Tucked in the mountains behind the city of Kobe in Hyogo Prefecture is Nunobiki Herb Garden, the largest herb garden in Japan. From riding the ropeway up to the garden to strolling its idyllic paths, the garden’s location on Mount Maya offers not only beautiful seasonal flower displays but also a spectacular view of Kobe and Osaka Bay.
Gardens and Seasonal Flowers
Photo by: Whitney Hubbell The Lavender Garden is in bloom from May to July.
The garden complex comprises 12 different gardens showcasing about 75,000 species from about 200 kinds of herbs and flowers. After the ropeway ride, visitors first encounter the welcome garden, which is surrounded by a castle gate and a very Germanic-looking rest house designed to emulate Wartburg Castle, a medieval castle in central Germany. This garden has year-round seasonal flower displays.
Nearby is the Rose Symphony Garden, with 60 types of roses during the spring and autumn rose seasons. The Lavender Garden is in bloom from May to July and the Four Seasons Garden is specially designed for each season. There is also the Oriental Garden, which is home to plants native to Japan and Asia, the Lily Garden which blooms in summer and the Kaze no Oka Flower Garden at the southern end of the garden, in which colorful seasonal flowers are spread across a hill.
The remaining gardens are the Fragrant Garden, the Herb Museum, with around 100 herb varieties, the Kitchen Garden “Potager” with vegetables and herbs, the Glasshouse with tropical plants and fruits and the Waterfall Patio with a tiered flower bed.
Though the garden’s main attraction is its seasonal flower displays, it also offers red foliage in autumn, a Christmas illumination and events and displays for New Year’s and Valentine’s Day.
Facilities
Photo by: PIXTA/オフィスK
Wartburg Castle, the rest house at the top of the garden, includes a gift shop, cafe, fragrance museum and a small concert hall. The main restaurant “The Herb Dining” is also located inside the castle. A bit further down the mountain is an indoor Herbal House A short walk from there is the Glass House, where the cafe lounge and terrace restaurant “The Veranda” is located.
The Glass House also includes an indoor tropical garden, a spice museum and an herbal foot bath. At the lower end of the garden by the middle ropeway station are a recreation area with hammocks and a gift shop.
