Kobe

A port in what would become Kōbe was established as a concession to western powers in 1868, during the time when Japan was opening to the world. Nagasaki and Yokohama had already begun serving foreign ships nine years earlier. Today, a synagogue, Japan's first mosque, Japan's first Sikh temple, a Chinatown, and European architecture mark Kōbe as a place where foreigners and foreign culture first arrived in Japan. At 05:46 on January 17, 1995, the Great Hanshin Earthquake, measuring 7.3 on the Richter Scale, struck near the city. The quake killed 6,433 people, made 300,000 people homeless and destroyed 10,000 buildings and large parts of the port facilities, and toppled the Hanshin Expressway, an elevated freeway. It was one of the costliest natural disasters in modern history. However, visitors will not see any of the aftermath of the quake, as the city has been restored. Feel Kobe is the city's official multilingual travel guide site. From Kobe Airport, the Port Liner light rail to Sannomiya Station runs about every 10 minutes (18 minutes, ¥330). Sannomiya Station offers connections to the Japan Rail (JR), Hanshin, Hankyu and subway lines. From there, a small trip on the subway will link you to the Shin-Kobe bullet train station (¥200). If coming from Sannomiya to the airport, be sure to board a train marked "Kobe Airport", as some head to the Kita Futo branch line instead. Kansai International Airport (KIX) is 70 km from Kobe and is the nearest international hub....