In today’s video, we are leaving Tokyo to visit one of the most iconic locations shown in visual novels. And it is not one of the locations from the Science Adventure series, this time we are going to a different franchise. As always, you can watch the video, or read the article version below.
We are visiting the real-life version of the Fuyuki Bridge from Fate/stay night and the park in front of it. Many places in Fate/stay night take inspiration from real locations in and around Kobe. While it would be really cool to explore them all, we are here just for the bridge and the park. The bridge is directly inspired by the Kobe Harbor Bridge, which connects the city with Port Island and the airport, and the park is based on the Port Island Kita Park.
If you are looking for a day trip from Tokyo, we would highly recommend Kobe. Compared to Tokyo, it feels much less chaotic, it has many interesting places to visit and is easily reachable from the capital. You can take a bullet train to Shin-Kobe Station from Tokyo, fly directly to Kobe Airport, or do what I did and fly to Osaka Itami Airport. Unlike Kansai, Itami is located very close to Osaka, which makes it quick and easy to reach the city. Osaka itself is also a great place to stay, as it has many famous sights and is close to both Kobe and Kyoto for easy day trips.
If you arrive at Osaka Itami Airport, you can take a rapid train from Osaka Umeda Station to Kobe Sannomiya Station, which is right in the heart of the city. If you arrive in Kobe by bullet train, you can take the Seishin-Yamate Line from Shin-Kobe Station to Sannomiya.
From Sannomiya Station, board the Portliner monorail. The station is currently undergoing renovations, so I got a bit lost while trying to find the monorail. Once you find it though, make sure to sit at the front to get a great view of the city and the route. Since the monorail is fully automated, you can sit right at the front.
If you are flying into Kobe Airport, you cannot miss the bridge, as it is the only crossing point from Port Island. The Portliner monorail starts at the airport and ends in the city center, passing over the bridge along the way.
I made a mistake and took the Portliner to Nakakoen Station, which is past the bridge. I originally planned to walk back to the bridge, but the area between the station and the bridge is not very pleasant for walking. There is a huge highway that is difficult to cross, and some streets do not even have sidewalks because of the factories and harbor facilities in the area.
Instead, exit the monorail at Port Terminal Station and walk across the bridge to reach Port Island Kita Park. This is the place where most of the famous photos of the bridge are taken and it is also the location of many scenes in Fate/stay night.
I was really surprised by how closely the park resembles the one depicted in the game. Even the floodlights visible in this background art are real. The park must be a great place to visit in the summer, but since I was there in January, it was cold and very windy.
If you are a fan of Fate/stay night, then the Kobe Harbor Bridge is definitely a must-visit location. Even if you are not a fan, but happen to be in Kobe, we would still recommend checking it out. The park offers a great view of Kobe and the harbor, and thanks to the monorail is very easy to reach from the city center.
The city also has many other Fate/stay night landmarks which we were not able to visit. However, we will link an article in the description that list all of the locations.
We hope you enjoyed this visit to another visual novel series. In the next video, we are going back to the Science Adventure series to taste a very special drink. Stay tuned!
