Kobe Maritime Museum - Hyogo

Located at 2-2, Hatoba-cho, Chuo-ku, Kobe City in Hyogo Prefecture, Kobe Maritime Museum (神戸海洋博物館) is a modern museum that is dedicated to the history of Kobe as a port city.

Kobe Maritime Museum (神戸海洋博物館)

Kobe Maritime Museum History

Kobe Maritime Museum opened in 1987 in commemoration of the 120th anniversary of the Port of Kobe. The museum houses various exhibits of maritime vessels from different places and different timelines. The most famous of which is the scale model of the British warship Rodney which is found at the entrance hall of the museum. This display is symbolic as the HMS Rodney was the flagship of the first foreign flotilla that entered Kobe Harbor after its reopening on January 1, 1868.

Kobe Maritime Museum (神戸海洋博物館) - Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture

The most popular display in the museum... 

... is the scale model of the British warship, HMS Rodney

... Built in1833, she was the last unarmored warship in full commission during her time 

Kobe Maritime Museum also features real navigational equipment, model ships, and graphics and images connected to maritime vessels and its operations. It is a perfect place to see scale models of different ships that frequent Kobe Port. Kobe Maritime Museum is actually divided into two areas. The first floor, which is known as The Port of Kobe: Present and Future, and the second floor, which is known as The Port of Kobe through History. 

Here's the first floor of the museum

It displays boats from different countries

Reed boat used by tribes in South America

The figurehead usually seen in old ships

A miniature model of one of Japan's coast guard ships

A miniature model of a cargo ship

... and more miniature models of ships that dock in Kobe Port

The first floor is further divided into two sections. The first section introduces structures of ships (particularly cruise ships which frequently dock at the port) and the other section which showcases the facilities and roles of the Port of Kobe. 

Let's check the second floor of Kobe Maritime Museum

The floor has displays of miniature models of cruise ships that visit the port

Check out this captain's wheel

A miniature diorama of Kobe City and the port

A sneak peek of Kobe Container Terminal

Sister ports of Kobe

The second floor, on the other hand, showcases the history of Kobe Port. This area has plenty of exhibits of model ships, dioramas, graphics, and real ship's fittings. There is also a 33-seat Maritime Theater which shows a video of the effects of World War 2 and the Great Hanshin Earthquake to Kobe Port.

Kobe Maritime Museum and Meriken Park as seen from Kobe Port Tower

There is also an outside exhibition area in Meriken Park. It is where one can see the preserved part of Meriken Wharf which was damaged during the Great Hanshin Earthquake. The Yamato 1, a Superconducting Electromagnetic Propulsion Ship, and the Hayate, Techno Superliner ships are also displayed here. Sadly, I was not able to explore this part of the museum due to bad weather during our visit. From Meriken Park, visitors can take a picture of the museum facade. The unique exterior is actually designed to look like the sail and rigging of a sailing ship. 

Kobe Maritime Museum Admission Fee:

Check out the rates

Kobe Maritime Museum Admission Fee

This includes entrance to the Kawasaki Good Times World which is also inside the museum. 

My daughter enjoyed her time here

We were accompanied by our Japanese godparents during our visit.

My family and I got to visit Kobe Maritime Museum during our 21st day in Japan. It was our first destination on the said day. It was rainy during our visit which caused us to miss checking out the exhibits at Meriken Park but of course, made it a perfect time to explore and learn from indoor exhibits in the museum. We also went to the Kawasaki Good Times World which is also inside the museum building. 

Kobe Maritime Museum Opening Hours:

Kobe Maritime Museum is open from 10AM to 5PM every day.

Why visit the Kobe Maritime Museum?

Overall, Kobe Maritime Museum is a great field trip destination. It's also a perfect place to visit if you have a passion for maritime vessels. An hour in the museum would surely increase your knowledge about ships and the history of Kobe Port. 

Getting to Kobe Maritime Museum:

Ride the JR train to Motomachi Station. From there, the museum is a 15-minutes walk away.

If you came in via the Shinkansen line, you can ride a taxi to the museum. The trip takes about 15 minutes.

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