Mt. Rokkō (六甲山) and Mt. Maya (摩耶山) are the two mountains northeast of Kobe City and are popular weekend getaway destinations for both locals and international travelers. The mountains aren’t your typical natural beauty, as they also display Japan’s best night city views. In summer, it is a great 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. Rokkō!
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 who would like some challenges.
Below, we will first go through how you can easily access Mt. Rokkō and Mt. Maya before introducing all the great places you can visit in the area!
Table of Contents
- Explore the Mt. Rokkō and Mt. Maya With a Guide
- How to Get to Mt. Rokkō and Mt. Maya
- How to Travel in 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 compared to the city center. It is better to bring a jacket or clothes that can be put on and/or removed easily.
☛ If you plan to explore Mt. Rokkō and Mt. Maya, and other Kobe‘s attractions, consider getting Kobe Travel Smart Passport. The passport gives you free entry to many of the attractions in the city and comes with special perks! Refer to HERE for more details!
Explore the Mt. Rokkō and Mt. Maya With a Guide
If you prefer to be guided when you visit Mt. Rokkō and Mt. Maya, consider booking one of the below tours!
- Recommended Tours Bookable Through Viator, Including Tours Departing from Kyoto or Osaka
- Port of Kobe, Kitano Ijinkan-Gai, & Mt. Rokkō Day Tour from Osaka
How to Get to Mt. Rokkō and Mt. Maya
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 accessed easily through the bus services running on the mountain. 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 in Between Attractions on Mt. Rokkō and Mt. Maya
There are two types of shuttle buses you may hop on and off during your time at Mt. Rokkō and Mt. Maya.
- Rokkō Maya Sky Shuttle Bus (六甲摩耶スカイシャトルバス) 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).
- Rokkō Sanjō Bus (六甲山上バス) connects various facilities on Mt. Rokkō.
For the route map of both bus services, please refer to HERE (Japanese only). The fare table currently only comes in Japanese. The bus fare ranges from 170 yen to 490 yen for adults and 90 yen to 250 yen for children. If you read Japanese, please refer to HERE.
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 Mt. Rokkō and Mt. 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 all the way to 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 really have become those stars that the name is referring to now (well, it isn’t good that the 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
Click HERE to return to a list of attractions in Mt. Rokkō and Mt. Maya.
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 up the staircases, you will find a temple that has a style somewhat different from other temples in Japan. The statues of Buddha here are very colorful and are 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!
Locating 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 Rokkō Maya Sky Shuttle Bus (六甲摩耶スカイシャトルバス) and get off at Mayasan Tenjō-ji-mae (摩耶山天上寺前).
Click HERE to return to a list of attractions in Mt. Rokkō and Mt. Maya.
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, there is a list of activities you can participate in.
For more information, please refer to our article on Rokkōsan Pasture!
Click HERE to return to a list of attractions in Mt. Rokkō and Mt. Maya.
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.
Click HERE to return to a list of attractions in Mt. Rokkō and Mt. Maya.
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 Rokkō Alpine Botanical Garden!
Located at an altitude of 865 meters, the cool weather here is similar to southern Hokkdaidō, which allows around 1,500 different types of alpine plants to grow here. 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 Mt. 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 the areas with flowers blooming 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 receives more attention from 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, Cafe Edelweiss (カフェ エーデルワイス) and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee that goes well with a piece of cake!
Rokkō Alpine Botanical Garden’s Opening Hours, Admission Fee, and Access Information
- The garden is open daily from 10 am to 5 pm except Thursdays unless it is a public holiday.
- The last admission is at 4:30 pm.
- It is closed in winter from late November to mid-March.
- The admission fee is
- 900 yen for adults
- 450 yen for children from the age of 4 and elementary school students
- Please refer to Rokkō Mori no Oto Museum’s fee section for combo deals.
- The garden is just next to the Rokkō Mori no Oto Museum. From Museum-mae (ミュージアム前) stop, it is a one-minute walk away from its west exit.
- You can also get off at KōzanShokubutsu-en (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 as long as it is on the same day.
☛ If you understand Japanese, enter from the west exit to see if you are just in time for the next free garden guide tour 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 a lot of staircases at the east exit.
☛ The car park at the west exit is also bigger.
Click HERE to return to a list of attractions in Mt. Rokkō and Mt. Maya.
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 panorama 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. Rokkō 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 light up all its lights for a month back in 1975 (at night, of course). So for you to see the spectacular night view from the observatory, people who lived down there had to spend that much money collectively. A fantastic sea of lights view!
If you are lucky, you will also see the sea of lights (=ﾟωﾟ)ﾉ.
Click HERE to return to a list of attractions in Mt. Rokkō and Mt. Maya.
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 with a total of 164 obstacle courses that were newly opened in April 2021. It is a must-visit if you like outdoor recreation activities. 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!
Click HERE to return to a list of attractions in Mt. Rokkō and Mt. Maya.
Rokkō Garden Terrace (六甲ガーデンテラス)
Different from the Rokkōsan Athletics Park GREENIA above, Rokkō Garden Terrace is a European-style observatory complex with different facilities surrounded by beautiful gardens to take a leisurely stroll in. There are also a couple of stylishly designed observation decks for you to overlook Kobe’s cityscape and night view.
Refer to our Rokkō Garden Terrace article for more informtaion!
Click HERE to return to a list of attractions in Mt. Rokkō and Mt. Maya.
Take the Rokkō Arima Ropeway to Visit Arima Onsen Town
Arima Onsen (有馬温泉) is one of the Three Most Famous Onsen Towns in Japan. Located just 30 minutes from Kobe, the town known for hot springs that moisturize your skin is also filled with a range of leisure activities to keep you entertained!
To find out more about this hot spring town you must visit, 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 that are worthwhile to explore. For example, for those who love nature, the Nunobiki Falls, ranked the same as the Kegon Falls (華厳滝) 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.
