神戸

Kobe

阪神・淡路大震災記念人と防災未来センター

Kobe Earthquake Memorial Museum

Name: Kobe Earthquake Memorial Museum
Address: Kobe, JP

Learn about the horrors of Japan's Earthquakes

Operating Hours

1 Oct - 30 Jun: 09:30 to 17:30, Last Entry 16:30 (Tue-Thu, Sun)

09:30 to 19:00, L.O. 18:00 (Fri-Sat)

1 Jul - 30 Sep: 09:30 to 18:00 (Tue-Thu, Sun)

Closed on Mon

Cost

¥600

The Kobe Earthquake Memorial Museum, officially known as the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake Memorial Museum, was built in memory of the tragic Great Hanshin Earthquake (17 Jan 1995, 兵庫県南部地震, Hyōgo-ken Nanbu Jishin) which was the most recent and largest earthquake to hit the Kansai (関西, Kansai) region. The earthquake destroyed houses, collapsed highways, and flattened buildings, and remains a traumatic memory for many who lived through it. The earthquake seeks to pass down memories of this tragic event to future generations so that they may learn from past trauma, and be better able to protect themselves in the case of such a natural disaster occurring again.

The museum includes several interactive and informative exhibits, including multiple theatres that explain and show footage of the actual earthquake, and also diorama recreations for you to experience what the earthquake's aftermath looked like in real life.

Exterior of Kobe Earthquake Museum in Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture

Kobe Earthquake Memorial Museum Review and Thoughts

Recommended

The Kobe Earthquake Memorial Museum is one of the most unique things to see in Kobe and one of the few locations in Japan that actually focuses on earthquakes. For visitors who live in countries without earthquakes, seeing and learning about the Great Hanshin Earthquake (17 Jan 1995, 兵庫県南部地震, Hyōgo-ken Nanbu Jishin) is a fascinating look at this deadly, yet all-too-common occurrence in Japan. The museum features harrowing retellings and video footage of the horrors of the earthquake and is sometimes hard to believe that the earth can move in that way without seeing it with your own two eyes.

The reconstruction of the aftermath is also a shocking scene, as it tries to recreate what it was like to walk through that chaotic atmosphere. Those who want to see an actual real-life example can also check out the preserved aftermath in Meriken Park (メリケンパーク, Meriken Pāku) which retained the damage as it was after the earthquake as a memorial.

The Kobe Earthquake Memorial Museum also features a substantial amount of exhibits in English, videos with English subtitles, and English-speaking guides available, so it's also one of the more English-accessible museums that are available in Japan. We do recommend heading down to really understand how this tragic event has come to define a lot of Kobe's modern history, and how these natural disasters play a major factor in the everyday lives of the Japanese.

Kobe Earthquake Memorial Museum's Story

The Disaster Reduction and Human Renovation Institution (DRI for short) was formed in April 2002 in Hyogo Prefecture (兵庫県, Hyōgo-ken) to mould a culture of disaster awareness, improve community-level disaster management, support the Japanese government's development of disaster management policies, and contribute to the civic collaboration of safety and security to reduce natural disaster-related risks. The organization is supported by the Japanese government, and one of its main activities is operating the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake Memorial Museum in order to pass on experiences of the Great Hanshin Earthquake (17 Jan 1995, 兵庫県南部地震, Hyōgo-ken Nanbu Jishin) to future generations. Their goal is to be a research centre of global disaster management and to create a society that is less at risk of natural disasters.

Must Visits in Kobe Earthquake Memorial Museum

語り部コーナー

Storytellers' Corner

A section featuring videos of recounts of the earthquake, as well as actual survivors who sit at counters to tell their stories in real life to visitors. Storytellers who speak English are also available.

ミッションルーム

Mission Room

A realistic reconstruction of a home and a konbini (コンビニ, Convenience store) for you to simulate what to do in the case of an earthquake.

Recommended Spots in Kobe Earthquake Memorial Museum

1.17シアター

1.17 Theatre

The 1.17 Theatre is a large immersive theatre that screens sounds and dramatic images of the Great Hanshin Earthquake in order to try and re-create the tremendous destructive power of the earthquake. The screen time is 7 minutes long, and runs at every 00, 20, and 40 of each hour.

震災直後のまち

Streets just after the Earthquake

A real-life-sized diorama reproducing scenes from the devastated streets right after the Great Hanshin Earthquake, showing the devastation and destruction onto the city that the earthquake wrought.

記憶の壁

Memories Corner

This section showcases all sorts of materials donated by the general public to help to illustrate what it was like experiencing the earthquake

震災学習テーブル

Reconstruction from the Earthquake Corner

This section showcases the reconstruction process following the aftermath of the earthquake

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Getting to Kobe Earthquake Memorial Museum

From

灘駅

Nada Station

JR-A60

JR神戸線

JR Kobe Line

Take South Exit

Walk

15 mins

1.2km

From

岩屋駅

Iwaya Station

阪神電気鉄道本線

Hanshin Main Line

Take Main Exit

Walk

12 mins

900m

From

春日野道駅

Kasuganomichi Station

阪神電気鉄道本線

Hanshin Main Line

神戸本線

Kobe Main Line

Take Exit 3

Walk

10 mins

850m

神戸

Kobe

Due to changing circumstances, readers are advised to do their own additional research. All information on this site is purely for reference only.

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