Kobe Port Tower

The Kobe Port Tower rises above the harbor of Kobe, its distinctive slender red frame shaped like a Japanese hand drum, wider at top and bottom than at its pinched waist. Completed in 1963, its open latticework of steel tubes became an enduring emblem of the port city. Observation decks near the top provide sweeping views over the harbor, the ships, the mountains that press close behind the city, and the islands offshore. After dark the entire structure is illuminated, and the surrounding waterfront of parks and shops makes it a focal point.