Mount Rokkō (六甲山) and Mount Maya (摩耶山) are two mountains in Kobe City’s northeast, popular weekend getaway destinations for locals and international travellers alike. The mountains aren’t your typical natural beauty; they also offer Japan’s best city views at night. In summer, it is an excellent escape from the summer heat in big cities. On top of that, one of Japan’s top three hot spring towns, Arima Onsen (有馬温泉), is only 12 minutes away by ropeway from Mt. Rokko!
Apart from all the attractions that entertain visitors looking to spend a day or two relaxing with good food, checking out farms or wild animals, or admiring the great scenery, there are also a few mountain trails that attract hikers seeking a challenge.
Below, we will first go through how you can easily access Mt. Rokko and Mt. Maya before introducing all the great places you can visit in the area!
What to Do at Mount Rokko and Mount Maya
- Explore the Mt. Rokkō and Mt. Maya With a Guide
- How to Get to Mt. Rokkō and Mt. Maya
- How to Travel Between Attractions on Mt. Rokkō and Mt. Maya
- Autumn Foliage Season at Mt. Rokkō and Mt. Maya
- Kikuseidai Observatory (掬星台)
- Tenjō-ji Temple (摩耶山 天上寺)
- Rokkōsan Pasture (神戸市立 六甲山牧場)
- Rokkō Mori no Oto Museum (ROKKO 森の音ミュージアム)
- Rokkō Alpine Botanical Garden (六甲高山植物園)
- Mt. Rokkō Tenran Observatory (六甲山天覧台)
- Rokko Field Athletics (六甲山アスレチックパークGREENIA) and Mt. Rokkō Snow Park (六甲山スノーパーク)
- Rokkō Garden Terrace (六甲ガーデンテラス)
Refer to the area map HERE.
Tips:
☛ Go with a pair of sneakers, as the mountains’ roads aren’t all that flat.
☛ The area’s temperature can be much lower than in the city center. It is better to bring a jacket or clothes that can be put on and taken off easily.
☛ If you plan to explore Mt. Rokkō and Mt. Maya, consider getting Kobe Rokkosan Tourist Pass.
Explore the Mount Rokkō and Mount Maya With a Guide
If you prefer to be guided when you visit Mt. Rokko and Mt. Maya, consider booking one of the following tours!
- Himeji Castle, Arima Onsen & Mt. Rokko: 1-Day Bus Tour from Osaka
- Kobe Lazy Day Trip from Osaka (Sanda Outlet + Arima Onsen Hot Spring + Mt. Rokko Night View Romantic Check-in)
How to Get to Mt. Rokko and Mt. Maya in Kobe
There are a couple of ways to get to the top of Mt. Rokkō and Mt. Maya. The attractions in Mt. Rokkō and Mt. Maya can be easily accessed by bus services running on the mountains. How you want to get up there depends on where you are coming from and where you will be going afterwards. There are several accommodations on both mountains as well, which need to be factored in if you plan to stay overnight at one of them.
Refer to our How to Get to Mt. Rokkō and Mt. Maya article for more information!
How to Travel Between Attractions on Mount. Rokkō and Mount. Maya
There are two types of shuttle buses you may hop on and off during your time at Mt. Rokkō and Mt. Maya.
- Rokko Sanjo Bus Route 1 (六甲山上バス1系統) connects various facilities on Mt. Rokkō.
- HERE is Rokko Sanjo Bus Route 1’s bus fare table.
- Rokko Sanjo Bus Route 2 (六甲山上バス2系統) that runs between Maya View Line’s Hoshi no Eki Station (星の駅) to Mt. Rokkō Cable Line’s Rokkō Sanjō Station (六甲山上駅).
- Please note Maya Ropeway Sanjō Station (摩耶ロープウェー山上駅) is the bus stop name that is just next to Maya View Line (まやビューライン)’s Hoshi no Eki Station (星の駅).
- HERE is Rokko Sanjo Bus Route 2’s bus fare table.
For the route map of both bus services, please refer to HERE (Japanese only).
Again, there is no English version’s timetable for the services, but we will include the bus stops’ names in Japanese with each attraction we introduce below for you to match back to the timetables. For the timetable, please refer to HERE on the official website.
Autumn Foliage Season at Mount. Rokkō and Mount. Maya
Depending on which part of the mountains you are in, the color of nature can start changing as early as early October. The season peaks from mid to late October through mid to late November.
