Kobe Municipal Arboretum

Introduction

Kobe Municipal Arboretum lies on the northern slope of Mt. Rokko. Founded in 1940 as an imperial anniversary project, it covers 142.6 hectares and is unusual in Japan for displaying trees as woodland rather than specimen beds. Some 1,200 woody species, nearly 500 of them from overseas, are planted by origin in North American, European, Asian and Japanese sections, so a circuit compresses the temperate forests of the northern hemisphere into half a day. The hydrangea garden is the star: 25 species, 350 cultivars and close to 50,000 plants, including shichidanka, once called the phantom flower of Rokko, turning a whole hillside blue in the June rains. Beside it, 37 species and some 4,000 rhododendrons and azaleas flower in spring. Autumn brings 38 species and nearly 3,000 trees in colour, with hana-no-ki, Japanese maple, wax trees and dawn redwoods filling the maple valley, one of Kansai's best-lit evening foliage spots. Nagao Pond, Tanigami Pond, a forest exhibition hall and the International Friendship Woods named for Seattle, Tianjin, Brisbane and Riga fill out the grounds. Higher than the city, it runs several degrees cooler in summer and often holds mist or late snow; at JPY 300 it is a full day's walking for the price of a coffee, so good shoes and a layer matter more than anything else.

✨ Highlights

🛈 Practical Info