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Travel guide |
| to the | |
| Kobe Institute |
The Kobe Institute is located on the slopes of Mount Rokko just east of the center of Kobe. (The upper part of the Mount Rokko is a national park.)
To the foreign participants:
directions for the taxi driver
To the Japanese participants:
From anywhere in Japan to Kobe by bullet train (Shinkansen)
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The Shinkansen is very easy to use. Everything is marked in English as
well as Japanese, and announcement are made in English as well as
Japanese. Just take the Shinkansen to Shin-Kobe station (this is the
first station after Shin-Osaka station in Osaka when coming from the east).
Be careful, because not all trains will stop in Shin-Kobe, so you might
have to change to a slower train in Osaka if you are coming from the east.
(If you are coming from the west, then you probably are already familiar
with the Shinkansen system.)
From the bigger Osaka international airport (Kansai) to Sannomiya
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If someone is meeting you at the airport, then you will probably
find them waiting for you just as you exit customs. Usually there are
many people waiting there, so you'll know when you are in the right place
to find the person you are looking for. Also, just outside of customs,
there is a money exchange booth, and this is a good opportunity to get
some yen if you wish or need too. (In most cases, you will likely be receiving
money immediately from the person who is picking you up, and so you probably will
not need to change money.)
The exchange rate at this booth is basically as good as in a
bank, so unless you are exchanging many thousands of dollars, you might
as well do it right there at that convenient booth.
If you are not meeting someone at the airport, then you will need to take a bus to Kobe. (There are other ways to get to Kobe, such as by boat and train, but generally the bus is the fastest way, as is definitely the simplest way.) To catch the bus, go just outside the building on the lower level. There is a line of bus stops there. You want the stop (number 6) where the bus bound for Sannomiya (Sannomiya=Kobe center) departs. Before getting on the bus you need to buy a ticket, which costs 1800 yen. The ticket machines are close by in the wall of the building that you just exited. Put 1800 yen (or more) in the machine and push the button marked "Sannomiya" (the machine will automatically give you change). Then get on the bus.
The bus takes about 65 minutes to get to Sannomiya, and makes at most a few stops (sometimes none, depending on the bus) before arrive at its final stop, which is Sannomiya. When you get off the bus, the JR (Japan Rail) station is on your right (as you stand facing the same direction that the bus is facing). The Hankyuu train station is also on your right, but about 100 meters farther ahead down the road (go over the walking bridge directly in front of you, go straight down to the end of that bridge and then turn left, and that will take you into the Hankyuu station).
From the smaller Osaka airport (Itami) to Sannomiya
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For this airport the procedure is virtually identical to the procedure
described above for Kansai airport. If someone is meeting you, they
will be in the obvious place just outside customs. Again there are
exchange booths with good exchange rates. If you take a bus, you buy
a ticket for 1020 yen just outside in the wall of the building and
the bus stops are out on the street. You want the bus going to Sannomiya.
It departs from bus stop number 15, and goes a couple hundred meters
down the road to bus stop number 5, picks up more passengers, and then
goes to Sannomiya. It leaves bus stop number 5 five minutes after it
leaves bus stop number 15. If you have 12 minutes or so before the
bus leaves stop number 5, you might want to walk down to stop
number 15 and get the bus there, because sometimes the bus fills up at
stop number 5 and some people have to wait for the next bus. The bus
comes about every 20 minutes, and the departure times are clearly
written at the bus stops. The buses usually depart right on time.
Sannomiya is the last (and probably only) stop, and the trip takes about
40-50 minutes. The bus lets you out in exactly the same spot as the
bus from Kansai airport does, so you can follow the directions above
in description of the trip from Kansai airport to know how to find the
train stations.
From Sannomiya (Kobe center) to Hankyu-Rokko station via the Hankyu train line
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From the Hankyuu-Sannomiya station you can take the Hankyuu train bound toward
Osaka (eastward bound, leaving from tracks 3 and 4)
to get to Hankyuu-Rokko station, which is the
third station out from Sannomiya. The express trains (the ones with
red destination signs on each car), do not stop at Hankyuu-Rokko
station, but the slower trains (those with yellow or black destination
signs) do stop there. (Generally, the slower trains leave from track 3.)
The trip only takes at most 12 minutes, and costs 180 yen. There are
machines next to the entrance wickets where you can buy a ticket, just
put 180 yen (or more) into the machine and push the button that has
180 written on it (the machine will give you change). Make sure you
grab the ticket when it pops out of the wicket machine as you go through
the wicket, because you will need the ticket to get out of the station
at Hankyuu-Rokko.
Please do not mistake the Hanshin train line for the Hankyuu line. Unless you happen to already be somewhere right on the Hanshin line, you will have no need to use the Hanshin line.
From Sannomiya (Kobe center) to Rokko-Michi station via the JR (Japan Rail) train line
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From the JR-Sannomiya station you can take the JR train bound toward
Osaka (eastward bound) to get to Rokko-Michi station, which is the
third station out from Sannomiya. The express trains
do not stop at Rokko-Michi station, but the semi-express and local trains
do stop there. The trip only takes at most 6 minutes, so if in doubt it
is best to just take the local train. The ticket costs 160 yen. There are
machines next to the entrance wickets where you can buy a ticket, just
put 160 yen (or more) into the machine and push the button that has
160 written on it (the machine will give you change). Make sure you
grab the ticket when it pops out of the wicket machine as you go through
the wicket, because you will need the ticket to get out of the station
at Rokko-Michi.
From Osaka or Kyoto to Kobe by JR lines (not bullet train)
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From Osaka, you can take a JR (commuting) train as follows:
Take a westward bound Shinkaisoku train, which is the
fastest commuting train. This train goes from Kyoto to Kobe through
Osaka (Osaka is right on the way), and it stops at Shin-Osaka,
Osaka (Umeda), Amagasaki, and then in Sannomiya (Kobe center).
A slightly more involved but somewhat faster way to get to the Institute is to get off the train at Amagasaki and change to a slower train. Then get off the slower train at Rokko-Michi station. Then take a taxi to the Institute.
You do not need to buy the extra ticket (Tokyuken) to take shin-kaisoku, kaisoku and futu trains.
From Osaka or Kyoto to Kobe by the Hankyuu train lines (not bullet train)
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If you come from Umeda station in Osaka, take the fastest train to
Sannomiya (Kobe center), which is called "Tokkyu"
and means "limited express".
If you come from (Shijyo-)Kawaramachi (Kyoto), take the fastest train
to Umeda and change trains at Juso to the fastest train
(Tokkyu --- limited express)
to Kobe (Sannomiya, Kosoku Kobe, Shinkaichi, Sumarikyu and so on).
It will stop at the stations Juso and Nishinomiya-kitaguchi.
You can either go all the way to Sannomiya and then take a taxi, or you can change trains at Nishinomiya-kitaguchi to a slower train "Kyuko --- express " or "Futu-densha --- local", and get off the train at "Hankyu-Rokko" station, and then take a taxi. The second way is slightly cheaper and a few minutes faster, but there is not such a great difference.
All Hankyu trains have an English sign to specify the kind of trains. You do not need to buy the extra ticket for limited express (Tokyuken) to take HANKYU limited express trains.