Kobe Nunobiki Herb Gardens, Kobe

Our goal really was to hike up Mount Maya, but tips and instructions to find the hiking paths up were too convoluted. After much frustration and more than an hour of searching, we were still unable to find the path to hike up. So instead, we admitted defeat and used the cable cars to ride up along the mountain, with the herb gardens in full view along the slopes. The views of the city and of the water were still breathtaking, but we felt like we didn’t work for it. =/ There is a place that offers gourmet hot dogs and ice cream at the top of the herb gardens, and while the view was nice, we were too cold to appreciate it for more than a few minutes. We did, however, find a hiking path down from the gardens, and it served as enough of a challenge to satisfy us. =) If you’re hiking down, there is a bathroom/modest rest stop on the way. Beware that there might not be any toilet paper, so come prepared! There was an old shrine right before the waterfalls that was interesting to explore. It gave me an eerie feeling—coupled with the sun setting, we wanted to get to the bottom before nightfall. There are a couple of small shrines right at the waterfalls and then right after, there are long swathes of craggily steps you have maneuver before reaching the end. Great sights, some eeriness, lots of frustration (I lost my phone right after this trip), but I recommend trying it at least once. If you’re too tired to hike, at the very least use the cable cars to see some amazing views.

A nice place to go when the weather is good. Great date spot. Awesome view of Kobe and an interesting shop at the top with herbs and herb-related things. There is a snack bar and restaurant at the top and walk down into the part to the green house where there is another restaurant. If you walk down through the entire garden you can catch a ropeway car down from the midway station.