District of Victorian mansions from the 19th and 20th centuries built by foreign merchants; free stroll, mansions from ~300 ¥.
Kitano-cho is the most picturesque and European district of Kobe, set on the hills north of Sannomiya station. When Kobe opened its port to international trade in 1868, foreign merchants —English, German, American, Dutch— built their residences on these slopes overlooking the sea, named ijinkan (houses of foreigners). Today more than thirty of these Victorian and colonial-style mansions still stand, some turned into museums showing the original decoration, the tableware and the personal objects of their former owners. The most visited are the Weathercock House (admission ~500 ¥), with its famous wrought-iron cockerel on the roof, and the Uroko House, with decorative slate scales on the facade. Strolling the district's streets is free. The main street, Kitano-zaka, is lined with shops, European cafés and imported-spice shops (Kobe is famous for its curry). It is a 10-minute walk from Shin-Kobe station (Seishin-Yamate line) or 20 minutes from Sannomiya.
