Round, fluffy kochia (burning bush) are turning red on a mountaintop just a short walk from Shin-Kobe Station. At Kobe Nunobiki Herb Garden, which you reach by ropeway, kochia — the star of the autumn garden — is now at its best, and the garden highlights three “kochia views,” each with its own look.
The best time to see it is from late September to late October. There is not much time left, so it is wise to plan a visit soon.
1. In front of the Glass House: kochia as the star of an autumn-colored garden
The first scene is the garden in front of the Glass House. As the whole area is dyed in autumn colors, kochia takes the lead. The garden says the same spot shows many faces, from a sweeping view across the beds to plants glittering in the light.
2. Kochia overlooking the city: the Wind Hill lawn
The second is the Wind Hill lawn (Kaze-no-Oka Shibafu Hiroba), an open, natural space. Here you can look down over the streets of Kobe while viewing the kochia. Kochia with a hammock, kochia with the ropeway, kochia in the evening sun: these are combinations you can only get on a mountaintop.
Being able to frame kochia together with ropeway gondolas passing overhead is something only a ropeway-accessed garden can offer. Aiming for the evening light may be another way to enjoy this view.
3. Kochia among autumn flowers: the Welcome Garden
The third is kochia gathering in the same flower beds as many other autumn flowers. Next to colorful celosia and zinnias, the soft red of the kochia and the vivid colors of the flowers overlap. The Welcome Garden is introduced as the place where these flowers and kochia come together.
About Kobe Nunobiki Herb Garden / Ropeway
It is about a 5-minute walk from Shin-Kobe Station (Shinkansen and Kobe Municipal Subway). The ropeway offers a roughly 10-minute aerial stroll with views of the streets of Kobe and the Kyoto–Osaka–Kobe area below. The mountaintop, about 400 m above sea level, has the atmosphere of a medieval European castle, and about 75,000 plants of around 200 kinds of herbs and flowers greet visitors through the seasons. With restaurants, a cafe lounge, terrace dining and sweets, picnics and hammocks to relax in, it is a place to spend a whole leisurely day.
Facility information
- Facility: Kobe Nunobiki Herb Garden / Ropeway (operated by Kobe Resort Service Co., Ltd.)
- Kochia at its best: late September to late October
- Address: 1-4-3 Kitano-cho, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo
- Access: about a 5-minute walk from Shin-Kobe Station (Shinkansen and Kobe Municipal Subway)
- Website: https://www.kobeherb.com
- Autumn quarterly paper “HERB GARDENS PRESS” digital book (Japanese): https://my.ebook5.net/Kobe_Nunobiki_Herb_Gardens/Press_autumn/
