Hi Jennifer. It's easy to get through to Kyoto from Kobe, under 30 minutes on the bullet train from Shin-Kobe station or just under an hour from Sannomiya on a special rapid train. You'll likely also want to use the subway and/or bus within Kyoto, there is a day ticket that might be worth considering if you are going to spend the full day there and want to get around a bit. Kyoto is a great city to explore but the attractions are quite spread out so a bit of pre-planning on what your 'must-see' places are and starting there is worthwhile.

We've done and recommend the various suggestions in the article but with a few hours it will depend on the day and personal interest. If it's a clear day the view from the ropeway is good, if you have an interest in sake the Nada district could be a good option and if you have an interest in the earthquake history or just getting a feel for the port city then wander through the earthquake memorial and waterfront area is another choice.

Hi Liz, thanks for that. It will be warm by then but not hot. In Kobe the day time highs will be around 25 Celsius and the overnight lows 17-18 celsius on average.

Hi Liz, thanks for that. It will be warm by then but not really hot. Looking at day time highs in Kobe of around 25 Celsius and overnight lows maybe 17-18 celsius.

Hi Debra, Kobe is a great city if you want a break from the temples as they aren't its main attraction at all. You can see a good amount of Kobe in a day, if I had the time and wanted a more leisurely pace I'd allow 2 days for the attractions I cover in the post. This would allow you to go up the cable car and see the view late afternoon and time it to see the lights come on over the city. With the second day you could also potentially add a walk to Nunobiki falls, a series of 4 waterfalls plus cascades, the walk leaves from near the shinkansen station and 2 hours should be enough time to see them, take some photos and enjoy the nature setting.

We enjoyed Sapporo / Hokkaido on our brief visits so far and it's somewhere we'll go back to. I also love Nara but the main attraction of the city is the history, temples, shrine and of course the deer roaming freely in the park and parts of town so if you don't want to visit the temples at all it may not be the best choice. You should be getting some good autumn colour by then so perhaps Arashiyama, if you don't want to do the temples the hillside in colour would be good for the sagano train and boat ride, there are also onsen options. If you wanted to go further we enjoyed the onsen, outdoor art gallery and some natural areas in Hakone in November last year, it's a good autumn destination.

Many thanks
Debra

Hi Amanada, I saw your later message saying that you found the page you were after but will include some other discount information here for others that are still looking.

For discounts there is also a Kobe Welcome Coupon available from the official city tourism here https://www.feel-kobe.jp/tickets/ that gives 50+ discounts in the city including a discount on the loop bus. The coupon is for tourists and free to download. As with any discounts just do a quick check to make sure it is the best deal, sometimes it's still better to get the day pass or return ticket if that matches your usage.