Kobe Mosque Mosque

Address: Kobe Mosque (Islamic Center Kobe), Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan

Website: http://www.kobemosque.org/

Admission: Free (visitors may enter outside prayer times)

The Kobe Mosque (Kobe Masjid) is a mosque in Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and is the country’s oldest purpose-built mosque, completed in 1935.

The building has a prayer hall with a visible dome and minaret and functions as the focal place of worship for Kobe’s Muslim community; it is also visited by people interested in religious architecture. The mosque is compact and urban in scale, located within a built-up district of central Kobe.

Built by Kobe’s Muslim community and completed in 1935, the mosque has served continuous religious use since opening. It has been maintained and repaired as needed by local congregational authorities.

Sited in central Kobe, the mosque lies within the older city districts and is accessible from Kobe’s main transport routes. It is located in Hyōgo Prefecture on Japan’s main island of Honshu.

• Oldest mosque in Japan: Completed in 1935, it is the oldest purpose-built mosque in Japan.

Kobe Mosque (Kitano-cho area) is in central Kobe’s Kitano district. From JR Kobe / Sannomiya station (major regional hub served by JR, Hanshin and Hankyu lines) it’s about a 15-20 minute walk uphill to the Kitano area and the mosque; taxis from Sannomiya take around 5-10 minutes. Local city buses also serve the Kitano district from Sannomiya - check local bus timetables for the exact route.

• Visit outside Friday midday (Jumu'ah) prayer times and on weekday mornings when the mosque is quieter and more likely to welcome non-worship visitors.
• Approach on foot from Motomachi or Sannomiya stations and through the Kitano-cho area to combine the mosque visit with nearby historic streets in central Kobe.
• Always ask permission before photographing people inside or during prayer times and follow any posted visitor guidelines - the mosque is an active place of worship, not a museum.