Nunobiki Herb Gardens

If you love plants/essential oils/lush greenery and want some nature while in Japan and happen to be by Kobe- the Nunobiki Herb Gardens was an unexpected highlight of Japan. 

TL/DR: Unless you are scared of aerial tram cars, stop by these herb gardens for pleasant olfactory experience with essential oils, a view of Kobe from atop a mountain, and to have snacks, desserts, drinks, or even a small meal amongst nature or in a greenhouse with a view. 

Location/getting there: Kobe 

From Osaka station, we took a special rapid on a weekday to Sannomiya Station and then just taxied, also there is a short local Shin-Kobe train option also. It took around 1-1.5 hours total (and we even missed a train since it was rush hour at 8 AM and we opted to not squish). There are some stairs/hills to get to the bottom aerial tram station so taxi drop-off skipped a lot of that.

Even taking the elevator up to the ticket area, there was an essential oil diffuser and it smelled amazing.

The trams start at 9:30, and on a Tuesday around 9:40 there were very few people there. A roundtrip tram and grounds admission was ¥ 2,000 / person. 

Tram Ride: Around 10-15 min

View of waterfall: 

Arriving at top, you get a nice view. 

Some of the gardens and areas did not open until 10 AM, so even after getting to the top around 9:50 - we just moseyed around the store.

Replica of top area: 

Planters: 

Store merch I considered but figured would not get through customs: 

Walked through the rose garden.

One of the buildings nearby was connected to a theater and also had an exhibit on essential oils.

Snack stands near entrance: We originally wanted to get champagne around 10:30 AM but the Oktoberfest food stall was not open.

This Spiced Honey Fizz autumn drink was super refreshing- 

We strolled down past educational areas to get to the Glass house and Veranda

Glass House + Veranda 

View of Kobe from Veranda dining area on second level

These were semi-pricey for Japan at ¥ 1,300 each but nice to go with view

I tried a seasonal mont blanc but they had a spread of other desserts also

Fall decor: 

Descending views: 

Overall thoughts: 

I didn't expect much from herb gardens but this was a nice relaxing escape from crazy-packed tourist areas in Japan. They seem to have a lot of seasonal events, and I imagine Christmas decor and markets would be nice. If weather is nice I recommend maybe even hiking down to get a closer view of the waterfall. I originally went to Kobe just for a Kobe beef meal, but this was my favorite part of Kobe.