(Redirected from Kobe, Hyogo)
is the capital city of
Hyōgo Prefecture and a prominent
port 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 seventeen
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
West, in 1868, and as such it is known as a cosmopolitan port city. Consistent with this reputation, Kobe has a population of 44,000 foreign residents from more than 100 countries.
[1] The city hosts the Asian or Japan headquarters of a number of companies including
Procter & Gamble and
Nestlé,
[2] and is the point of origin and
namesake of
Kobe beef.
History
Origins - Meiji Era
Kobe's history dates back to the 8th century when the area was known as .
[3][4] The city was briefly the
capital of Japan in 1180 A.D. 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. The Emperor returned to
Kyoto after about five months.
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 .
[5]
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 and the western parts under that of the , while the center was controlled directly by the
Tokugawa shogunate.
[6][7] 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.
Following the
Meiji Restoration and the end of the
policy of seclusion in 1868, Hyōgo Port was one of the first ports to open for trade with Western countries.
[8] The region has since been identified with the West, and many foreign residences from the period remain in Kobe's
Kitano area.
[9]
Modern Kobe
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 , an archaic name for those who supported the shrine.
[10][11]
During the course of
World War II, Kobe was bombed with incendiary bombs by
B-29 bombers on
March 17,
1945, causing the death of 8,841 residents and destroying 21% of Kobe's urban area (''see
Bombing of Kobe in World War II''). It is this incident that inspired the well-known
Studio Ghibli film
Grave of the Fireflies and the
book 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".
[12][13]
On
January 17,
1995 an
earthquake measuring at 7.3 on the
Richter Scale occurred at 05:46 am JST near the city. Nearly 4,600 people within the city were killed, 240,000 were made homeless and large parts of the port facilities and other parts of the city were destroyed.
[14] 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, where every December the city center 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 fourth in Japan and thirty-fifth
busiest container port worldwide (as of 2005).
[16]
Geography
Wedged in between the coast and the mountains, the city of Kobe is long and narrow. To the east is the city of
Ashiya, while the city of
Akashi lies to its west.
The landmark of the port area is the red steel
Port Tower (
hyperboloid structure). A giant
ferris wheel sits in nearby
Harborland, a notable tourist
promenade. 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
Sannomiya 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 : The westernmost area of Kobe. Nishi-ku overlooks the city of
Akashi and is the site of
Kobe Gakuin University. This ward is the largest in terms of population with 247,000 residents.
[17]
; 2.
Kita-ku : Kita-ku is the largest ward by area and contains the Rokko Mountain Range, including
Mount Rokko and
Mount Maya. The area is well known for its rugged landscape and hiking trails. The
onsen resort town of
Arima also lays within Kita-ku.
; 3.
Tarumi-ku : Tarumi-ku is a mostly residential area. The longest suspension bridge in the world, the
Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge, extends from Maiko in Tarumi-ku to
Awaji Island to the south. A relatively new addition to Kobe, Tarumi-ku was not a part of the city until 1946.
; 4.
Suma-ku : Suma-ku is the site of the well-known Suma beach, attracting visitors during the summer months.
; 5.
Nagata-ku : Nagata-ku is the site of
Nagata Shrine, one of the three "Great Shrines" in Kobe.
; 6.
Hyōgo-ku : At various times known as Ōwada Anchorage or Hyōgo Port, this area is the historical heart of the city.
Shinkaichi in Hyogo-ku was once the commercial center of Kobe, but was heavily damaged during
World War II, and since Hyogo-ku has lost much of its former prominence.
; 7.
Chūō-ku : literally means "center", and as such Chuo-ku is the commercial and entertainment center of Kobe.
Sannomiya, along with
Motomachi and
Harborland, make up the main entertainment area in Kobe. Chuo-ku also includes Kobe City Hall and
Hyōgo prefectural government offices.
Port Island as well as
Kobe Airport lie in the southern part of this ward.
; 8.
Nada-ku : Nada-ku is the site of Kobe's Oji Zoo and
Kobe University. Nada is also well-known for its
sake. Along with
Fushimi in
Kyoto, it accounts for 45% of Japan's sake production.
[18]
; 9.
Higashinada-ku : The easternmost area of Kobe. Higashinada-ku borders the city of
Ashiya. The man-made island of
Rokko makes up the southern part of this ward.
Demographics
Kobe has a
population of 1,530,088 making up 657,977 households. This is an increase of 1,462 persons or approximately 0.1 percent over the previous year. The
population density is approximately 2,768 persons per square kilometer, while there are about 90.1 males to every 100 females.
[19] About thirteen percent of the population are between the ages of 0 and 14, sixty-seven percent are between 15 and 64, and twenty percent are over the age of 65.
