Kikuseidai (Mount Maya) — Kobe

photo by Laitr Keiows · CC BY-SA 3.0

photo by shikabane taro · CC BY 3.0

Among Japan's three great night views: the name means ‘where the stars gather’.

The name, ‘terrace where the stars gather’, originally described a sky so clear it seemed within reach; today, though, it is the view over the city, not the sky, that makes the trip worthwhile: Kikuseidai is counted among Japan's three great night views together with Hakodate and Nagasaki, and from 690 metres up it takes in Kobe and Osaka and, on clear days, reaches as far as Shikoku. You go up on the ‘Maya View Line’, a combined funicular and ropeway line, or on foot along one of the trails that start from the city.

Public viewpoint on the summit of Mount Maya, in the Nada district, inside Rokko Quasi-National Park.

ℹ️ The open area is always accessible for anyone arriving on foot or by car. The Maya View Line (ropeway + funicular) starts at 10:00, with the last service around 20:50 on weekdays (it varies with the season); return fare 1,540 yen adults, 770 yen children.

🚉 Hoshinoeki · 2 min walk

Sources: kobe-rokko.jp · madeinlocal.jp · jalan.net

All series · Open the map