Hyogo Prefectural Public Hall

The Hyogo Prefectural Guest House is a former main government office building of Hyogo Prefecture, located in Chuo Ward, Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture. It was built in 1902 (Meiji 35) and used until 1983 (Showa 58). Since 1985 (Showa 60), it has been used as Hyogo Prefecture’s guest house and as a prefectural administration archive museum. The building was designed by the architect and Ministry of Education engineer Hanroku Yamaguchi. Due to damage including the Kobe air raids, it is said that only the exterior walls remain from the time of construction; nevertheless, as a French Renaissance–style building of high historical and cultural value, it has been registered as a Tangible Cultural Property of Japan. Access is about a 5-minute walk from JR Kobe Line / Hanshin Railway Motomachi Station. The exhibition rooms inside present displays such as “Hyogo’s History,” “The Appeal of Hyogo,” “Hyogo’s Industry,” and “Hyogo’s Reconstruction & Disaster Prevention,” allowing visitors to learn about more than 100 years of the prefecture’s history, culture, and industry. The exterior, grand staircase, reception room, and large conference room are sometimes used as filming locations for movies, dramas, and music videos.