Botanical herb garden on the slope of Mount Rokko reached by cable car; admission + cable car ~1.500 ¥.
The Nunobiki Herb Garden is one of the most unusual parks in Japan: a botanical garden of more than 75.000 m² with 200 varieties of aromatic and medicinal plants, suspended on the southern slope of Mount Rokko at 400 metres of altitude, reachable only by cable car from the Chuo-ku district. The cable-car ride (10 minutes going up, with an intermediate stop) offers spectacular views of Osaka Bay and the port of Kobe. In the garden you will find sections of lavender, roses, mint, verbena and hundreds of other herbs with information panels, a small essential-oil distillery and a terrace café with sea views where you can try herbal teas and aromatic ice creams. The round-trip cable-car ticket with garden admission costs 1.500 ¥ for adults (700 ¥ for descent only). Hours: 10:00-17:00 (extended in summer until 20:30). Closed on Wednesdays. The lower cable-car station is a 15-minute walk from JR Shin-Kobe station or on the way to the Ijinkan of Kitano-cho.
