Meriken Park in Hyogo

Meriken Park, located in Kobe City, is a waterfront park created from reclaimed land in 1987. The park was substantially refurbished in 2017 and now features the popular BE KOBE monument, Kobe Port and the newly opened Starbucks.

BE KOBE, in particular, has become quite popular among young people wanting to take pictures. Starbucks here is a very open space with great views of the port from inside the cafe. When I visited the cafe, there were still long queues outside after opening only a few months earlier. The view makes lining up well worth it though!

There is also a large open lawn space, perfect for when the weather is nice. It's a great spot to enjoy. There can also be found Kobe Port Tower and Mosaic Mall, good places to enjoy shopping and eating out all day long. Cruise ships berth here, including the luxury restaurant cruise ship Luminous Kobe 2. Needless to say, the port views here are great.

In the eastern part of the park can be found the Kobe Port Earthquake Memorial. The Great Hanshin-Awaji earthquake occurred in 1995 and the memorial here features records of the disaster that occurred.

Buildings, including the famous Kobe Port Tower, are illuminated at night and offer some fantastic night views. They turn Meriken Park into a very popular spot for couples to share views of the port city. For anyone who enjoys watching ships and port environments, then Meriken Park is most definitely recommended!

Opposite the park sits the popular Kobe Chinatown. Known as Nankin-cho in Japanese, Kobe Chinatown is not a large place but the Chinese restaurants here and the atmosphere are good. The food is too and is offered at reasonable prices.

Meriken Park in Kobe is a great place to visit with plenty of things to see and do.