Kobe is one of Japan’s most attractive urban destinations. Nestled between the Rokko Mountains and the sea, it has been an important port for centuries, and one of the first places to open up to foreign trade in 1868. It’s perhaps this fact, and the number of foreigners who have made the city their home, that gives Kobe such a cosmopolitan air.

Perfectly compact and easy to explore, cool is the prevailing atmosphere – it was the first place to experience jazz and cinema - with plenty of hip restaurants and bars. The city is best known, however, for beef. Kobe beef is renowned the world over as a delicious meaty delicacy – where better to try it?