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Kobe P O R T E X P L O R E R

KobeJ a P a n

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GeneRAL InfoRmATIon Located in the south of Japan’s main island of Honshu, tucked up against the Rokko mountains, overlooking osaka Bay, the capital of the Kansi Region’s Hyogo Prefecture, lays the beautiful city of Kobe.

for much of its history Japan had closed itself off from the west-ern world. The name Kobe in Japanese means “The door of the gods”. In 1868, during a period of Japanese cultural and intel-lectual expansion now known as the meiji Restoration, the door of the gods, the port city of Kobe, was open to the world. The door swung in both directions, however. not only did Japanese exports leave for the rest of the world through Kobe, western im-ports, culture and people came into Japan through Kobe. Kobe quickly became a cosmopolitan city; open to new ideas and wel-coming its strong and vibrant foreign population. even today within the city’s nearly 2 million inhabitants, there are close to 50,000 foreigners representing over 100 different countries.

from the mid 1800’s onward, as international trade grew, so grew the city. Kobe is now one of the largest and busiest ports in the world. Japan’s first container port, today with its capability of handling over 150 ships simultaneously, the city is justifiably proud of its technologically advanced, state-of-the-art facilities. This did not come about easily nor did it happen overnight.

The city, as previously mentioned, rests up against the Rokko mountains. There is very little land available that is flat. Kobe’s city and business leaders have reclaimed land from the sea and built islands in the bay in order to expand the port facilities. But, in the midst of all the new construction city leaders and develop-ers wisely kept the single most important feature of the city in mind … the people of Kobe themselves. The rebuilt waterfront areas of the city are alive and vibrant with promenades, stores and restaurants that add greatly to the quality of life of citizens and visitors alike.

As important as the port is, in and of itself, there are additional factors that, when combined, insure the continued importance of the city. The first factor is the city’s supporting infrastructure of warehouses, storage, freight forwarders and private and cor-porate entities that provide the operational, logistical and finan-cial backbone of this prosperous international trading hub. This physical infrastructure is in turn supported by a city government that is dedicated to streamlining the bureaucratic red-tape of a highly regulated and complicated import / export industry.

on any given day locals and visitors can stroll along the beautiful harbor front and watch ocean going behemoths from China to Africa … europe to the Americas … from over 500 ports and 130 countries around the world sailing into or departing from this port, this warm and welcoming city of Kobe … Japan’s “Door of the gods”.

HIsToRy The Japanese islands were inhabited long before recorded history, back to the Ice Age and the stone Age, back to a time when Japan was not Japan and the islands were not islands at all, back to a time when they were connected by a land bridge to the mainland. The earliest inhabitants of Japan simply walked across from east Asia approximately 30,000 BC. But who were these original people? even with the dis-covery of their crude flint tools, and little else, archeologists have never been able to determine who they were, only that they were nomadic and hunted, fished and gathered fruits and nuts.

Later, archeologists were stunned when they discovered and carbon-dated a few very simple pottery fragments unearthed on the islands of Japan. The scientists were able to determine that these artifacts were the first sign of the island’s original people in their development of a crude culture … approximately 10,500 BC. However, the date of 10,500 BC presented a huge problem for the learned academicians. scientist, after all, agreed that history proved that the creation of pottery came after the development of organized agriculture and the socially sedentary way of life that accompanied it. This discovery caused anthropologists and archeologists to question the very accuracy of their scholarly and well established prehistoric timelines. At this time the original people had yet to benefit from the introduction of agriculture; they were still hunter / gatherers. named after the manner in which they made their pottery, using a “cord pattern”, the people were called the Jamon, the cord people and they seemed to have prospered in the islands…until approximately 3,000 BC.

What changed in the lives of the stone Age Jamon beginning in 3,000 BC? A virtual wave hit the islands of Japan … a new wave of bronze and iron, a wave of farming and new language, a wave of new deities and manner of worship, a wave of societal structure all brought across from the Korean mainland by the yayoi, a people originally

you thought we were going to say “Kobe Beef” didn’t you? sorry, there are no cows in Kobe unless they are steaks on the grill or being loaded onto freighters to be shipped around the globe. What is popularly referred to as “Kobe Beef” is actually raised in the Hyogo Prefecture, the capital of which is Kobe. The historic name for the Hyogo Prefecture was the province of Tajima. no self-respecting gourmet would refer to the best meat in the world by any other name than “Tajima Beef”.

