Kobe Harborland

Waterfront shopping and dining district built on reclaimed land in the early 1990s, centered on the Mosaic mall with its open-air restaurants, boutiques, and rooftop Ferris wheel. From the wheel you can see the illuminated Kobe Tower and the Rokko mountains rising behind the port. Evenings draw crowds to the harbor promenade when the buildings light up and their reflections shimmer on calm water. Cruise boats leave from nearby piers for harbor tours and dinner cruises. Each December, the surrounding streets fill with the Luminarie light festival, its arches commemorating the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake.