The first of Kobe's veritable child-magnets has to be the Fruit & Flower Park (Phone: 00 81 78 954 1000, Y500 per adult, Y250 per child) which features a magnificent European-style renaissance castle, an orchard and farm. During the winter months children can ice-skate here. For the best overview of the city, travel by shuttle bus to the Rokko Mountains where the Maya Cablecar and Ropeway resumed operation only last year. The outlook from the Kikuseidai Observatory near the summit of Mount Maya is breathtaking, especially after dark; it has been dubbed the "ten-million-dollar view." (Y550 one way, Y1000 return) Mount Rokko-san forms part of the Seto-nai-kai National Park. The Rokko-san Country House basks here in the rich mountain setting. There is a mini-golf course and a small artificial ski slope (Phone: 00 81 78 891 0366, admission: Y2,200 per adult, Y1,100 per child (weekdays) Y2,500 per adult, Y1,300 per child (weekends) It is always crowded with families at the weekend. The Arboretum boasts over a thousand different varieties of trees from all over the world, as well as wild birds and insects. Jungle-gym equipment is laid on for junior visitors (Phone: 00 81 78 351 5155, Y200 per adult, Y100 per child) Close by is Oji Zoo which boasts over two hundred species of animals, including rare Chinese 'Kinshiko' monkeys, giant pandas and koalas. (Phone: 00 81 78 861 5624, Y600 per adult, Y200 per child)

Back at ground level head for Meriken Park, a great place for children to let off steam. Here you'll find Kobe's most striking feature - the filigree roof of Kobe Maritime Museum (Phone: 00 81 78 391 6751, Y500 per adult) The museum itself contains magnificent, detailed models of ships and audiovisual nautical exhibits for trigger-happy juniors. The tapered red casing of the adjacent Port Tower is a prominent feature of Kobe's skyline. From the jumbo tower's 108 metre-high observatory platform you can soak up spectacular cityscape views. (Phone:00 81 78 391 6751, Y600 per adult, Y300 per child)

A newly developed Harborland complex faces Kobe Port (Phone: 00 81 78 360 3639) This 23 hectare site contains department stores, boutiques, souvenir shops, restaurants, movie theaters and Kobe Portopialand Amusement Park; alongside its Sky Flyer, BMR-X, and double-loop rollercoaster rides, a 64m-high 'Giant Wheel' commands more panoramic views of the city (Phone: 00 81 78 302 2820, Admission: Y1,400 per adult, Y700 per child) This is the spot to catch a port cruise for an eye-opening perspective on the city and a peek at the world's longest suspension bridge, the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge (Phone for cruise times and costings: Port Cruise 00 81 78 331 8042, Pearl de Mer 00 81 78 331 6667, Concerto 00 81 78 360 5600)

Due east is Port Island, the world's largest manmade island. Its computer-controlled Port Liner links the island with Sannomiya Station. Here you will find an amusement park and Youth Science Museum with all the obligatory push buttons and space-age paraphernalia; its hang-gliding simulator is particularly popular. The adjacent planetarium is considered the nation's largest. (Phone: 00 81 78 302 5177, www.ksm.or.jp, Y600 per adult, Y300 per child, additional fee for planetarium) Neighbouring Rokko Island (www.ric.or.jp/english) is a gleaming commercial complex boasting swish shopping malls, restaurants, movie theaters and museums. Here the space-age Fashion Museum is a Japanese first. It features regular exhibitions, interactive displays and an extensive fashion library (Phone: 00 81 78 858 0050, Y500 per adult, Y250 per child) Close by the Suma Aqualife Park features a collection of over 20,000 marine creatures. Here sharks and rays mingle in a 1200 ton-capacity tank. A dolphin show, children's play area and sea otter house vie for your attention alongside the spectacular 'Amazon House' - a tunnel-shaped tank filled with menacing Amazonian marine life (Phone 00 81 78 731 7301, Y1300 per adult, Y500 per child) For more information contact Kobe City Information Center (Phone: 00 81 78 322 0220) and Kobe Convention & Visitor's Association (Phone: 00 81 78 303 1010) For more general information on what's happening around Kobe, pick up a copy of the magazine Kansai Time Out, which has full listings of local events.

If you wish to ask a question, please enter it here. We will try to answer as many as possible, but obviously not every question will be answered. If your question isn't answered here, why not post it on talk and see if one of the other mumsnet members can help.