The night event Hikari no Mori – Yoru no Geijutsu Sanpo (Forest of Light – Nighttime Art Walk) is part of Kobe Rokko Meets Art 2026 beyond, a contemporary art festival on Mt. Rokko in Kobe that runs through November 29 (Sunday). The night event is held on Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays only, and due to its popularity, it will now add weekday dates.
Special night openings will also be held on weekdays from November 9 (Monday) to November 13 (Friday) at ROKKO Mori no Oto Museum and Rokko Alpine Botanical Garden. Hours are 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM, and passport sales end at 7:00 PM.
Works by 21 artists and groups, including Yayoi Kusama and Yoshitomo Nara, are scattered across the venues and can be viewed while strolling through the autumn forest. The autumn leaves on Mt. Rokko are about to reach their peak, ahead of the city below, and after sunset the lighting displays create dreamlike scenery that looks different from the daytime.
Visitors can enjoy both art and nature on Mt. Rokko at this time of year.
Kobe Rokko Meets Art 2026 beyond Overview
Dates: August 29 (Saturday) – November 29 (Sunday), 2026
Open every day throughout the run. However, Rokko Mountain Silence Resort is closed every Monday (if Monday is a public holiday, it is closed on the following weekday instead).
Venues:
- Museum Area (ROKKO Mori no Oto Museum, Rokko Alpine Botanical Garden, Shinike Pond)
- Rokko Cable (Lower Station and Mountaintop Station)
- Tenrandai Observatory
- Hyogo Prefectural Rokko Mountain Visitor Center (Kinenhi-dai)
- Rokko Mountain Silence Resort (former Rokko Mountain Hotel)
- Banno Sanso
- Kaihatsu-san no Koya (in front of the "Athletic Park GREENIA" uphill bus stop)
- Rokko Garden Terrace Area
- Natural Experience Observatory Rokko Shidare
- Wind Church Area
Artists: アナイス・カレニン, 阿部文香, 伊藤大寛, 伊藤幸久, Ryo Inoue, 岩谷雪子, Mayu Ueda, 内田望, Kazuki Umezawa, Yoshiaki Kaihatsu, 加治聖哉, Takahito Kimura, GR19 [galaxy route nineteen], 鴻崎正武, 古巻和芳, 斉藤七海, 佐川好弘, 佐々木里桜, 佐藤圭一, Risa Sato, Hiraki Sawa, 四方謙一, 朱志康, 正元嶺至, Shohei Takasaki, Jun Nguyen-Hatsushiba, 鈴木きか, 鈴木泰人, 大東真也, Ruri Takahashi (*1), Kazue Taguchi, 竹本真冶, Koji Tanada, チュアン・ホー, Daisy Balloon, 仲順れい, 中野信子, Yoshitomo Nara, Hideki Nishida, ニシハラ☆ノリオ×北園組, 野田満, 則松夏凛, 橋本圭央, 平澤賢治, Misa Funai, HOSLAB (*2) / Kagoshima University 細海研究室, 松井照太, 宮嵜浩, 宮下ゆり, 宮永甲太郎, Mojahid Musa, 山本修路, 義村環, ラッセル・モーリス, Ryuichi Ono, reiko tsubota, わにぶちみき
Special Exhibition: Michele De Lucchi
Specially Loaned Work: Yayoi Kusama
Rokko Mountain Silence Resort Collection: Kyoto University of the Arts graduates
Hikari no Mori – Yoru no Geijutsu Sanpo Overview
Dates: Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays from September 19 (Saturday) to November 29 (Sunday), 2026
Additional weekday dates: November 9 (Monday) to November 13 (Friday), at ROKKO Mori no Oto Museum and Rokko Alpine Botanical Garden
Hours: 5:00 PM–8:00 PM (passport sales end at 7:00 PM)
Venues: ROKKO Mori no Oto Museum, Rokko Alpine Botanical Garden
Artists: Kyota Takahashi (*1), Kazue Taguchi, Daisy Balloon, hohobun
Viewing Passports
| Passport | Web discount | Mountaintop ticket counter |
|---|---|---|
| Day & Night Pass (Adult) | ¥4,200 | ¥4,300 |
| Day & Night Pass (Child) | — | ¥1,800 |
| Day Pass (Adult) | ¥3,200 | ¥3,300 |
| Day Pass (Child) | — | ¥1,300 |
| Night Pass (Adult) | ¥1,950 | ¥2,000 |
| Night Pass (Child) | — | ¥1,000 |
On sale from August 29 (Saturday) to November 29 (Sunday) for both purchase methods.
Adults = junior high school age and above; Children = ages 4 through elementary school; ages 3 and under enter free.
The Natural Experience Observatory Rokko Shidare is open 10:00 AM–9:00 PM. From 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM, visitors can enter with a Day Pass or a Day & Night Pass. Entry with a Night Pass is not available.
Organizers: Rokko Mountain Kanko Co., Ltd. / Hanshin Electric Railway Co., Ltd.
Co-organizer: Rokko Maya Tourism Promotion Council
Special Grants & Sponsors: City of Kobe / Hankyu Hanshin Holdings, Inc.
Grant: 公益財団法人 神戸文化支援基金
Grants & Cooperation: 公益財団法人 神戸市民文化振興財団
Scenes of Kobe Rokko Meets Art and autumn leaves in 2025 (left: Yoshitomo Nara, Peace Head, Artwork: © Yoshitomo Nara; 遠山之寛, (semi)sphere)
(*1) The first character of Takahashi is written with the ladder-style "hashigodaka" variant.
(*2) The O in HOSLAB is an O with an umlaut.
Mt. Rokko Portal Site: https://www.rokkosan.com/