Kikuseidai Observatory (掬星台)
Although no proper record supports it, the night view from Kikuseidai is commonly known as one of Japan’s Best Three Night Views (the other two are Mt. Hakodate in Hokkaidō and Mt. Inasa in Nagasaki).
Mt. Rokko’s views may be stunning, but the view from Kikuseidai Observatory just makes you feel like you could leap down and fly into the city, Blade Runner style.
The observatory got its name from the feeling that we could reach up and scoop the stars into our hands because of its high altitude. But instead of the stars in the night sky, the lights in Kobe and Osaka have really become those stars the name refers to now (well, it isn’t good that light pollution is so bad now, but at least the view from here is just awesome).
Tip: Not known by many, but the sunrise from here is also astounding!
How to Get to Kikuseidai
- The observatory is just next to Maya Ropeway (摩耶ロープウェイ)’s Hoshi no Eki Station (星の駅)
- The car park is a bit farther away from the observatory if you drive. So please come with warm clothes, as nighttime here can be really chill.
Tenjō-ji Temple (摩耶山 天上寺)
Around 700 meters from Hoshi no Eki Station, the gate of Tenjō-ji Temple stands on one side of the road. Climbing the staircases, you will find a temple with a style somewhat different from that of other temples in Japan. The Buddha statues here are very colorful and more like those you see in temples in Taiwan or China.
One of the most special things about Tenjō-ji is it is the only temple in Japan that enshrined Budhha’s mother, Madam Maya (摩耶夫人). This is why the mountain where Tenjō-ji is located is called Mt. Maya!
Located at an altitude higher than Kikuseidai Observatory, on a clear day, the view you will get stretches further to even Shōdo Island (小豆島)!
Also, from late June to early July, while it can be quite tiring to go up the staircases from the gate, the hydrangea that will be blooming on the sides of the pathway can make this part of the journey easier to endure (^_-)-☆.
Tenjō-ji Temple’s Opening Hours and Access Information
- The temple is open from 9 am to 5 pm.
- It is around a 15-minute walk from Hoshi no Eki Station (but note the long staircases from the gate to the worship hall).
- From Rokkō Cable Line’s Rokkō Cable Sanjō Station (六甲ケーブル山上駅) or from Maya Ropeway Sanjō Station (摩耶ロープウェー山上駅), take Rokko Sanjo Bus Route 2 (六甲山上バス2系統) and get off at Mayasan Tenjō-ji-mae (摩耶山天上寺前).
Rokkōsan Pasture (神戸市立 六甲山牧場)
For all the farm animal lovers, you will have a lot of fun at Rokkōsan Pasture, meeting their sheep, goats, horses, rabbits, and even guinea pigs! In addition to meeting the farm animals, you can also participate in a list of activities.
For more information, please refer to our article on Rokkōsan Pasture!
Rokkō Mori no Oto Museum (ROKKO 森の音ミュージアム)
The original Rokkō International Musical Box Museum (六甲オルゴールミュージアム) was renovated and reopened in mid-July 2021 and was renamed Rokkō Mori no Oto Museum.
Now the facility isn’t just all about musical boxes. It is more like a cottage in a forest where you enjoy music throughout the area!
For more information, please refer to our Rokkō Mori no Oto Museum article.
Rokkō Alpine Botanical Garden (六甲高山植物園)
If you are interested in seeing alpine plants but can’t be bothered to climb all the high mountains in Japan, come to Rokko Alpine Botanical Garden!
Located at an altitude of 865 meters, the cool weather here is similar to that of southern Hokkaidō, allowing around 1,500 types of alpine plants to grow. And for those alpine plants to prosper, great effort has been put into replicating the terrain in high mountains.
From early spring to late autumn, you can always find some colors other than green. Whether it is the flowers just next to your feet or the autumn leaves above you, the garden is always the most colorful place in Mount. Rokkō!
Tip: It usually takes an hour or two to explore the garden fully. But if you don’t have that much time and weren’t handed a garden map showing which areas are in bloom on the day, check with the staff so you get the best of the garden for the day!
From late October to early November, the usually quiet garden attracts more tourists. As one of the well-known autumn foliage spots, you can even enjoy the beautiful scenery at night until 8 pm on weekends and public holidays (until 6:30 pm on weekdays)!
If you need a break from the exploration, enjoy a cup of tea or coffee at Cafe Edelweiss (カフェ エーデルワイス) with a piece of cake!
