🇯🇵Japan·By request

The Hillside Kobe, formerly Old/New Rokko (ゲストハウスOLD/NEW六甲)

Nada-ku, Kobe (Hyōgo)

Sources checked October 2026

“A building closed to the outside by a wall of local granite, opening at its centre onto a court turned to the sky.”

Year: 1986
Architect: Tadao Ando
Type: Event venue (weddings, parties, restaurant)
Access: Open by reservation: weddings, parties and a restaurant on limited days (official website, October 2026)

Tadao Ando designed this building in 1986 on the slopes of Mount Rokko in Kobe; once called Old/New Rokko, it is now The Hillside Kobe. It stands at a three-way junction; its outer wall of local granite fits it into the neighbourhood while closing it to the outside, and a central court opens to the sky. It hosts weddings, receptions and a French restaurant open on certain days only.

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In depth ≈ 1 min read

History

Tadao Ando designed this building in 1986; it is one of his early works. It was called Guest House Old/New Rokko (ゲストハウスOLD/NEW六甲); it is now The Hillside Kobe (ザ・ヒルサイド神戸) and is run by VMG HOTELS & UNIQUE VENUES.

Architecture

The main building stands at a three-way junction on the Rokko slope. Its outer wall is of granite, a stone quarried in the area and typical of its stone walls, which fits it into this quiet residential district between Osaka and Kobe: the building closes itself off from the outside, like a private space. Inside, a central court opens wide to the sky.

The lounge sets granite walls against concrete, over a floor of Norwegian Rose marble. The fan-shaped banquet room is a plain space with a large horizontal window onto the central court. A glazed flying corridor leads to the ceremony space, flooded with natural light.

Use today

The whole venue is hired out for weddings and receptions, from about ten guests to more than a hundred and fifty, and also for exhibitions and training sessions. A French restaurant opens there on certain days only, by reservation.