About five minutes on foot from the shinkansen station, then about ten minutes by ropeway, and at around 400 meters above sea level an old castle and a Christmas market are waiting. Kobe Nunobiki Herb Gardens & Ropeway will hold “Kobe Christmas Market 2026 – Christmas at the Old Castle” from Saturday, November 7 to Monday, December 28, 2026. This year the Christmas season runs until the 28th, and there are more evening opening days.
A “botanical” look for the castle square
The venue sits at around 400 meters. Displays and illuminations decorate spots throughout the grounds, centered on the Observation Plaza with its buildings reminiscent of a German castle and reaching all the way into the gardens. Fitting for an herb garden, this year’s theme is “botanical”. The decorations use natural materials such as green plants, nuts and berries, and red ribbons, giving the place a different look by day and by night.
The star of the Observation Plaza is “The Power of Nature” (Shizen no Chikara), a Christmas tower about 7 meters tall built from Norway spruce, nuts and berries, and branches pruned in the gardens. It lights up at 16:00. A hinoki cypress welcome wreath about 3 meters across and red ribbons tied to chairs and parasols also decorate the square. In the Rose Symphony Garden there is a photo spot with a wreath about 2 meters across, and the number of displays has increased from last year.
An evening walk with autumn leaves and lights
The autumn-leaf illumination that began last year is being expanded. Its centerpiece is the “Forest Christmas Tree”, a 25-meter metasequoia in the woods decorated with about 1,600 light bulbs (lit from 16:30). The roughly 220-meter path from there to the Glass House becomes the “Corridor of Light”, lit from 15:00. The Glass House area, with its row of glass domes, also stays open into the evening on night-opening days, when the greenhouse, courtyard and terrace are wrapped in illuminations. Peak autumn color depends on the weather and cannot be seen throughout the whole event period. If you want both the leaves and the lights, check when the colors are at their best, then go up while it is still light and stay until after dark.
Glühwein and German crafts
There are more food and drink outlets this year, with a hut and a trailer café in the backyard of the observation area and another hut on the Glass House side. At the “German Festival 2026 – Beer & Wine Fest –” in the Observation Plaza, you can get a special Glühwein (mulled wine) from Germany’s Pfalz region (¥900), beef stew (¥1,650) and a platter of six kinds of herb sausages (¥1,300), among others. Kobe confectioner “Honey Dew” offers stollen (¥800), hot chocolate (¥1,100) and a Christmas chicken plate (¥2,500).
The market tents sell German crafts and goods such as nutcrackers, incense smokers, pewter ornaments and Advent calendars, along with the Herb Gardens’ own original products.
Evening opening is on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and holidays until Sunday, December 6, and every day, weekdays included, for the 18 days from Friday, December 11 to Monday, December 28. Even on a weekday, you can head from Shin-Kobe up to the mountain at night after work or sightseeing.
Event details
- Name: Kobe Christmas Market 2026 – Christmas at the Old Castle
- Dates: Saturday, November 7 – Monday, December 28, 2026
- Venue: Kobe Nunobiki Herb Gardens & Ropeway (1-4-3 Kitanocho, Chuo-ku, Kobe)
- Hours: Monday–Thursday (except holidays) 9:30–17:15 (last ropeway up 16:45); Friday, Saturday, Sunday and holidays 9:30–21:00 (last ropeway up 20:15)
- Evening opening: every day from Friday, December 11 to Monday, December 28, 9:30–21:00
- Access: about 5 minutes on foot from Shin-Kobe Station (shinkansen / Kobe Municipal Subway)
- Website: https://www.kobeherb.com
