Uroko House & Observation Gallery

Uroko House is a historic Western-style residence (ijinkan) in Kitano-cho, Chuo Ward, Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture. It was the first of Kobe’s foreign residences to be opened to the public and is designated as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property of Japan. Its name comes from the natural slate tiles on the exterior walls, which resemble fish scales (uroko). Next door to the west is an observation gallery built in 1982, where a wide range of notable European modern and contemporary paintings are exhibited. Access is about a 15-minute walk from Hankyu Sannomiya Station, Hanshin Kobe-Sannomiya Station, or JR Kobe Line Sannomiya Station. Inside Uroko House, an opulent array of Western masterpieces is on display, including fine porcelain collections such as Royal Worcester, Meissen, and Royal Copenhagen, as well as glassworks by Émile Gallé. The observation gallery features large Barbizon School landscapes, notable works by popular modern artists such as Matisse and Utrillo, and representative works by local painter Masaru Horie. From the third floor, you can enjoy panoramic views stretching over Kobe’s city and port, and as far as Osaka Bay and Awaji Island.