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Port Tower at night
Kobe ( Japanese: 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.
As of 2003, the city has an estimated population of 1,513,967 and the density of 2,755.77 persons per km˛. The total area is 549.38 km˛. The city is a part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan sprawl.
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 . A giant ferris wheelChongqing, China A Ferris wheel is an amusement ride consisting of an upright wheel with passenger gondolas suspended from the rim. It is named after George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr. who designed a 75-meter (250-foot) wheel for the World Columbian Expos sits in nearby Harbor Land, a notable tourist promenadeA Promenade is a seaside walkway constructed so that people can enjoy walking near the sea without getting their clothes wet and dirty., 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 grow.
Away from the seaside at the heart of Kobe lie the Motomachi and Kokashita arcades as well as Kobe's ChinatownAlternative meanings: Chinatown (disambiguation North America is in San Francisco, California, where signs, storefronts, proprieters, and even lamp posts bring the culture of China to the United States. Chinatown is an urban region containing a large popu Nankinmachi, all well-known retail areas. A multitude of train lines cross the city from east to west. The main transport hub is Sannomiya StationSannomiya station ( (JR) or (others) Sannomiya-eki) is located in the heart of Kobe. It is the station of the following railways: JR ( Tokaido Main Line/ Kobe Line) Hankyu Railway ( Kobe Line) Hanshin Electric Railway ( Main Line) Kobe Municipal Subway (, with the eponymous Kobe StationKobe station ( Kobe Eki) is a station located in Kobe, Japan. It is the end of the Tokaido Main Line and the start of the Sanyo Main Line. It is close to Kosoku Kobe station of Kobe Rapid Railway and Harborland station of the Kaigan Line of Kobe Municipal located towards the west and the Shinkansen Shin-Kobe StationShin-Kobe station ( Shin-Kobe eki) is a train station located at the foot of Mount Rokko in Kobe, Japan, and to the northeast of Sannomiya Station. It is the station of the following railways: JR ( Sanyo Shinkansen) Kobe Municipal Subway ( Seishin-Yamate to the north. Nankinmachi is Kobe's ChinatownAlternative meanings: Chinatown (disambiguation North America is in San Francisco, California, where signs, storefronts, proprieters, and even lamp posts bring the culture of China to the United States. Chinatown is an urban region containing a large popu, 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 golfThis article is about the sport of golf. For other meanings, see Golf (disambiguation). Golf is an outdoor game where individual players or teams play a small ball into a hole using various clubs. It is defined in the Rules of Golf as playing a ball with course, established by the Englishman Arthur 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), nightview of the city both from the coast and the mountain, and the exotic atomosphere 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 expensive and elite city of Ashiya.
Most of the movie Sayonara takes place in Kobe.
The Japanese headquarters of the Swiss-based foods multinational Nestlé is located in Kobe.