Still popularly known by its former name of Kobe Wing Stadium, Kobe Misaki Stadium is home to Vissel Kobe (football J1) and Kobelco Steelers (rugby union Top League), so while not a dedicated rugby stadium it does see regular rugby and was therefore a logical choice for the Rugby World Cup. It was also used for a few matches in the 2002 FIFA World Cup.
It’s one of the most convenient venues on the list, a short walk from Misaki-Koen Station on the Kobe Subway Kaigan Line. If staying in Osaka, you can ride the JR, Hankyu, or Hanshin lines (depending on your starting point) and change to the Kobe subway at Sannomiya.
Where to Stay for Matches in Kobe
Sannomiya’s the main centre of Kobe in terms of shopping, eating & drinking, and accommodation, and is the obvious place to stay; you can take the subway from Sannomiya straight to the stadium. It’s also feasible to stay in Osaka, as it’s just 25 minutes from Osaka Station to Sannomiya; for this, Umeda would be the best place to stay. See my Kobe guide here
Airbnb is also a great option in Japan, in fact in Japan it seems to work particularly well – most hosts arrange self-checkin & checkout systems, allowing you to arrive & leave flexibly without needing to meet someone for the keys (the key’s often left in a lockbox for you). The wifi is always super-fast, and I’ve never had an Airbnb nightmare in Japan (have had a few elsewhere). There was a crackdown in 2018 with the introduction of new regulations which led to a collapse in the number of listings available and accordingly a jump in prices, with a lot of travellers reporting that their reservations were suddenly cancelled as a result. It was all a bit of a mess at first, but you can be confident that any listings remaining on there at this point are legit. Prices went up unfortunately, but then so did standards, and Airbnb is still my usual go to for accommodation in Japan.
New users can get a $35 discount from their first Airbnb rental through Rugby Guide Japan, simply click here and sign up.
This post was archived from my Rugby World Cup website; see here for more (including the Kobe & Osaka quick guides and Hanazono Stadium guide which formed the rest of this original post)
See also my Japan travel guide and my other Japan posts