KOBE CITY MUSEUM

Kobe City Museum (神戸市立博物館) explores Kobe's unique position as one of Japan's first international trading ports, tracing its history from the prehistoric Jōmon era through the Meiji-era opening of the port and the city's development as a cosmopolitan gateway. The permanent collection highlights Namban art—17th-century Japanese paintings and objects depicting Europeans and the early Christian era—alongside archaeology, maps, and artefacts from Kobe's rich cultural exchange with the wider world. Temporary special exhibitions occupy the third floor.