After 10 years living and working in Kobe, Japan (well…some time working in Akashi as well as Osaka), my family and I arrived back in the city on Christmas night for our winter holiday.

In some ways, things in Japan never see to change, but in other ways, they change rapidly.

Ways of governance and bureaucracy seem frozen on time, but things such as fashion, pop culture, and food fads change faster than you can possibly imagine.

Once thing in Kobe that did change over the course of the past year and a half was Meriken Park located along Kobe’s iconic waterfront. I describe Kobe’s waterfront as iconic because it is so well-known for its spectacular night views. The lights of the Maritime Museum, Port Tower, and other buildings are pretty breathtaking.

Meriken Park is a great place to go and unwind while visiting Kobe. The views of the harbor are great and there are lots of great places to go shopping and eating nearby.

We were able to visit Merkien Park on December 26th (Boxing Day) which was the last day for the Kobe Christmas Tree. To celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Port of Kobe, the City of Kobe had a 29 meter Christmas tree.

The park also has a new Starbucks (opened before we left for Beijing, China where we now live) which has some nice views (and hard to get seats).

If you have a chance to visit Kobe, Japan, make sure you check out Meriken Park.