Kobe

Kobe (神戸市, Kōbe-shi) is a prominent port city in Japan, and the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture.

It was one of the first cities to open for trade with the West, as of 1868. The city was the World's busiest container port from 1973 to 1978.^{[citation needed]} This cosmopolitan port city has a population of 45,500 foreign residents from more than 100 countries.^{[citation needed]}

Kobe resides in the Kansai region of Japan, in Hyōgo Prefecture to the west of Osaka. The city is a part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan sprawl.

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.

Kobe is also the point of origin of the world-famous Kobe beef; a special type of cattle is raised and slaughtered for this beef.

Orientation

Wedged in between the coast and the mountains (Rokko Mountain), the city of Kobe is long and narrow. The landmark of the port area is the red steel Port Tower (hyperboloid structure). A giant ferris wheel sits in nearby Harbor Land, 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.

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 with an elevation of 931 meters: during the autumn season, it is famous for the rich change in colors of its forests. Mt. Rokko is also the site of Japan's first golf course, established by the Englishman Arthur Hasketh Groom in 1903.

Kobe serves as one of the most important seaports in Japan. It is famous for its Kobe beef, the Arima Onsen (hot springs), night view of the city both from the coast and the mountain, and the exotic atmosphere which mainly came from its history as a port city. Kobe is also home to Kobe University, which traces its roots back to 1902. To the east is the city of Ashiya.

The name "Kobe" means "houses (families) owned by a shrine". It derives from the fact that the central part (from Motomachi to Sannomiya) of Kobe was originally owned by the Ikuta Shrine.

Most of the movie Sayonara takes place in Kobe. The popular game/anime Fate/Stay Night actually takes place in Kobe City but it's called Fuyuki City in the game.

Buildings

Kobe Port Tower

History

It is said that the port was open by the early 7th century.^{[citation needed]}

Kobe was briefly the capital of Japan in 1180 A.D. at the end of the Heian period. Taira no Kiyomori moved his grandson Emperor Antoku to Fukuhara. The exact location is uncertain, but is probably the neighborhood of the same name in Hyōgo-ku. The Emperor returned to Kyoto after about five months.

During this period, the port was established as the hub for trade with China and other countries. The original name of the port was Ohwada port.

The city was founded on April 1, 1889 and was designated on September 1, 1956 by government ordinance.

During the course of World War II, Kobe was bombed with incendiary bombs by 331 B-29 bombers on March 17, 1945.

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".

On January 17, 1995 an earthquake measuring at 7.2 on the Richter Scale occurred at 05:46 am JST near the city. 6,433 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).

Kobe was Japan's busiest port and one of Asia's top ports until the Great Hanshin Earthquake occurred. Kobe has since dropped to the twenty-ninth busiest port worldwide (as of 2002).^{[citation needed]} Kobe has, however, recovered to become Japan's third busiest port (as of 1999).^[1]

To commemorate Kobe's recovery from the 1995 quake, the city holds an annual event called the Luminarie, where every December the city hall is decorated with illuminated metal archways.

Wards

Kobe has 9 wards (ku):

Chūō-ku（中央区）
Higashinada-ku (東灘区)
Hyōgo-ku (兵庫区)
Kita-ku（北区）
Nada-ku (灘区)
Nagata-ku (長田区)
Nishi-ku（西区）
Suma-ku (須磨区)
Tarumi-ku (垂水区)

Transportation

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

Education

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 island of 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]

Major company headquarters in Kobe

World headquarters

Japanese headquarters

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	J.League	Kobe Wing Stadium	1995
Nikkō Kobe IceBucks (shared with Nikkō, Tochigi)	Ice Hockey	Asia League		1999