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Kobe (神戸市;
-shi) is a city in
Japan, located on the island of
Honshu. Kobe is the capital of
Hyogo prefecture and is one of Japan's major
ports. It is in the
Kansai region of Japan, in Hyogo prefecture to the south-west of
Osaka, and was one of the first cities to open for trade with
the West, as of
1868. The cosmopolitan port city has a population of 45,500 foreign
residents from more than 100
countries.
Kobe is a modern city by Japanese standards: the port
area is dominated by the red steel
Kobe tower. A giant
ferris wheel sits in Harbor Land, a notable tourist
promenade, and offers spectacular
views of the surroundings including the bay area, especially at night.
As of
2003, the city has an estimated
population of 1,513,967 and the
density of 2,755.77 persons per
km². The total area is 549.38 km².
Motomachi arcade and Kokashita arcade are well-known
retail areas in in Kobe. Other less central areas include Sannomiya and
Nishinomiya. Nankinmachi is Kobe's
Chinatown, and is particularly lively at night.
Mt Rokko overlooks Kobe with an
elevation of 931 metres: during the autumn season, Mt Rokko is famous for
the rich change in colours of its forests. Mt Rokko is also the site of
Japan's first
golf course, established by the
Englishman Arthur Gloom in
1903.
Kobe is also home to
Kobe University, which traces its
roots back to
1905.
On
January 17,
1995 an
earthquake measured at 7.2 on the
Richter Scale occurred at 05:46am JST near the city killing more than
5,000, making 300,000 homeless and destroying large parts of the port
facilities and other parts of the city. It was one of the most costly
natural disasters in modern history. The earthquake notably destroyed the
Hanshin Expressay, an elevated freeway which dramatically toppled over:
within Kobe, the earthquake is known as the
Great Hanshin Earthquake (or the Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake).
Kobe is also famous for its
Kobe beef, the Arima Onsen (hot
springs), and the expensive and elite Ashiya district (the haunt of wealthy
yakuza).
The city was founded on
April 1,
1889.
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