1
Approximately 44,000 registered foreign nationals live in Kobe. The four most common nationalities are
Korean (22,431),
Chinese (12,680),
American (1,308), and
Vietnamese (1,274).
1
Economy
Kobe is both an important port and manufacturing center within the
Hanshin Industrial Region. Kobe is the
busiest container port in the region, surpassing even
Osaka, and the fourth busiest in
Japan.
As of 2004, the city's total real GDP was ¥6.3 trillion, which amounts to thirty-four percent of the GDP for
Hyōgo Prefecture and approximately eight percent of the GDP for the whole
Kansai region.
[20][21] Per capita income for the year was approximately ¥2.7 million.
Broken down by
sector, about one percent of those employed work in the
primary sector (agriculture, fishing and mining), twenty-one percent work in the
secondary sector (manufacturing and industry), and seventy-eight percent work in the
service sector.
1
The value of
manufactured goods produced and exported from Kobe for 2004 was ¥2.5 trillion. The four largest sectors in terms of value of goods produced are
small appliances,
food products,
transportation equipment, and communication equipment making up over fifty percent of Kobe's manufactured goods. In terms of numbers of employees, food products, small appliances, and transportation equipment make up the three largest sectors.
[22]
Major companies and institutes
Japanese companies which have their headquarters in Kobe include
ASICS, a shoe manufacturer;
Daiei, a department store chain;
Kawasaki Heavy Industries, an
automobile and
ship manufacturer; and
Kobe Steel. Other companies include the
confectionary manufacturers
Konigs-Krone and
Morozoff Ltd.,
Sun Television Japan and
UCC Ueshima Coffee Co.
There are over 100 international corporations with East-Asia or Japan headquarters in Kobe. Of these, twenty-four are from
China, eighteen from the
United States, and nine from
Switzerland.
[23] Some prominent corporations include
Eli Lilly and Company,
Nestlé,
Procter & Gamble,
Tempur-Pedic, and
Toys "R" Us.
Kobe is the site of a number of research institutes, such as the
RIKEN Kobe Institute Center for
developmental biology and medical imaging techniques,
[24] the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology Kobe Advanced ICT Research Center,
[25] the National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Prevention,
[26] and the Asian Disaster Reduction Center.
[27]
International organizations include the
WHO Centre for Health Development, an
intergovernmental agency forming part of the
World Health Organization.
Transportation
The Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge extends from Kobe to Awaji Island
Rail
Sannomiya Station is the main commuter 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.
Road and Air
Kobe is a hub in a number of
expressways, including the
Meishin Expressway (
Nagoya - Kobe) and the
Hanshin Expressway (Osaka - Kobe).
[28] Other expressways include the
Sanyō Expressway (Kobe -
Yamaguchi) and the
Chūgoku Expressway (Osaka - Yamaguchi).
The
Kobe-Awaji-Naruto Expressway runs from Kobe to
Naruto via
Awaji Island and includes the
Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge, the longest suspension bridge in the world.
Osaka International Airport in nearby
Itami and
Kobe Airport, built on a
reclaimed island south of
Port Island, offer mainly domestic flights, while
Kansai International Airport in
Osaka is the main international hub in the area.
Education
Kobe University main building
The city of Kobe directly administers 169
elementary and 83
middle schools, with enrollments of approximately 80,200 and 36,000 students, respectively.
[29] If the city's four private elementary schools and fourteen private middle schools are included, these figures jump to a total 82,000 elementary school students and 42,300 junior high students enrolled for the 2006 school year.
1[30][31]
Kobe also directly controls seven of the city's twenty-eight full-time public
high schools, while the remainder are administered by the Hyogo Prefectural Board of Education.
In addition, twenty-five high schools are run privately within the city.
[33] The total enrollment for high schools in 2006 was 43,400.
1
Kobe is home to eighteen public and private
universities, including
Kobe University and
Konan University, and eight
junior colleges. Students enrolled for 2006 reached 67,000 and 4,100, respectively.
1
Culture
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, from the mountains as well as the coast. Kobe is also known for having a somewhat exotic atmosphere by Japanese standards, which is mainly a result of its history as a port city.
The city is also widely associated with cosmopolitanism and fashion, encapsulated in the Japanese phrase, "If you can't go to Paris, go to Kobe."
[34] The biannual fashion event
Kobe Collection is held in Kobe.
[35] The
jazz festival "Kobe Jazz Street" has been held every October at jazz clubs and hotels since 1981.
[36]
Kobe is the site of Japan's first
golf course,
Kobe Golf Club, established by
Arthur Hasketh Groom in 1903,
[37] and Japan's first mosque,
Kobe Mosque, built in 1935.
[38] The city also hosts the
Kobe Regatta & Athletic Club, founded in 1870 by
Alexander Cameron Sim,
[39] a prominent
foreign cemetery, and a number of Western-style residences from the 19th century (''see
History'').
