This year, art-hopping on Mount Rokko comes with commentary from Kobe University students on certain days. At “Kobe Rokko Meets Art 2026 beyond”, a contemporary art festival held on top of the mountain, Kobe University students will start guiding visitors around the artworks. The tours run on eight days between Sunday, October 18, 2026 and the festival’s final day, Sunday, November 29. They are free, and anyone with an art festival pass can sign up.
Student interns guide you around ROKKO Mori no Oto Museum
The guides are student interns from the Graduate School of Intercultural Studies at Kobe University. It is an industry–academia project between the graduate school and Rokkosan Kanko, the festival organizer. On Sunday, September 6, Kobe University also held a public lecture, “Community and Art: The Kobe Rokko Meets Art Project”, and these tours follow on from it.
The aim on both sides: for visitors, a way into the background and highlights of each work; for students, a chance to practice explaining art in their own words.
The tours cover the ROKKO Mori no Oto Museum area, where you can see works such as Yayoi Kusama’s “Pumpkin” and Yoshitomo Nara’s “Peace Head”. There are three tours a day, starting at 11:30, 13:30 and 15:30, each lasting about 30–40 minutes. Each tour takes up to 20 people, with priority for those who book. Reservations are made on the booking site by 23:59 the day before you want to join, and walk-ins are welcome on the day if there is space. Tours go ahead in light rain.
With works scattered across the mountaintop, it can be hard to know where to start. Taking a guided look at one area first should make the rest of your art walk much more enjoyable.
The festival’s 17th edition, with a “Forest of Light” at night
Kobe Rokko Meets Art is a festival where you enjoy contemporary art while making your way around the facilities on top of Mount Rokko. It began in 2010 to boost local tourism, and this is its 17th year. About 60 artists and groups are taking part, and there are also workshops for children.
Besides the museum area, the venues are spread across the mountaintop, including the Rokko Cable Car station, Tenrandai observatory and the Rokko Garden Terrace area.
Since Saturday, September 19, “Hikari no Mori (Forest of Light) – A Night Art Walk” has also been running on weekend and holiday evenings (until Sunday, November 29). Set in ROKKO Mori no Oto Museum and Rokko Alpine Botanical Garden, it features works by Kyota Takahashi, Kazue Taguchi, Daisy Balloon and hohobun.
There are three types of pass: Day & Night, Day and Night. Bought at the ticket counters on the mountain, adult passes cost ¥4,300 for Day & Night, ¥3,300 for Day and ¥2,000 for Night. With the online discount, adults pay ¥4,200, ¥3,200 and ¥1,950 respectively. The Night pass also includes entry to Tenrandai during its evening opening that day.
Tour details
- Name: Artwork tours by Kobe University student interns (Kobe Rokko Meets Art 2026 beyond)
- Dates: eight days — Sunday, October 18; Sunday, October 25; Saturday, October 31; Saturday, November 7; Sunday, November 15; Saturday, November 21; Sunday, November 22; and Sunday, November 29, 2026
- Times: starting at 11:30 / 13:30 / 15:30 (about 30–40 minutes each)
- Meeting point: in front of the general information desk at ROKKO Mori no Oto Museum (4512-145 Kitarokko, Rokkosan-cho, Nada-ku, Kobe)
- Capacity: 20 people per tour (priority for reservations; walk-ins welcome if there is space)
- Fee: free (a Kobe Rokko Meets Art pass is required separately)
- Reservations: by 23:59 the day before you wish to join, at https://qr.paps.jp/5gGL7
- Weather: goes ahead in light rain; cancelled in stormy weather (announced on the official website and social media by 15:00 the day before)
- Festival period: Saturday, August 29 to Sunday, November 29, 2026, open every day (Rokkosan Silence Resort is closed on Mondays)
- Art festival passes (mountaintop counters): Day & Night — adults ¥4,300, children ¥1,800; Day — adults ¥3,300, children ¥1,300; Night — adults ¥2,000, children ¥1,000 (adults: junior high school students and older; children: age 4 to elementary school; age 3 and under free)
- Festival website: https://rokkomeetsart.jp/
