Written by Patrick Balfe
An art trail spread across the top of Mount Rokko, running for three months from late summer into late autumn. Works are installed in botanical gardens, a museum, a chapel, an observation deck and a couple of mountain huts, and one section only opens after dark.
What to expect
Now subtitled beyond, the festival uses the mountain itself as the gallery. Paid venues include the museum area — Rokko Mori no Oto Museum, the Rokko Alpine Botanical Garden and Shin-ike — plus Tenrandō observation deck, Banno Sansō, Kaihatsu-san’s Hut, the Rokko Shidare observatory, and the Kaze no Kyōkai (Chapel of the Wind) area.
There is also a night programme, “Hikari no Mori,” billed as an evening art walk.
Schedule
The festival runs August 29 – November 29, 2026, open every day of the period. The one exception is Rokkosan Silence Resort, which closes on Mondays.
Venues open 10 a.m.–5 p.m., though some differ.
Tickets
Entry is by viewing passport, which covers all the paid venues plus the Hikari no Mori night walk. There are separate day and day-and-night passes, and the price depends on which pass you buy and when — early-bird pricing runs out well before the festival opens.
Check the official passport page for the current rate, and the venue page for which sites your pass covers.
How to get there
From Sannomiya in central Kobe, take the train to Rokkōmichi, then the bus to the Rokko Cable Car lower station and the cable car up. Allow about 1 hour from Sannomiya to the top.
Pro tip: the venues are spread across the mountain top and linked by bus, so check the timetable before you go up — the trail is a full day, not a two-hour stop.
Note that dates, hours, and prices are subject to change, so check the official website before you go.
Organizers may cancel events, alter schedules, or change admission requirements without notice. Always check official sites before heading to an event.
