Meriken Park

Meriken Park spreads along the wharves of the Port of Kobe, a place where you can take in open lawns and the sea at once, with the hourglass-shaped Kobe Port Tower in view. The name "Meriken" comes from the word the Meiji-era Japanese used for "American."

The park opened in 1987, built on land reclaimed between the old Meriken Wharf and Naka-Tottei, the pier where Kobe Port Tower stands. In the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake of 1995 the wharf collapsed, and in 1997 it was left as it was rather than restored, becoming the Kobe Port Earthquake Memorial Park. About 60 meters of the quay wall is preserved, and in 2018 it was chosen as a Selected Civil Engineering Heritage by the Japan Society of Civil Engineers. A nearby rest area doubles as an exhibition space with photo panels and materials recording the damage.

Several memorable works are scattered through the park. The sculpture Fish Dance, by the architect Frank Gehry, was set up in 1987 to mark 120 years since the port opened. The bell tower Hortensia no Kane on the central lawn was placed to commemorate the first Kobe Fashion Festival in 1990. When the park was extensively renovated in 2017 for the port's 150th anniversary, a Starbucks then said to be among the largest in western Japan was also built, designed to evoke a cruise ship.

Around the park you will find the Kobe Maritime Museum and Kawasaki Good Times World, Hotel Okura Kobe, and the wave-shaped Kobe Meriken Park Oriental Hotel. The BE KOBE monument, set up in 2017 for the port's anniversary, expresses pride in Kobe and is a popular photo spot. The park has also hosted port events such as the Minato Kobe fireworks display (since 1971) and the Kobe Sea Bon Odori dance.

On foot you can reach Kobe Port Tower (about 180 m), Nankinmachi (about 730 m) and the Kobe City Museum (about 750 m). It is about a 10-minute walk from Minato-Motomachi Station on the Kaigan Line and about 15 minutes from Motomachi Station. Besides a seaside stroll, it is a park worth visiting to learn about the memory of the earthquake.