some of the most popular Japanese dishes include: miso soup: Dashi stock is combined with soft miso paste. Depending upon the area of the country, other ingredients will be added such as vegetables or mushrooms. most meals will come with a serving of this delicious soup. Tempura is batter-dipped and deep fried seafood or vegetables. soba Tsukimi is a hot bowl of soba noodles topped with a raw egg. Kitsune Udon is a bowl of udon noodles combined with fried and seasoned bean curd. Rice Bowl is Japan’s answer to fast-food. one of the most popular toppings is tuna that has been marinated in teriyaki sauce. Kare Raisu (curry rice) is combined with deep fried pork. Curry is not native to Japan but it is popular in some of its cui-sine. onigiri are rice balls that are often filled with sweet fruit or cooked meats. Chawamnushi is creamy custard often prepared with chicken and mushrooms. Gyoza is a soft dumpling that can be deep-fried, steamed or boiled. A favorite way to fix them however, is pan fried, browning the bot-tom until it is crunchy. Vegetables or ground meats are used as fillings. Ra-men is a noodle served in a meat stock with sliced pork or onions. every locale will have its own variation. mentaiko is cod roe that has been spiced. There are many different varieties and it is so popular that some stores carry it as their only product. It is even sold as a souvenir.

Drink specialties: Umeshu is a very popular plumb brandy. It has been made and served in Japan for over 1000 years. Tea: sencha is perhaps the most popular green tea in Japan. some people feel that Gyokuro has the richest flavor. others teas you might want to try would include; Bancha, Genmaicha and macha, which is a powder tea.

sake: you can not mention Japanese drinks without referring to sake. There are basically two types. futsu-shu is the “every day” sake and Tokutei me-sho-shu is sake reserved for special occasions. Ginjo-shu and namazake sake are served cold. Honjozo-shu and shunmai-shu are served warm. sap-poro is rated as Japan’s best beer. Bottled water is always recommended.

sHoPPInG fACILITIes shopping in Kobe is easy due to the fact that rath-er than being spread out all over the city, the stores and shops are grouped together in a few districts. sannomiya, just to the west of the Ikuta-gawa River in the center of the city, is the largest shopping area in Kobe. It is filled with modern stores, trendy boutiques, souvenir outlets and older spe-cialty shops that have been in the same family for generations. China Town began to develop as far back as the early 1860s when trade between Japan and China was growing. The area is known for its wide variety of goods from all over Asia as well as the very reasonable prices. As always there are many fine restaurants and cafes. Harborland is a beautiful new waterfront mall with small shops, large department stores and plenty of restaurants and quaint cafes. The area also has a very nice amusement park. The Kobe Port Bazaar, in the western part of the city, is another new and popular mall with an architectural style more along the lines of a european village than Japa-nese. There are a number of factory outlet stores that offer very good prices. Together with ubiquitous restaurants and cafes the waterfront offers a won-derful view of the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge, as the people of Kobe proudly pro-claim, the longest suspension bridge in the world. The motomachi shopping Quarters is an old classic Japanese district offering antiques, brilliantly cre-ated time-honored crafts, handmade dolls and beautiful pearl jewelry. The naka-machi District is perhaps best known for their world renowned akoya pearls. If you love pearls then you are most likely aware that Japan is the pearl capital of the world and Kobe is the pearl capital of Japan. one of the premiere locations to buy pearls is the internationally famous Tasaki shinju

Company. There is no middleman. The company handles all aspects of the business from cultivation to the creation of beautiful strands and jewelry.

LoCAL CURRenCy Japan’s currency is the yen. They come in denomi-nations of 10,000 / 5,000, 2,000 and 1,000 yen.

major banks such as sumitomo mitsui Bank and mitsubishi Bank and Post offices will exchange Us, Australian and Canadian dollars, British pounds, German marks, swiss and french francs.

major banks in Kobe will cash Traveler’s Checks but they are rarely ac-cepted in city stores and restaurants.

foreign credit/debit cards are not accepted at most of Japan’s ATms. In-ternational ATms can usually be found at major department stores and post offices.

TRAnsPoRTATIon Train: Three trains cross Kobe from east to west; the Hankyu, Hanshin and JR lines are very inexpensive and very quick and many feel they are the best way to get around the city. subway: Kobe has two subways that cover the city. The Kaigan Line goes east to west paral-lel to the harbor and the yamate-seishin Line runs north to south towards the mountains. The subways cost a good bit more than the train and are not generally recommended for visitors. Bus: Kobe bus line is inexpensive and works best for the visitor when going north to south. Car Rental: There are reputable and well known car rental companies in Kobe. An international driver’s license and a passport will be required. The only International Li-censes that Japan accepts are ones based on the Geneva Convention, 1949. International Diver’s Permits from switzerland, Belgium and france are not accepted in Japan,

Know what your personal auto insurance covers before you buy the rental company’s insurance.