Rokkō Alpine Botanical Garden’s Opening Hours, Admission Fee, and Access Information
- The garden is open daily from mid-March to November, from 10 am to 5 pm, except on Thursdays, unless it is a public holiday.
- The last admission is at 4:30 pm.
- The admission fee is
- 900 yen for adults
- 450 yen for children from the age of 4 and elementary school students
- The garden is just next to the Rokkō Mori no Oto Museum. From Mori no Oto Museum (森の音ミュージアム) stop, it is a one-minute walk away from its west exit.
- You can also get off at Rokkōzan Kōzanshokubutsu-en (六甲高山植物園), which is a minute away from its east exit.
Tips:
☛ If you keep your ticket, you can enter the garden as many times as you like on the same day.
☛ Get the combo ticket with Rokkō Mori no Oto Museum if you plan to visit both attractions.
☛ If you understand Japanese, use the west exit to see if you are just in time for the next free garden guide tour (植物園スタッフガイドツアー), held at 11 am and 2 pm, departing from Shop Alpicola (ショップ アルピコラ).
☛ If you are accompanying someone who is less mobile and travels in a wheelchair, please also use the west exit, as there are many stairs at the east exit.
☛ The car park at the west exit is also bigger.
Mt. Rokkō Tenran Observatory (六甲山天覧台)
Immediately from Rokkō Sanjō Station (六甲山上駅), there is this observatory that gives you a panoramic view of Kobe, Osaka Bay (大阪湾), and then Osaka Plain (大阪平野), including Kansai International Airport (関西国際空港). You can even see Awaji Island (淡路島) on a clear day!
The night view from Mt. Rokko Tenran Observatory is one of the three best ones in Mt. Rokkō and Mt. Maya. You will see “1,000万ドルの夜景” as part of the observatory’s directional sign, which means “the night view that costs 10 million dollars” Σ(ﾟДﾟ).
But don’t be worried. You aren’t expected to really pay 10 million dollars to access the observatory. It was just a catchphrase invented based on how much it used to cost Kobe to keep all its lights on for a month back in 1975 (at night, of course). So, for you to see the fantastic sea of lights view from the observatory, people living down there had to spend that much money collectively.
If you are lucky, you will also see the sea of lights (=ﾟωﾟ)ﾉ.
Rokkōsan Athletics Park GREENIA (六甲山アスレチックパークGREENIA) and Mt. Rokkō Snow Park (六甲山スノーパーク)
Rokkōsan Athletics Park GREENIA is an outdoor recreation spot featuring 164 newly opened obstacle courses. It is a must-visit for outdoor recreation enthusiasts. In winter, the park becomes the Mt. Rokkō Snow Park for you to enjoy snow!
Refer to our Rokkōsan Athletics Park GREENIA and Mt. Rokkō Snow Park article for more information!
Rokkō Garden Terrace (六甲ガーデンテラス)
Unlike the Rokkōsan Athletics Park GREENIA above, Rokkō Garden Terrace is a European-style observatory complex with various facilities, surrounded by beautiful gardens, ideal for a leisurely stroll. There are also a couple of stylish observation decks for you to take in Kobe’s cityscape and night view.
Refer to our Rokkō Garden Terrace article for more information!
Take the Rokkō Arima Ropeway to Visit Arima Onsen Town
Experience the timeless charm of Arima Onsen, Japan’s oldest and most iconic hot spring town. Tucked away in the scenic mountains of Kobe, this historic retreat is famous for its unique “Gold” and “Silver” onsen, renowned for their healing properties for centuries. Whether you’re seeking a luxury ryokan stay, a rejuvenating day trip from Osaka, or a stroll through narrow winding streets filled with traditional snacks, Arima Onsen offers the ultimate authentic Japanese spa experience.
To find out more about this hot spring town, please refer to our article on Arima Onsen (=ﾟωﾟ)ﾉ.
Explore Other Places to Go and Hidden Gems in Kobe
The port city of Kobe has many other popular attractions and hidden gems worth exploring. For example, for those who love nature, the Nunobiki Falls, ranked the same as the Kegon Falls in Nikkō National Park, is probably the next spot you want to visit. The Kitano Ijinkan-gai up on the hill is another place in Kobe for some great Instagram photos!
To find out more about this amazing city, please refer to our article on Kobe (=ﾟωﾟ)ﾉ.