Most of the movie ''
Sayonara'' takes place in Kobe. Kobe is also the setting of the
Studio Ghibli film
Grave of the Fireflies.
Sports
Sister cities and sister ports
Kobe has six sister cities and a number of other affiliations.
[40] They are:
★
Seattle,
Washington,
United States (1957)
★
Marseille,
France (1961)
★
Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil (1969)
★
Riga,
Latvia (1974)
★
Brisbane,
Australia (1985)
★
Barcelona,
Catalonia,
Spain (1993)
Sister ports:
★
Rotterdam,
Netherlands (1967)
★
Seattle,
Washington,
United States (1967)
Other city affiliations:
★
Tianjin,
People's Republic of China (friendly city) (1973)
★
Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania,
United States (friendship and cooperation city) (1986)
Gallery
References
1. City of Kobe - "Statistical Summary of Kobe", retrived July 25, 2007
2. Hyogo-Kobe Investment Guide - "List of Foreign Enterprises and Examples", retrieved February 8, 2007
3. City of Kobe - "Port of Kobe: History", retrieved February 2, 2007
4. Kobe City Info - "History", retrieved February 2, 2007
5. Hyogo Internationl Tourism Guide - "Hyogo-tsu", retrieved February 2, 2007
6. City of Kobe - "Old Kobe" (Japanese), retrieved February 16, 2007
7. City of Ashiya - "An Outline History of Ashiya", retrieved February 16, 2007
8. Hyogo Prefectural Government - "Hyogo Overview", retrieved February 2, 2007
9. Japan Reference - "Kobe", retrieved February 2, 2007
10. Nagasaki University - "Ikuta Shrine", retrieved February 3, 2007
11. Entry for 「神戸（かんべ）」. Kōjien, fifth edition, 1998, [ISBN 4-00-080111-2]
12. Kobe City Council - "Resolution on the Rejection of the Visit of Nuclear-Armed Warships into Kobe Port", 18 March 1975., retrieved February 16, 2007
13. 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
14. The Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake Statistics and Restoration Progress (Jan. 2007), retrieved July 24, 2007
15. Maruhon Business News - Port Conditions in Japan, retrieved January 23, 2007
16. American Association of Port Authorities - "World Port Rankings 2005", retrieved July 3, 2007
17. City of Kobe - "Population by Ward" (Japanese), retrieved July 25, 2007
18. Kansai Window - "Japan's number one sake production", retrieved February 6, 2007
19. City of Kobe - "Estimated Population of Kobe", retrieved July 25, 2007
20. Hyogo Industrial Advancement Center - "Industry Tendencies in Various Areas of Hyogo Prefecture" (Japanese), retrieved July 3, 2007
21. Cabinet Office, Government of Japan - "2004 Prefectural Economy Survey" (Japanese), retrieved July 3, 2007
22. Kobe City Report on Census of Manufacturers, 2004 (Japanese), retrieved March 30, 2007
23. "Number of foreign corporations with headquarters in Kobe passes 100." (Japanese) in Nikkei Net, retrieved from NIKKEI.net on July 3, 2007.
24. RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology RIKEN Kobe Institute, retrieved March 13, 2007, retrieved June 26 2007
25. National Institute of Information and Communications Technology Kobe Advanced ICT Research Center, retrieved June 26, 2007
26. National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Prevention, retrieved June 12, 2007
27. Asian Disaster Reduction Center, retrieved June 12, 2007
28. Hyogo-Kobe Investment Guide - "Domestic Access", retrieved February 15, 2007
29. City of Kobe - "Number of municipal schools and students" (Japanese), retrieved July 2, 2007
30. Hyogo Prefectural Government - "Private elementary schools" (Japanese), retrieved July 2, 2007
31. Hyogo Prefectural Government - "Private middle schools" (Japanese), retrieved July 2, 2007
32. Hyogo Prefectural Board of Education - "Hyogo prefectural public schools at a glance" (Japanese), retrieved July 2, 2007
33. Hyogo Prefectural Government - "Private high schools" (Japanese), retrieved July 2, 2007
34. 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.
35. Kobe Collection Official Website (Japanese), retrieved February 27, 2007
36. Kobe Jazz Street, retrieved March 12, 2007
37. Golf Club Atlas - "Gliding Past Fuji - C.H. Alison in Japan", retrieved February 7, 2007
38. Penn, M. "Islam in Japan," Harvard Asia Quarterly Vol. 10, No. 1, Winter 2006., retrieved February 15, 2007
39. Kobe Regatta and Athletic Club - "a distinguished history", retrieved February 7, 2007
40. City of Kobe - "Sister City, Friendly City, Friendship & Cooperation City", retrieved February 15, 2007
External links
★
Official Kobe homepage
★
Kobe City Info
★
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