th century, and still holds some of the country’s oldest Buddhist temples. The “Temples of Nara” excursion includes Yakushiji and Toshodaiji — both UNESCO-listed — along with Todaiji, home to a 15-meter bronze Buddha and a hall large enough to house it comfortably. Nara Park is nearby, and while not an official part of the temple circuit, it’s common to spot free-roaming deer along the way. So be a deer and check it out.

Osaka is fast, large and layered. You’ll see older buildings squeezed between office towers, street food under neon lights and a lot of people.

The “Highlights of Osaka” tour gives you two main touchpoints: Osaka Castle, with its broad grounds and observation deck, and Sumiyoshi Shrine, one of Japan’s oldest Shinto sites. The drive between locations gives you time to see parts of the city most travelers don’t reach on foot.