Kobe Harborland

Kobe Harborland is the city's most popular waterfront shopping and entertainment district, a bustling complex of malls, restaurants, a Ferris wheel and open-air boardwalks built on former dockland and rail yards beside the harbour. Developed from the early 1990s on the site of the old Kobe port freight station, it has grown into a favourite destination for both locals and visitors, especially in the evening when the whole area lights up and reflects across the water.

The heart of Harborland is the Umie shopping complex, a vast multi-building mall divided into North, South and the waterfront Mosaic sections, together holding hundreds of shops, a cinema and a huge range of restaurants and cafes. The Mosaic building is the most atmospheric, a colourful low-rise waterfront arcade with a wooden boardwalk running along the harbour's edge, dotted with eateries whose terraces look straight across the inner harbour to the red Kobe Port Tower and Meriken Park. Beside it turns the Mosaic Ferris wheel, its illuminated wheel a landmark in the night skyline and a gentle ride with harbour views.

Harborland is designed for a full day and evening out. Families come for the Ferris wheel, the anpanman children's museum and mall nearby, and the variety of casual dining; shoppers come for the fashion and lifestyle stores; and couples come for the romantic waterfront atmosphere after dark. Buskers and street performers often gather along the boardwalk on weekends, and seasonal illuminations, especially in winter, turn the promenade into a glittering display.

What gives Harborland its special appeal is the combination of shopping convenience with a genuinely scenic setting. The harbour basin between Harborland and Meriken Park is one of the most photographed spots in Kobe, particularly at blue hour when the Port Tower, the Maritime Museum's sail-like roof and the Ferris wheel all glow against the darkening sky and mirror in the still water. Brick-paved plazas, a preserved old harbour warehouse converted to shops, and gas-lamp-style street lighting add character to the walkways.

The district is superbly connected. It lies just a short walk from JR Kobe Station and has its own subway station on the Kaigan Line, and a pleasant harbour promenade links it directly to Meriken Park, the Port Tower and Nankinmachi Chinatown, so the whole waterfront can be explored on foot. Entry to the district and its promenades is free, with charges only for the Ferris wheel and individual attractions. Bright, breezy and full of energy, Kobe Harborland is the natural place to spend an afternoon shopping and an evening watching the harbour lights come on.