Kobe City Museum, Art and history museum in Kyōmachi, Japan
The Kobe City Museum occupies the former Kobe branch of the Yokohama Specie Bank, a neoclassical stone building completed in 1935 and designed by Sakurai Kotarō. Its facade is divided into vertical bays by tall pilasters, with rectangular windows in each bay and a projecting corner entrance bearing the museum's name and emblem. Inside are exhibition rooms 1 to 5, a lecture hall, a library, a study room, a cafe and a museum shop.
The building was completed in 1935 as the Kobe branch of the Yokohama Specie Bank, designed by Sakurai Kotarō, architect of the old Mitsubishi Bank head office and the Marunouchi Building. After the war it served as the Kobe branch of the Bank of Tokyo. The city acquired it when the bank moved to the site of a former police station, and in 1982 it was converted into the Kobe City Museum, merging the Municipal Namban Art Museum and the Municipal Archaeological Museum.
The museum displays works that show the exchange between East and West, including historical artworks and objects from daily life across different periods. Visitors can see how these collections reflect Kobe's connections to the world.
The museum is a five-minute walk from Kyūkyoryūchi-Daimarumae Station on the Kaigan subway line, and about eight minutes from Motomachi Station on the JR and Hanshin lines. The facade is lit from sunset until 22:00. Inside are exhibition rooms 1 to 5, a lecture hall, a reading room, a gallery, a museum shop and the café Étoile.
The building was designed by Sakurai Kotarō, whose other works include the former Mitsubishi Bank head office and the old Maru Building; it was his last completed design. It served as the Yokohama Specie Bank's Kobe branch, then as a Tokyo Bank branch, before the city acquired it. From sunset until 22:00 the facade is lit, and a statue stands near its base.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 93,234 contributors worldwide.
