KOBE FASHION MUSEUM is the first museum in Japan to specialize in fashion. Library located on the 3rd floor houses various materials of high value related to fashion, all of which are open to the public as well as to those students, creators and business people engaged in the fashion field.
Many of the publications are rare items that are unavailable elsewhere in Japan, according to the library’s staff. Following Kobe’s declaration in 1973 to become a “Fashion City,” the museum was opened on the city’s man-made Rokko Island in 1997 to promote the local lifestyle- and culture-related industries.
In addition to fashion-related books in 19 genres such as ornaments, textiles and perfume, the library’s collection of some 40,000 publications also include books in over 40 categories such as confectionery, Japanese sake, architecture and interior design, and film.
What is even more impressive is the library’s vast variety of magazines. The latest issues are available for about 280 magazines from Japan and abroad.
