VISIT KOBE

From the opening of the Kobe Emigration Center in 1928 to its closure in 1971, this was where Japanese emigrating overseas, most of whom were going to South America, would stay for orientation before setting sail.

The former Kobe Emigration Center was renovated and re-opened in 2009 as the Kobe Center for Overseas Migration and Cultural Interaction. It focuses on three pillars: (1) the “Plaza of Hope and Setting Sail into the Unknown (Migration Museum)” meant to preserve the history and meaning of overseas migration for the benefit of younger generations, (2) the “Plaza of Multicultural Coexistence” intended to support people from overseas who reside in local neighborhoods, and (3) the “Plaza of Artistic Creation” which provides cultural exchange through the arts, offering art classes and open workshops. The Center is a hub for diversity and used for a broad range of purposes.