Kobe, Japan

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Kobe
神戸市
Location of Kobe
Kobe's location in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan.
Location
Country Japan
Region Kansai
Prefecture Hyōgo Prefecture
Physical characteristics
Area 550.72 km²
Population (as of 1 Sep 2006)
     Total 1,528,948
     Density 2766/km²
Symbols
Tree Camellia sasanqua
Flower Hydrangea
Symbol of Kobe
Symbol of Kobe
Kobe Hall
Mayor Tatsuo Yada
Address 〒650-8570
Kobe-shi, Chūō-ku, Kano-cho 6-5-1
Phone number 078-331-8181
Official website: Kobe City

Kobe(Kōbe-shi) is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture and a prominent seaport city in Japan with a population of about 1.5 million. The city is located in the Kansai region of Japan to the west of Osaka. Kobe is classified as one of Japan's fifteen designated cities and is a part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan sprawl.

It was one of the first cities to open for trade with the Western world in 1868, and as such, it is known as a cosmopolitan port city. Consistent with this reputation, Kobe has a population of 45,000 foreign residents from more than 100 countries.[1][2] The city hosts the Asian or Japan headquarters of a number of companies including Procter & Gamble and Nestlé,[3] and is the point of origin and namesake of Kobe beef. Kobe is also famous for the Arima Onsen (hot springs), and some notable buildings include the Ikuta Shrine as well as the Kobe Port Tower.

The city was severely affected by the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake, in which over 5000 residents lost their lives. Kobe has largely recovered from the damage.

History

Nishiki-e (Colored woodcut) of 19th c. Kobe
Kitano area of Kobe

Kobe's history dates back to the 8th century when the area was known as Ōwada Anchorage (Ōwada-no-tomari).[4][5] The city was briefly the capital of Japan in 1180 C.E. at the end of the Heian period, when Taira no Kiyomori moved his grandson Emperor Antoku to Fukuhara. The exact location is not known for certain, but is probably the neighborhood of the same name in Hyōgo-ku, Kobe. The Emperor returned to Kyoto after about five months.[5] As the port grew, it became an important hub for trade with China and other countries, and in the 13th century, the city came to be known by the name Hyōgo Port (Hyōgo-tsu).[6]

During this time, Hyōgo Port along with northern Osaka composed the province of Settsu. Later, during the Edo period, the eastern parts of present-day Kobe came under the jurisdiction of the Amagasaki Domain (Amagasaki-han) and the western parts under that of the Akashi Domain (Akashi-han), while the center was controlled directly by the Tokugawa shogunate.[7][8] It was not until the abolition of the han system in 1871 and the establishment of the current prefecture system that the area became politically distinct.

Damage from the Great Hanshin Earthquake preserved in a memorial

Following the Meiji Restoration and the end of the policy of seclusion (Sakoku), in 1868, Hyōgo Port was one of the first ports to open for trade with Western countries.[9] The region has since been identified with the West, and many foreign residences from the period remain in Kobe's Kitano area (Kitano-cho).[10]

Kobe, as it is known today, was founded on April 1, 1889, and was designated on September 1, 1956 by government ordinance. The history of Kobe is closely tied to that of the Ikuta Shrine, and in fact the name "Kobe" derives from kanbe, an archaic name for those who supported the shrine.[11][12]

During the course of World War II, Kobe was bombed with incendiary bombs by B-29 (B-29 Superfortress) bombers on March 17, 1945, causing the death of 8,841 residents and destroying twenty-one percent of Kobe's urban area. It is this incident that inspired the well-known Studio Ghibli film Grave of the Fireflies and the book Grave of the Fireflies by Akiyuki Nosaka on which it was based.

Following continuous pressure from citizens, on March 18, 1975, the Kobe City Council passed an ordinance banning vessels carrying nuclear weapons from Kobe Port. This effectively prevented any U.S. warships from entering the port, policy being not to disclose whether any warship is carrying nuclear weapons. This nonproliferation policy has been termed the "Kobe Formula" (Japan's non-nuclear policy).[13][14]

On January 17, 1995 an earthquake measuring at 7.3 on the Richter Scale occurred at 05:46 am JST near the city. 6,434 people were killed, 300,000 were made homeless and large parts of the port facilities and other parts of the city were destroyed. It was one of the most costly natural disasters in modern history. The earthquake notably destroyed the Hanshin Expressway, an elevated freeway which dramatically toppled over. Within Japan, the earthquake is known as the Great Hanshin Earthquake (or the Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake). To commemorate Kobe's recovery from the 1995 quake, the city holds an annual event called the Luminarie (Kobe Luminare), where every December the city hall is decorated with illuminated metal archways.

