Kobe city has announced the construction of a new 10,000 capacity arena as part of a larger area revitalisation plan for the waterfront of Kobe, which has up until recent times served as a logistics hub for the port.

Scheduled to be completed by the end of 2024, the arena which will be used predominantly for professional sporting events, concerts and international conferences, and will be one of the largest in the Kansai region, which includes Osaka and Kyoto.

The construction of the arena will also include numerous indoor and outdoor dining facilities, an event space (with a max capacity of 3,000) and a surrounding green area that will serve as a park and recreation space.

The arena is just one part of the revitalisation plan for the waterfront just south of the city centre. The plan also include a theatrical aquarium, chocolate museum and a classic car museum that are all scheduled to open autumn 2021.

The Kobe Port Tower will also be renovated in 2023 to include new viewing platforms and dining facilities, and the city is putting plans in place to connect the popular shopping and dining district Harborland with the revitalised waterfront area via cable car by 2025.

With the new projects, Kobe is set to become a more attractive and user friendly city. Kobe Convention Bureau has created several videos aimed at conferences and incentives.

A meeting planner‘s guide to the city is available here.