Harborland ハーバーランド

Published on : 21/02/2015
by : C.V

The entertainment district

Since its creation in 1982, shopping malls, amusement parks and restaurants have blossomed in the Kobe Harborland district, transforming the small port area into a leisure temple.

Though the idea of a shopping and tourist site around the Minatogawa Resort germinated in 1982, it was in 1984 that the city of Kobe officially adopted the name Harborland for the future seafront district.

Over the decades, the area has developed and today it has become Kobe's flagship shopping district. It hosts a myriad of restaurants and two large shopping centers, Canal Garden and Mosaic Garden. With its big wheel, carousel, roller coasters ... it is also an amusement park!

But more than just an entertainment district, Harborland is also a nice place for a walk, especially at dusk, in the soft lighting of Gaslight Street.

From Takahama quay, you can see the futuristic buildings of Meriken Park, which is five minutes away. Among them, is the scarlet Kobe Port Tower, the maritime museum and some ruins from the deadly earthquake of 1995.