Kobe was Japan's busiest port and one of Asia's top ports until the Great Hanshin Earthquake occurred.[15] Kobe has since dropped to the thirty-second busiest port worldwide (as of 2004).[16] In spite of the earthquake, Kobe remains Japan's third busiest port (as of 1999).[15]

Geography

Port of Kobe at twilight

Wedged in between the coast and the mountains, the city of Kobe is long and narrow. To the east is the city of Ashiya (Ashiya Hyōgo), while the city of Akashi (Akashi Hyōgo) lies to its west.

The landmark of the port area is the red steel Kobe Port Tower (hyperboloid structure). A giant ferris wheel sits in nearby Harborland, a notable tourist promenade, and offers spectacular views of the surroundings including the bay area, especially at night. Two artificial islands, Port Island and Rokko Island, have been constructed to give the city room to expand. The city serves as one of the most important seaports in Japan.

Away from the seaside at the heart of Kobe lie the Motomachi and Kokashita districts as well as Kobe's Chinatown, Nankinmachi, all well-known retail areas. A multitude of train lines cross the city from east to west. The main transport hub is Sannomiya Station, with the eponymous Kobe Station located to the west and the Shinkansen Shin-Kobe Station to the north.

Mount Rokko overlooks Kobe at an elevation of 931 meters. During the autumn season, it is famous for the rich change in colors of its forests.

Wards

Wards of Kobe

Kobe has 9 wards (ku):

  1. Nishi-ku
  2. Kita-ku
  3. Tarumi-ku
  4. Suma-ku
  5. Nagata-ku
  6. Hyōgo-ku
  7. Chūō-ku
  8. Nada-ku
  9. Higashinada-ku

Culture

The Ikuta Shrine in central Kobe

Kobe is famous for its Kobe beef and Arima Onsen (hot springs), while notable buildings include the Ikuta Shrine as well as the Kobe Port Tower. It is well known for the night view of the city both from the coast and its exotic atmosphere which has mainly come from its history as a port city.

The city is widely associated with the cosmopolitanism and fashion, encapsulated in the Japanese phrase, "If you can't go to Paris, go to Kobe."[17] The biannual fashion event Kobe Collection is held in Kobe,[18] while the jazz festival "Kobe Jazz Street" has been held every October at jazz clubs and hotels since 1981.[19]

Kobe is the site of Japan's first golf course, Kobe Golf Club, established by Arthur Hasketh Groom in 1903,[20] and Japan's first mosque, Kobe Mosque, built in 1935.[21] The city also hosts the Kobe Regatta & Athletic Club, founded in 1870 by Alexander Cameron Sim,[22] a prominent foreign cemetery, and a number of Western-style residences from the 19th century. Kobe is home to Kobe University, which traces its roots back to 1902.

Most of the movie Sayonara takes place in Kobe. Kobe is also the setting of the Studio Ghibli film Grave of the Fireflies.

Kobe is well-known for its sake: The area of Nada-ku along with Fushimi-ku in Kyoto accounts for forty-five percent of Japan's sake production.[23]

Transportation

The Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge extends from Kobe to Awaji Island

Sannomiya Station is the main hub in Kobe, serving as the transfer point for the three major intercity rail lines. The JR Kobe Line connects Kobe to Osaka and Himeji while both the Hankyu Kobe Line and the Hanshin Main Line run from Kobe to Umeda Station in Osaka. In addition, Kobe Municipal Subway provides access to the Sanyō Shinkansen at Shin-Kobe Station. Sanyō Electric Railway trains from Himeji reach Sannomiya via the Kobe Rapid Railway.

