- For the basketball player, see
Kobe Bryant
.
Map
Kobe
(
Japanese
: 神?市; -shi) is a
city
in the
Kansai region
of
Japan
on the island of
Honshu
. It is the
capital city
of
Hy?go Prefecture
.
[1]
Kobe is an important port city in the
Kansai
district of Western
Japan
. It is near the cities of
Osaka
and
Kyoto
. Its population is around 1.53 million people as of 2008.
Kobe is next to the
Seto Inland Sea
. Its northern part, including the Rokko mountain, is
hilly
. A ropeway runs from the Rokko district in its southern area through Rokko mountain to the Arima Spa. Transportation includes, the
Shinkansen
train service, highways and roads along the coast. Many cargo trucks and tankers use the port. There is a
ferry
between
Shanghai
and Kobe periodically.
Already in the late
12th century
powerful leader
Taira no Kiyomori
moved the capital of Japan from
Kyoto
to Fukuwara, nowadays the Fukuwara district of Japan. He planned for it to serve as a trade and political center of Japan. Kiyomori relied his political influence on the trade between Japan and China. But his plan failed and Kobe stayed a small village during a long time.
The area of Kobe was expanded and today it includes Mount Maya, Sumaura Park, Sumaike park with a good spa and the famous Arima spa. Arima spa is one of oldest spas in Japan, whose earliest record is found already in
Nihonshoki
. Kobe is also famous for its
Kobe beef
, a very expensive meat delicacy.
Kobe was founded in
1868
as a port for serving foreign ships. In those days most ports in Japan were closed to foreigners. Many foreigners lived in Kobe, including: westerners, Chinese, Jews, and Indians. Kobe has one of the more important
Chinatowns
in Japan. People can find a
synagogue
and many Christian churches, too. Kobe is similar to
Yokohama
as a place from where modern international culture was introduced into Japan.
On
January 17
,
1995
a very powerful
earthquake
hit the city. Earthquakes are more common in other parts of Japan, but not in Kansai so this earthquake was a surprise for everyone. 6,434 people were killed in Kobe and its neighboring cities, and many more were injured. Many of the buildings were destroyed.
The northern area of Kobe is an industrial area. There are many factories.
Sake
production in Nada district has been known from the
Edo period
. Nagata district in the southwest area of Kobe was a center of
shoe
production in Japan but production suffered because of destruction caused by the Earthquake.
- ↑
Nussbaum, Louis-Frederic. (2005).
"Kobe"
in
Japan Encyclopedia
, p. 537;
"Kansai"
at p. 477.
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Kobe
.
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34°41′24″N
135°11′44″E
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34.69000°N 135.19556°E
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34.69000; 135.19556