While strolling in Marine Park, located at the southernmost tip of Rokko Island, I discovered a “huge bird structure! The location is the area west of the recently opened Sea Fishing Park.
From the Marine Park Station, proceed south on the pedestrian bridge and walk for about 5 minutes, feeling the presence of the ocean in front of you, to reach the Marine Park.
If you go east, you will find “Umi Fishing GO‼ROKKO MARINE PARK” which opened in GW, but this time, go west. You will pass by the craft beer brewery “IN THA DOOR BREWING”.
With the ocean on the left and palms standing at even intervals on the right, you may be surprised to find yourself thinking, “Is this Hawaii? California? The scenery is so beautiful that you may be under the illusion that you are in Hawaii or California. As you continue straight ahead on the pleasant promenade, with Kobe International University on your right…
Here it is! A white beak, big white eyes, black wings, and a drool-like pattern on its neck.
As I got closer, I could see that it was about 6 or 7 meters tall. On its belly, there is an arched entrance.
When I turned around and looked from behind, I saw another entrance under the cute little tail, and I saw a parent and her child just entering.
This is actually a restroom of the Rokko Island Bird Sanctuary. It is a public restroom, so non-users of the park can use it freely.
The head, back, and under the wings are made of block glass, which makes the room brighter. It is a nice device that combines design and functionality.
The “RIC barbecue plaza” is also adjacent to the building, and it looks like people are using it from there as well.
The giant bird was a cute public restroom used by everyone!
By the way… Rokko Island Bird Sanctuary is a facility where visitors can observe wild birds for free 24 hours a day.
Looking through the many peepholes, you will find yourself in a different world! A pond spreads out in a grassy field, and the scenery looks like a picture.
During my five-minute observation, I saw a black waterfowl, which seemed to be an ooban, and ducklings swimming gracefully and diving to catch fish.
There was a bird photo posted as “Birds you can see this time of year,” so please take a look at it for reference!
More Information
- Location
- Rokko Island Bird Sanctuary
(9 Naka, Koyo-cho, Higashinada-ku, Kobe)
Google Map - Hours of operation
- 24 hours
- Admission Fee
- Free of charge
- Parking lot
- Coin-operated parking available