Although most of my time is spent in Tokyo, when I go to Japan, there are cities in the Kansai region that really captivate me in terms of atmosphere, food and vibe and one city I enjoy visiting is Kobe, Japan.
The sixth largest city in Japan with a population of 1.5 million people, Kobe is the capital city of Hyogo Prefecture. In fact, the city was briefly the capital of Japan in 1180 when Taira no Kiyomori (a military leader who established the first samura-dominated administrative government) moved his grandson Emperor Antoku from Fukuhara to present-day Hyogo. But the Emperor returned to Kyoto five months later.
The name Kobe is derived from the word “Kanbe”, named after the supporters of the city’s Ikuta Shrine (founded by Empress Jingu in AD 201).
The area was founded in 1889 but was designated a city in 1956.
One thing I love about Kobe is the architecture. You can go from one street corner to another, look around and the building architecture is completely different. Some which look modern Japan, some look like a relic of old Japan, European influence, Western influence, etc.
Kobe was one of the cities that was open for trade with the West after the 1853 end of the police of seclusion and was once a well-known port city. In fact, prior to the 1995 earthquake, it was Japan’s busiest port.
Unfortunately, the region suffered the Great Hanshin Earthquake in 1995 and the city had to go through major rebuilding since the destruction during World War II (where 21% of Kobe’s urban area was destroyed and 8,841 residents were killed. The bombing of Kobe inspired the Studio Ghibli film “Grave of the Fireflies” and the Nosaka Akiyuki book.
While Kobe is considered a nuclear free city back in 1975, when the port of Kobe banned any vessels carrying nuclear weapons from Kobe port. The largest destruction was the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake which killed 6,434 people and left 212,443 people homeless and to celebrate Kobe’s recovery, the city celebrates an event called the “Luminarie” where the city’s center is decorated with illuminated archways.
I’ll be posting more blog content from Kobe occasionally, but I do recommend visiting this area!