Keep in mind that in Japan the driver sits on the right and cars travel in the left lane. Road signs are international and major roads and destinations are often written in Japanese and english. City parking can be expensive.

on foot: There is much to see in Kobe. With its many hills it is best to catch a bus heading north, up hill. In this way you can see many of the sites while continuing to walk down hill.

UsefUL WoRDs AnD PHRAses

Greetings - KonnichiwaGood morning - ohayo gozaimasuGood afternoon - Kon-nichiwaGood evening - Kon-BanwaGood night - oyasumi-nasaiHow are you? - ogenki desuka?Thank you very much - Doo-mo ari-ga-to gozaimau

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from northern China who were themselves now being displaced by a newer, larger unstoppable tide of more Chinese migrating south. The yayoi looked across the straits of Korea and saw their future, perhaps their very survival, in the islands of Japan. The stone Age Jamon, who had been isolated from the rest of the world for thousands of years, were, in terms of the ages of history, finished … overnight.

some social anthropologist might disagree, however, the language, the begin-nings of the structure of their society, the early development of culture and religion can be traced directly back, and no further, to the immigration of the yayoi, originally from northern China, by way of Korea, in 3,000 BC.

The first known written reference to Japan is found in the imperial Chinese historical records from 57 AD. The country is called Wa and is described as being divided by many different tribes and having as yet no written language. Having already had over 2,000 years of dynastic rule and culture by this time, China gave little notice to the people of Wa. over the centuries that would slowly change.

Japan, a mountainous country, was a collection of fiefdoms still far from be-ing a unified nation. from 200 AD Chinese culture was having great influence upon Japan as seen through their acceptance of Chinese Buddhism, Chinese medicines, the Chinese calendar, the adopting of a rudimentary form of Chi-nese government, but most importantly, the introduction of writing … in Chi-nese characters. Chinese culture would slowly continue its’ dominance up through the early 600s when, under the direction of Japan’s Prince Regent

shotoku Taishi, a constitutional foundation, based upon China’s style of gov-ernance through Confucianism, was written, established and adhered to for well over a thousand years.

The origin of the Chrysanthemum Throne came about through the Taika Re-form edicts in 645 AD, written by Confucian scholars under the direction of emperor, Kotoku Tenno. It was established that the emperors now and in perpetuity were divine gods and would rule Japan with the authority of heaven itself. This imperial line, though no longer claiming to be gods, remains un-broken to this day.

In the mid 20th century Japan adopted a new constitution to become a con-stitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy that has helped lead the world into the 21st century.

KoBe PLACes of InTeResT

1 Sorakuen Garden is located in the center of the city. This is a peaceful retreat from a bustling city. The garden is created in the traditional Japa-

nese style as a “Tsukiyama” garden, meaning that it is designed with small gently rolling hills. There are beautiful ponds, bridges and tree lined walking paths. The site is the grounds of the home of Kobe’s former mayor, Kodera Kenkichi. The garden was opened to the public in 1941.

2 The Kitano District is the “Ijin-kan” (homes of the foreigners). This area of Kobe is where european and American businessmen, who were

involved in international trade with Japan during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, built their western style homes. Located on the hills near the city center, today the homes have been carefully restored and preserved as muse-ums, boutiques and international restaurants. Kobe has selected the area as a part of Japan’s significant Cultural Assets.

3 Nankinmachi is Kobe’s Chinatown. Though perhaps not as large as some of the Chinatowns that may be found in other cities, with its shops

and restaurants, this is still a very popular area of the city and a fun place to explore.

4 The Kobe City Museum is located at 24 Kyomachi street in the Chuo-Ku area. The museum is home to a large selection of national treasures,

detailed maps, colorful paintings, delicate silk screens, wood-block prints and replicas of ancient merchant fleets, all of which help to tell the history of Kobe’s relationship with international trading partners. many of the selected pieces date back hundreds of years.

5 Meriken Park is a rebuilt harbor front attraction. The original park, together with much of the port and the city of Kobe, was heavily dam-

aged in the infamous earthquake of 1995. A part of the destroyed harbor has been preserved so that visitors can see and locals be reminded of the incredible power of the quake. There is a memorial in the park that is dedicated to the people of Kobe who were lost. Restaurants and shopping are close by.

6 Kobe Port Tower, right next to merkin Park, is the 108 meter tall symbol of Kobe. The tower offers visitors a very interesting history of sea go-

ing vessels, the business and logistics of shipping, international trade and the workings of world ports. The museum’s observatory provides a magnificent view of Kobe and the busy port.

7 The Kobe Maritime Museum provides visitors with the interesting his-tory of the harbor and the sea. you can not mistake the museum when

you see it … it is shaped like a boat.

