Kobe Motomachi Shopping Street
Kobe Motomachi Shopping Street
4
About
2-minute walk from JR Motomachi Station. It is a shopping street, formed in 1874, where you can feel Kobe the most. If you stand right in front of "La Luce," the beautiful stained glass arch that is a gate to Motomachi 1st street, you will be able to see Mount Rokko in the north and feel, from the south, the refreshing wind that Meriken Wharf brings. There are a lot of long-established stores that have been founded more than 50 years ago, such as kimono shops that sell kimono, yukata (informal cotton kimono), etc., bag shops, and coffee shops where you can relax comfortably.
Duration: < 1 hour
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- Motomachi • 3 min walk
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
4.0
421 reviews
Excellent
64
Very good
210
Average
135
Poor
10
Terrible
2
John and Deb K
Karratha, Australia822 contributions
Mar 2024 • Couples
Nice long shopping street, much wider than others. Nothing spectacular but great when raining to just wander along. We picked up a couple of nice rice bowls that were quite cheap.
Written 8 April 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
らるっくま
Kobe, Japan38 contributions
Mar 2016 • Family
三ノ宮商店街と比べるとややさびれている。
年齢層もやや高め。
目だった物があるかというと特にないが、よく見るとお洒落な店もちらほらあるので探してみては？
三ノ宮からぶらぶら神戸まで歩いてもいいかも。
This street is popular street in kobe.
You can enjoy food, shopping.
If you came from Sannomiya street, it's better to pass through Motomachi street to go to near Kobe station.
年齢層もやや高め。
目だった物があるかというと特にないが、よく見るとお洒落な店もちらほらあるので探してみては？
三ノ宮からぶらぶら神戸まで歩いてもいいかも。
This street is popular street in kobe.
You can enjoy food, shopping.
If you came from Sannomiya street, it's better to pass through Motomachi street to go to near Kobe station.
Written 31 March 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jeffrey F
Ilkeston, UK1,400 contributions
Nov 2015 • Family
Staying at an apartment in the Mission to Seafarers, just off Motomachi, we walked along or through the covered shopping street every day. It’s about a mile long & it’s true the character does alter from the Daimaru Department Store end (nearest the city centre) to the rather more run-down end near Kobe Station, where there are (unusually for Japan) a few empty shops. The department store which anchored the Kobe station end was destroyed in the 1995 earthquake & never rebuilt: other smaller shops have replaced it.
The ‘city end’ has plenty of life – from a large Uniqlo fashion store, bookshop, cafes & restaurants, convenience stores & an excellent shop which makes bento (lunch) boxes to your specification from morning till 9pm at night. In the side streets are a huge variety of eating places of varying standards & Chinatown is just metres away. And there is Fugetsudo Bakery (established 1897), making the famous Kobe Gaufre crackers; along with their café & banqueting facilities. They even have branches in the USA now. The flagship store of children’s fashion empire, Familiar, is also located there: wildly expensive children’s clothes!
It was really heart-warming though to see the efforts the city council & the local community are making to reinvigorate the more ‘run-down’ end. A local arts class had taken over one large shop for an exhibition, several ‘farmers market’ fruit & vegetable stores had also set up. One innovative venture is an owl café – sit & drink your coffee & stroke an owl at the same time. If you don’t like that idea – try the (similar) cat café a little further along! We walked along one night to find a council sponsored food & wine tasting event running several hundred metres along the mall: bringing out hundreds of potential shoppers & creating a great atmosphere. A number of shops still operate there (including kimonos, pottery & artworks) after very many years & are worth investigating. Walk the whole length & see the difference for yourself.
The ‘city end’ has plenty of life – from a large Uniqlo fashion store, bookshop, cafes & restaurants, convenience stores & an excellent shop which makes bento (lunch) boxes to your specification from morning till 9pm at night. In the side streets are a huge variety of eating places of varying standards & Chinatown is just metres away. And there is Fugetsudo Bakery (established 1897), making the famous Kobe Gaufre crackers; along with their café & banqueting facilities. They even have branches in the USA now. The flagship store of children’s fashion empire, Familiar, is also located there: wildly expensive children’s clothes!
It was really heart-warming though to see the efforts the city council & the local community are making to reinvigorate the more ‘run-down’ end. A local arts class had taken over one large shop for an exhibition, several ‘farmers market’ fruit & vegetable stores had also set up. One innovative venture is an owl café – sit & drink your coffee & stroke an owl at the same time. If you don’t like that idea – try the (similar) cat café a little further along! We walked along one night to find a council sponsored food & wine tasting event running several hundred metres along the mall: bringing out hundreds of potential shoppers & creating a great atmosphere. A number of shops still operate there (including kimonos, pottery & artworks) after very many years & are worth investigating. Walk the whole length & see the difference for yourself.
Written 24 November 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
geckofabulous
Bolton, UK130 contributions
May 2014 • Friends
From the station it's a short walk and offers up a covered concourse of shops, restaurants and discount stores. Offering something for everyone under the extensive shelter and stretching for around a mile of rows upon rows of low cost boutiques. Ideal for the tourist or local. Fantastic for all weathers
Written 4 July 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
LovelySunandBeach
Singapore, Singapore34 contributions
Jul 2019 • Solo
Was there in July, weather is very hot but good thing this area is sheltered. Many small shops and eatery along this strip.
Written 15 December 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Gary L
Singapore, Singapore388 contributions
Nov 2019 • Couples
It is divided into 4 or 5 sections with road that separates the sections. Great place to shop and eat.
Written 4 December 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thebroketraveller
Singapore, Singapore32 contributions
Oct 2019 • Friends
This street was pretty boring as compared with the Kyoto’s Nishiki Shopping district.
However, this is still worth to visit for their infamous Kobe Beef which taste superb.
However, this is still worth to visit for their infamous Kobe Beef which taste superb.
Written 8 October 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
TheDoor_isopen
Tuggeranong, Australia2,895 contributions
Jun 2019
I came across this shopping street after strolling through nearby Chinatown. There’s a mix of traditional and modern stores. I stopped to buy donuts.
As it’s a covered street it would be a good option on a rainy day.
As it’s a covered street it would be a good option on a rainy day.
Written 12 August 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
III76
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia144 contributions
Aug 2018 • Family
great place to explore old and new japanese shops. this style of shopping street called Shotengai dates back to medieval times, late 1500s. Consisting of small retailers "deeply connected to their localities, providing people not only with daily necessities and services..." These Shotengais have been in steady decline through the last 15 years of economic stagnation, as they do compete with big supermarkets, suburban shopping malls and department stores of today. Best to visit them while they're still around and soak in the culture and locality.
Written 20 September 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tote919
Bangkok, Thailand5,325 contributions
Nov 2017 • Couples
It's a nice shopping street but shops are opened quite late and some are closed quite early. If you want to see all the shops, the best time is to visit around noon.
Written 1 February 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
8月16日に神戸の中華街へ行った後、商店街へ行く予定ですけど、商店街は三宮と神戸と2ヶ所あるんですか？
駅は元町で降りるのが宜しいですか？
後、その日は天気が雨予報なんですけど、傘は持って行ったほうがいいですか教えて下さい。宜しくお願いします。
Written 14 August 2017
中華街は1か所です。三ノ宮のアーケード街を見ながら行くと
途中に中華街があった感じでした。
アーケード街はもちろん傘なしでOKですが、規模が小さいですが中華街は傘があったほうがいいかなと思います。
Written 15 August 2017
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