Kobe

Mongolian citizens need a Japanese visa. Residents of Mongolia apply online for a JAPAN eVISA through VFS Global: a single-entry tourist visa for up to 90 days, fee 357,000₮ (≈¥15,000) since 29 June 2026, five times the old rate (multiple-entry 714,000₮), plus a 55,000₮ VFS service charge, about 5 working days. Transit visas are no longer issued. Your passport must be valid for more than 6 months; attach a return ticket and hotel booking.

Tip: The direct flight runs only twice a week — get the visa first, then buy the ticket, and nothing is at risk.

Before flying, enter your passport, flight and hotel on Visit Japan Web and fill in the immigration and customs declarations. On arrival you only scan the QR code.

Book the popular Kobe beef restaurants, the Anpanman Museum, Port Tower date-and-time tickets, the Akashi bridge's Bridge World tour and a ryokan in Arima ahead of time. Kobe Luminarie runs from 29 January to 7 February 2027. Hospitals in Japan are expensive, so travel insurance is a must.

From Kansai Airport to Kobe Airport across Osaka Bay in ~30 minutes, then the Port Liner to Sannomiya. One way costs ¥1,880 for adults and ¥940 for children (Port Liner included); a 120-day return is ¥3,060. The ¥500 discount for foreign visitors ended on 30 June 2026. A free bus runs from the terminal to the ferry pier.

From Kansai Terminal 1 to Kobe Sannomiya in ~65 minutes, adults ¥2,200, children ¥1,100. The last bus leaves Kansai at 21:55 — it fits MIAT's evening arrival.

From Osaka (Umeda) to Sannomiya the JR special rapid takes ~20 minutes for ¥420, Hankyu ~25 minutes for ¥330 and Hanshin ~30 minutes for ¥330. The Shinkansen stops at Shin-Kobe; from there the subway reaches Sannomiya in 2 minutes.

If your phone supports eSIM, buy and install one from Airalo, Ubigi or Japan Wireless before the flight: a 7-day 1–3 GB plan costs about $4–8, a 30-day 10 GB plan about $16–18. It works the moment you land.

Tip: Download Kobe and Himeji in Google Maps and Japanese in Google Translate for offline use.

The arrivals hall at Kansai has SIM counters and vending machines: a tourist SIM with a few GB for 7–14 days costs about ¥3,000–5,000. A data SIM is all you need; electronics stores in Sannomiya sell them too.

The City Loop tourist bus links Kitano, Sannomiya, Nankinmachi, Meriken Park and Harborland: ¥300 a ride, ¥800 for a day pass (children half). Kitano to the port is a pleasant ~25 minute walk.

From Sannomiya to Arima Onsen take a bus (~25–30 minutes, ¥600–780) or the subway and Shintetsu trains (30–40 minutes, ¥720). The Rokko Cable Car return is ¥1,550. Himeji Castle is ~40 minutes by JR special rapid for ¥990, or 15 minutes by Shinkansen from Shin-Kobe. ICOCA works on all of them (the Rokko Cable Car takes cash or credit cards).

Japan only recognises international driving permits issued under the 1949 Geneva Convention; Mongolia is a party to the 1968 Vienna Convention instead, so a Mongolian licence or a Mongolian-issued international permit cannot be used to drive or rent a car in Japan. Use trains, buses and taxis.

Most restaurants and shops in Kobe take cards, but Nankinmachi's stalls, small places in Arima and temples prefer cash. Withdraw yen 24 hours a day with a foreign card at the Seven Bank ATMs inside 7-Eleven stores.

Tourists spending over ¥5,000 in one shop on one day are exempt from the 10% consumption tax. From 1 November 2026 you pay the full price in the shop and claim the refund at the airport before departure.

At teppanyaki restaurants lunch sets are far cheaper than dinner courses: roughly $20–120 at lunch versus $50–250+ at dinner. Check it is genuine by the bronze cow statue, the certificate and the 10-digit ID number. Book the well-known places a day or two ahead.

Tip: With children, a Kobe beef rice bowl or a beef bun in Nankinmachi is a cheaper, quicker option.

Steamed buns and fried dumplings in Nankinmachi; Kobe's famous bakeries and puddings; akashiyaki — soft, eggy takoyaki dipped in broth; Arima's carbonated cider. No tipping in restaurants.

Police 110, ambulance and fire 119 — free, 24 hours. The JNTO Japan Visitor Hotline 050-3816-2787 (24 hours, English).

Kobe lived through the great earthquake of 1995. If an official phone alert sounds, get under a table and protect your head; if a tsunami warning sounds while you are on the waterfront, head for a tall building or high ground. With children, a visit to the earthquake memorial museum helps explain it.

Summers are very humid — drink water and rest in the shade. Arima's water is very hot and salty, so don't soak too long and drink plenty; take care after alcohol or if you have a heart condition. Kobe City Medical Center General Hospital has a 24-hour emergency department; call your insurer's assistance line first.

Sit and wash thoroughly before getting in; you bathe naked — no clothes or swimsuits. Keep your small towel out of the water, on your head. People with tattoos may be refused — ask ahead or get a cover sticker.

At Himeji Castle and some Kitano houses you take your shoes off and carry them in a plastic bag. At a Shinto shrine, bow twice, clap twice and bow once.

There are almost no bins on the street: carry rubbish back to your hotel. No phone calls on trains and buses, voices down. In Kansai, stand on the right of escalators and leave the left for people walking.

Google Maps shows train and bus times and platforms precisely in Japan. For JR, Hankyu, Hanshin and Shinkansen timetables and fares, Japan Transit Planner (Jorudan) is more detailed.

Google Translate's camera mode translates menus and signs on the spot; download the Japanese pack for offline use.

Visit Japan Web — the immigration and customs QR code. Safety tips — earthquake and tsunami alerts. The VISIT KOBE site — festivals, events and discount passes.

The first limousine bus from Sannomiya to Kansai leaves at 04:40 and the last at 21:20; the ride takes ~65 minutes. Or take the Port Liner to Kobe Airport and the Bay Shuttle (~30 minutes). Plan to be at the airport 3 hours before an international flight — ferries may stop during typhoons.

Since 1 July 2026 Japan's International Tourist Tax on departure is ¥3,000 — it is included in the ticket price. From 1 November the tax-free refund is collected at the airport before the flight — keep receipts and carry the goods unopened.