8 Oji Zoo is home to over 800 animals from 140 different species. Among the favorite attractions are the Giant Pandas that have been donated by

China for a joint study to learn more about and help in the preservation of this endangered animal. The Zoo is also home to the Zoological science Center.

Beyond Central Kobe

Rokko Mountain has been a favorite spot to enjoy nature for many genera-tions. There are beautiful hiking trails and the views of the city of Kobe are superb. Today a cable car allows easy access to the top of the mountain.

The Kobe Arboretum was established in 1957 in a suburb of Kobe called nakaichiri yama, shimotanigami. The beautiful gardens exhibit over 200,000 trees and plants representing 1,200 separate species that have been gathered from around the world.

The Nunobiki Waterfall is located in the center of the city on the Ikuta River. nunobiki falls is actually one of a group of four. Having been the subject of art and literature in Japan over the years, the falls are highly revered by the Japanese.

The Fruit and Flower Park is a beautiful and peaceful garden with a eu-ropean style castle that covers an area of 250 acres. Visitors have the op-portunity to stroll the gardens and orchards that grow an amazing variety of blossoms and produce. In addition to the manicured grounds there is a very nice restaurant in the park.

Suma Kaihin Park is Kobe’s favorite beach playground. There are plenty of water sports and down a little closer to the yacht harbor there is fishing and boat rentals. Just to the west a visitor can tour the Wada misaki lighthouse.

Suma Aqualife Park is at the east end of suma Kaihin Park. on display in the 12,000 gallon tank are sharks and sting rays together with over 20,000 additional fish, coral and species of sea life. The dolphin show is always

popular.

Arima is a special little town just on the other side of Rokko mountain from Kobe. The special attraction of the town is the hot springs. The Japanese have been coming here to relax and enjoy the springs for over 1,000 years. Arima is small, quaint and easy to explore. The narrow streets and alleys still have some of the older buildings and temples.

Himeji Castle, perhaps following only mount fuji itself, is one of Japan’s most recognizable landmarks. Begun by War Lord Hideyoshi Hasiba and completed by Lord Terumasa Ikeda in the early 1600’s, the castle stands upon the site of a fort that dates back to the 1300’s. This stone and wood citadel is a marvelously preserved example of Classical Japanese architecture. The imposing fortress has never come under attack. In 1993 Japan had the honor of having the castle designated as a World Heritage site by the United nations educational, scientific and Cultural organization (UnesCo).

Mount Rokko Pasture is a large and beautiful grazing farm overlooking Kobe. To the delight of children it is home to many goats, sheep and dairy cows. The farm produces wonderful cheese from the milk provided by the animals. Visitors enjoy watching and learning about the cheese making pro-cess as well as tasting a selection of delicious cheese.

sHoRe exCURsIons To make the most of your visit to Kobe and the sur-rounding areas we suggest you take one of our organized shore excursions. for information concerning tour content and pricing, consult your shore ex-cursion Brochure or contact the shore excursion Desk.

When going ashore, be advised to take only necessary items and secure any valuables onboard. Remember, if you are planning to visit a temple, dress modestly and respectfully.

LoCAL CUsToms The Japanese do not expect a visitor to know everything about their rules of social etiquette. your common courtesy will be appreci-ated.

for example, it is quite oK to bring a small bowl to your mouth if you are eating rice or soup. It is also acceptable to make slurping sounds when eating noodles. They say that slurping will make the noodles taste better too.

Using chopsticks can be rather awkward if you are not accustomed to them. Have fun, but keep a few things in mind. The chopsticks are for picking up food … not spearing it. If you are not using them lay the chopsticks to the side. Don’t stick them standing up in your bowl of rice.

Bowing in Japan is a very important custom. It is a sign of respect. It is normal to bow rather than to shake hands; however, if you are a Westerner you might receive both types of greetings. If you receive a bow it is polite to return it in the same manner in which it was given.

Bargaining: Prices are set and firm. Bargaining is not a custom.

Tipping: This is not a custom which is practiced in Japan. major restaurants will usually add a service charge of 10 – 15% to a bill.

Local Cuisine: Japanese cuisine is popular the world over. The combinations of fresh ingredients, complex flavors, centuries of tradition and beautiful pre-sentation all come together to create a feast for the eye as well as the stom-ach.

It is ironic that a nation justly proud of its’ centuries old traditional seafood dishes, a nation not known for massive meat consumption, raises arguably the best tasting beef in the world. The cattle are bred from the untainted lineage of the Kuroge Wagyu (black hair) on just over 250 small individual farms. most of the farms raise only five or fewer cows. A large farm may actually raise as many as fifteen. (Texas cowboys must be scratching their heads in wonder.) The cattle are treated like royalty with a rich diet that includes a great deal of beer mash and sake. of course we are referring to the internationally famous Tajima Beef.

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