生田神社,ikuta sheine in kobe ,神戸の由来生田神社、the best places in kobe

生田神社
ikuta sheine in kobe japan,ikuta jinja
神戸の由来生田神社
the best places in kobe
生田神社、神戸三宮、
＃三宮　#神戸　＃生田神社

Ikuta Shrine (生田神社 Ikuta-Jinja) is the main shrine in central Kobe. It has over 1800 years of history and is said to be one of the oldest shrines in Japan. Some battles of the Genpei War took place around the shrine.

Behind the shrine is the small “Ikuta forest” with some beautiful old trees, a small stream and a couple of relaxing sitting spaces. You can often find local business people relaxing with a book here.

Ikuta Shine is a popular place for marriages throughout the year and the Shichi-Go-San (七五三) children’s festival in November. It’s also packed during the New Year celebrations with stalls lining the streets and in the grounds of the shrine from December 31st to January 3rd.

It’s located just a 5 minute walk from Sannomiya Station. Entry to the grounds is free.

Amid the small bustling lanes of Sannomiya in Kobe you can find the wonderful Ikuta Shrine, which is possibly one of the oldest shrines in the country. Its founding is noted in the Nihon Shoki (second oldest book of classical Japanese history); it’s said to have been constructed by the Empress Jingu at the beginning of the 3rd century AD.

Today the shrine is more or less surrounded by modern constructions, as for example the department store Tokyu Hands, as well as sprawling cafes, and it’s hard to believe that the shrine used to be surrounded by forest until the 19th century.

Ikuta Shrine is worshipped as a guardian of health. This is also reflected in the shrine’s name, as the first Chinese character means “life”. For the people of Kobe Ikuta Shrine is also a symbol of resurrection, as it survived quite some challenges in the past: Wars were fought in and around the shrine grounds during the Genpei War (1180 – 1185​), heavy flooding from the nearby river occurred in 1938, there were air raids over Kobe during World War and last but not least it suffered from the damage caused by the Great Hanshin Earthquake in 1995. Ikuta Shrine withstood all the damage and is therefore a symbol of hope for the residents. This is particularly evident on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, when people throng the shrine in thousands for hatsumode (first Shinto shrine visit in the New Year), praying for good health and happiness for the coming year.

Located in Sannomiya, an area frequented by youngsters, the shrine also attracts a lot of young couples, who visit the shrine to get hold of amulets; white for boys and red for girls, believed to bring their happiness and romance to a happy end.

A bit difficult to spot, there is a small pond with ducks to the left of the main building; make sure not to miss it. The autumn colors around this pond with its koi carps and the definitely typical Japanese atmosphere around the shrine seems like a surreal setup in the middle of the bustling Sannomiya shopping district.

電車でお越しの方
JR三ノ宮駅、私鉄各線三宮駅より北へ徒歩10分
JR新神戸駅（新幹線）より南へ徒歩20分
JR新神戸駅よりタクシーで約5分
JR新神戸駅より地下鉄で一駅で三宮駅に出ます。

◆飛行機でお越しの方
大阪空港より高速バスで約40分
関西国際空港より高速バスで約60分
神戸空港より車で20分 / ポートライナーで30分
Ikuta Road is a really interesting place. At the lower end are several arcades selling all kinds of goods including clothes, bags, shoes, food etc while further up the road can be found many restaurants all advertising Kobe Beef. The restaurants are not limited to just Ikuta Road, they can be found all around this area, some large and some small, some with just a few seats inside. Prices are normally marked on the signs outside the restaurants so you can make comparisons. The cheapest starts around 2,500 yen for 80 grams of the lowest grade of Kobe beef. We found a really nice place called Kobe Tanryu and the experience as well as the food

This whole area is really busy and walking distance from places such as Kobe’s Chinatown, the old Daimaru department store, Motomachi Street and the old colonial area where you can find lots of old grand buildings. So as a general area to hangout and visit places and for some great Kobe Beef then this is the place to visit.