After the Quake

Kobe, Japan

Kobe, officially known as Kobe City, serves as the capital of Hyōgo Prefecture in Japan. With a population of approximately 1.5 million, it ranks as the seventh-largest city in the country and the third-busiest port after Tokyo and Yokohama. Situated in the Kansai region on the northern shore of Osaka Bay, Kobe lies about 22 miles west of Osaka and 43 miles southwest of Kyoto, making it part of the influential Keihanshin metropolitan area alongside these major cities.

The earliest documented references to the region appear in the Nihon Shoki, which recounts the founding of the Ikuta Shrine by Empress Jingū in AD 201. Throughout much of its history, the area lacked a unified political identity, even during the Tokugawa period when the port was under direct control of the Tokugawa shogunate. Kobe officially emerged as a city in its modern form in 1889, with its name derived from "Kanbe," an ancient title for the shrine's supporters. It attained designated city status in 1956.

Following the end of Japan's seclusion policy in 1853, Kobe was one of the first cities to open its doors to Western trade, which contributed to its enduring cosmopolitan character and a rich architectural heritage from the Meiji era. Although the Great Hanshin earthquake in 1995 impacted Kobe's status as a prominent port city, it remains Japan's fourth-busiest container port.

Kobe is home to significant companies such as ASICS, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, and Kobe Steel, and hosts over 100 international corporations, including the Asian and Japanese headquarters of Eli Lilly and Company, Procter & Gamble, Boehringer Ingelheim, and Nestlé. Additionally, Kobe is renowned as the origin of the famous Kobe beef, hosts Kobe University, and features one of Japan's premier hot spring resorts, Arima Onsen.