Other rail lines in Kobe include Kobe Electric Railway which runs north to Sanda and Arima Onsen. Hokushin Kyuko Railway connects Shin-Kobe Station to Tanigami Station on the Kobe Electric Railway. Kobe New Transit runs two lines, the Port Island Line from Sannomiya to Kobe Airport and the Rokko Island Line from JR Sumiyoshi Station to Rokko Island.

Kobe is a hub in a number of expressways, including the Meishin Expressway (Nagoya - Kobe) and the Hanshin Expressway (Osaka - Kobe).[24] Other expressways include the Sanyō Expressway (Kobe - Yamaguchi) and the Chūgoku Expressway (Osaka - Yamaguchi). The Kobe-Awaji-Naruto Expressway (Honshū-Shikoku Bridge Project) runs from Kobe to Naruto via Awaji Island and includes the Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge, the longest suspension bridge in the world.

The new Kobe Airport was opened on a newly-built reclaimed island on February 16, 2006.

Education

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Universities

Public universities

  • Kobe University
  • University of Hyōgo (Prefectural university) [1]
  • Kobe City University of Foreign Studies [2]
  • Kobe City College of Nursing [3]

Private universities

  • Konan University [4]
  • Konan Women's University [5]
  • Kobe Kaisei College (Women's university) [6]
  • Kobe Gakuin University [7]
  • Kobe Design University [8]
  • Kobe International University [9]
  • Kobe Shoin Women's University [10]
  • Kobe Women's University [11]
  • Kobe Shinwa Women's University [12]
  • Kobe Pharmaceutical University [13]
  • Kobe Yamate University [14]
  • University of Marketing and Distribution Science [15]

Primary and secondary schools

Public schools

Elementary and junior high schools are operated by the city of Kobe, while high schools are operated by the Hyogo Prefectural Board of Education [16].

A list of Hyogo Prefectural high schools in Japanese is here [17].

Private schools

Lists of private schools in Hyogo Prefecture at [18] [19] [20] in Japanese.

International schools
  • Marist Brothers International School (Montessori-12), located in Suma-ku [21]
  • Canadian Academy (K-12), located on the man-made Rokko Island [22]
  • St. Michael's International School (PreK-6), a small British elementary school located in Kitano-cho, near Sannomiya and Motomachi stations [23]
  • Deutsche Schule Kobe - European School, located in Nada-ku [24]

Research

  • RIKEN Kobe Institute - Center for Developmental Biology[25]

Economy

Kobe is a major part of Hanshin Industrial Region. The value of manufactured goods shipments through Kobe is 2,508 billion yen (as of 2004).[26]

Major factories and research institutes in Kobe

Facilities

  • Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
- Shipbuilding, Marine structures
- Mainly,high value products such as Container ship, Submarine, Research Vessels and Vehicles, Nuclear reactor, Satellite.
  • Kawasaki Heavy Industries
- Shipbuilding , Marine structures , Trains
  • Kobe Steel
  • Mitsubishi Electric
  • Matsushita Electric Industrial (Panasonic)

Laboratories, Research Institutes

- It is also an East-Asia or Japan headquarter.
  • Kobe Steel
  • Mitsubishi Electric
  • RIKEN (A public corporation funded by the government. Natural sciences research institute.)
- Center for Developmental Biology.
- Next-Generation Supercomputer Center (From 2010)

Major company headquarters in Kobe

World headquarters

  • ASICS
  • Daiei
  • Kawasaki Heavy Industries
  • Kobe Steel
  • Konigs Krone
  • Morozoff Ltd.
  • SUN-TV
  • UCC Ueshima Coffee Co.
  • Vita Craft Japan
  • World Co., Ltd

Asia/Japan headquarters

A number of major international corporations have their East-Asia or Japan headquarters in Kobe:[3]

  • Eli Lilly and Company
  • Nestlé
  • Procter & Gamble
  • Tempur-Pedic
  • Toys "R" Us

Sport teams

Club Sport League Venue Established
Kobe Steel Kobelco Steelers Rugby Top League Kobe Wing Stadium 1928
Orix Buffaloes Baseball Pacific League Skymark Stadium
Osaka Dome
1938
Vissel Kobe Football (soccer) J.League Kobe Wing Stadium 1995
Nikkō Kobe IceBucks
(shared with Nikkō, Tochigi)
Ice Hockey Asia League 1999

Sister Cities and Sister Ports

Kobe has six sister cities and a number of other affiliations.[27] They are:

Sister Ports:

Other City Affiliations:

  • Flag of People's Republic of China Tianjin, People's Republic of China (friendly city) (1973)
  • Flag of United States Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States (friendship and cooperation city) (1986)

Gallery

Notes

  1. City of Kobe - "Outline", retrieved February 3, 2007
  2. City of Kobe - "Overall Statistics", retrieved February 2, 2007
  3. 3.0 3.1 Hyogo-Kobe Investment Guide - "List of Foreign Enterprises and Examples", retrieved February 8, 2007
  4. City of Kobe - "Port of Kobe: History", retrieved February 2, 2007
  5. 5.0 5.1 Kobe City Info - "History", retrieved February 2, 2007
  6. Hyogo Internationl Tourism Guide - "Hyogo-tsu", retrieved February 2, 2007
  7. City of Kobe - "Old Kobe" (Japanese), retrieved February 16, 2007
  8. City of Ashiya - "An Outline History of Ashiya", retrieved February 16, 2007
  9. Hyogo Prefectural Government - "Hyogo Overview", retrieved February 2, 2007
  10. Japan Reference - "Kobe", retrieved February 2, 2007
  11. Nagasaki University - "Ikuta Shrine", retrieved February 3, 2007
  12. Entry for 「神戸(かんべ)」. Kojien, fifth edition, 1998, [ISBN 4-00-080111-2]
  13. Kobe City Council - "Resolution on the Rejection of the Visit of Nuclear-Armed Warships into Kobe Port", 18 March 1975., retrieved February 16, 2007
  14. Kamimura, Naoki. "Japanese Civil Society and U.S.-Japan Security Relations in the 1990s". retrieved from International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War on February 2, 2007
  15. 15.0 15.1 Maruhon Business News - Port Conditions in Japan, retrieved January 23, 2007
  16. American Association of Port Authorities - "World Port Rankings 2004", retrieved February 2, 2007
  17. Hassan, Sally. (April 9, 1989). "Where Japan Opened a Door To the West". New York Times., retrieved from New York Times Website on February 7, 2007.
  18. Kobe Collection Official Website (Japanese), retrieved February 27, 2007
  19. Kobe Jazz Street, retrieved March 12, 2007
  20. Golf Club Atlas - "Gliding Past Fuji - C.H. Alison in Japan", retrieved February 7, 2007
  21. Penn, M. "Islam in Japan," Harvard Asia Quarterly Vol. 10, No. 1, Winter 2006., retrieved February 15, 2007
  22. Kobe Regatta and Athletic Club - "a distinguished history", retrieved February 7, 2007
  23. Kansai Window - "Japan's number one sake production", retrieved February 6, 2007
  24. Hyogo-Kobe Investment Guide - "Domestic Access", retrieved February 15, 2007
  25. RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology, retrieved March 13, 2007
  26. Kobe City Report on Census of Manufacturers, 2004 (Japanese), retrieved March 30, 2007
  27. City of Kobe - "Sister City, Friendly City, Friendship & Cooperation City", retrieved February 15, 2007

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

  • Dodd, Jan, and Simon Richmond. 2005. The rough guide to Japan. London: Rough Guides. ISBN: 1843532727 9781843532729
  • Kerr, Alex. 1996. Lost Japan. Lonely Planet journeys. Hawthorn, Vic., Australia: Lonely Planet Publications. ISBN: 0864423705 9780864423702
  • Nihon Kōtsū Kōsha. 1990. Travel guide: Kyoto, Nara, Osaka, Kobe. Tokyo: Japan Travel Bureau.
  • Reiber, Beth, and Janie Spencer. 2004. Frommer's Japan. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley Pub. ISBN: 0764573802 9780764573804
  • Rowthorn, Chris. 2005. Japan. Footscray, Vic: Lonely Planet. ISBN: 1740599241 9781740599245
  • Zarifeh, Ramsey. 2002. Japan by rail. Hindhead, Surrey, UK: Trailblazer Publications. ISBN: 1873756232 9781873756232 4925080245 9784925080248

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