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Kobe is the capital city of Hyogo Prefecture and a prominent port city in Japan with a population of about 1.5 million. The city is located in the Kansai region of Japan to the west of Osaka.

Location & Topography

Located just to the west of center on the main island of Honshu in an area known as the Kansai Region,the port city of Kobe is easily accessible to most domestic and international destinations by land,sea or air. Travel time from Tokyo takes 1 hour 20 minutes by plane and 2 hours 50 minutes by Shinkansen Bullet Train. From Osaka,train travel takes 30 minutes and Airport Limousine Bus service from Kansai International Airport takes one hour. In addition,even the most remote points in Japan,as well as the neighboring countries of Korea and mainland China,are but one and a half to two hours by air. Its ideal location allows Kobe,together with Osaka and culturally-rich Kyoto,to serve as the focal point for the economy of western Japan.

Geographically,the city can be roughly divided into two sections by the Rokko Mountain Range. The southern portion which faces Osaka Bay forms the urbanized area,while the western and northern areas have become the scene for the construction of large-scale new towns that maintain harmony with their natural surroundings. Stretching like a ribbon 30 km east to west and 2 to 4 km north to south,the southern urban area occupies roughly 30% of the city but is home to 60% of the population. Developmentally,Kobe is built upon a 3-tier structure: a port and industrial zone along the coast,residential areas on the hillsides,and mixed residential and commercial areas in the intermediate zone between the mountains and the sea.

With the mountains on one side and the ocean on the other,and with its overall mild climate averaging 17.1°C (62.8°F),Kobe is a city blessed with unparalleled natural conditions extremely conducive to business and daily life.

Area & Population

(as of 1st January 2004)

The city of Kobe currently covers an area of 550.72 sq. km (36 km from east to west and 30 km north to south) and,despite having to recover from 2 devastating periods in its history (WWII and the recent earthquake),its population has surpassed 1.5 million.

The population of the urban area-about 170 sq. km in size-has reached more than 1 million,making its population density almost 6,000 people per sq. km. On the other hand,the northern and western areas,which represent a larger space of about 380 sq. km,

are home to less than 500,000 people. Thus,the population density in that area is quite low,at close to 1,200 people per sq. km when compared with the average of over 2,750 people per sq. km for the city as a whole. With a large foreign population closing in on 45,000 people from as many as 115 different countries (see page"Overall Statistics") and the resulting cultural influences they bring,the international flavor of Kobe's population is easy to see and experience. Population of Kobe City (1889-2040) (Estimates) 

International Lifestyle Support

Kobe is well-known throughout Japan as being an "international city". With its diverse population of foreign residents and the resulting facilities and amenities established by and for such foreign communities,Kobe is uniquely qualified to support a comfortably refined lifestyle for just about any company or individual from any country.

Kobe boasts a number of international schools with foreign language-based curriculums,places of worship for a great many of the world's religions,health and medical facilities and services such as hospitals and clinics that cater to foreign patients,businesses geared to foreign visitors and both short- and long-term residents,as well as a multitude of dining establishments representing almost all of the world's cuisines.

Kobe is the base for many multi-cultural friendship organizations and has a great many facilities for such activities and for assisting non-Japanese residents of the city and the surrounding areas. And of course,for the more serious,there are a number of places to study the Japanese language and Japanese culture as well.

As of April 1,2002,there were a total of over 1,450 public parks in Kobe with a total area of almost 2,500 hectares. At 16.61 sq. meters of parkland per person,this ratio is the highest of all the major cities in Japan and more "green" projects are scheduled to come.

With a plethora of internationally-oriented services and activities (see page "Tourism"),Kobe is an agreeable and suitable place for anyone in which to live and work.

Economy

Background

Looking at Kobe's gross municipal product by industry level,tertiary industries exceed 70%,secondary industries accounted for under 30% and primary industries make up less than 1%. In recent years,those tertiary industries,such as wholesaling,retailing,and services,have been growing much faster than secondary industries.

Kobe is home to a variety of industries,beginning with the production of parts to the manufacturing of finished products,and extending all the way to leading-edge R&D and the ever-growing area of information businesses and technology. 

Further Development

Kobe's port has of course also played a leading role in the city's development by attracting port-related industries,including steel production,shipbuilding,foodstuffs,shipping and warehousing.

Fishing has been undergoing a conversion from traditional methods of catching fish to aquaculture in order to increase fish stocks. Energy is also being devoted to the processing of various other marine products.

Blessed with an abundant natural environ----ment,farmers especially in the western and northern parts of Kobe have made the most of living in a city with a large consumer base by supplying its citizens with fresh rice,vegetables,fruits,dairy products and beef,as well as flowers. Beef production in particular stands out,and delicious "Kobe Beef" has become famous throughout the world.

Kobe has also long been renowned as a tradi-tion-al center of sake brewing. Sake from Kobe is generally held to be the very best in Japan,and has been given the name "Nada No Ki-Ippon" which indicates "a bottle of genuine non-blended sake brewed in the Nada district of Kobe".

The growth of fashion-related industries such as apparel,pearls,shoes,and furniture owes a great deal to the lifestyle and culture unique to Kobe. The spirit of enterprise is common here because Kobe has long been a major point of contact between Japan and the rest of the world. The downtown district from Sannomiya to Motomachi is lined with fashionable retail stores,department stores and specialty stores,constituting a large alfresco shopping center.

Kobe has recently completed and is continu-ally engaged in various major projects to promote both the advancement of its existing industries and the introduction and growth of new industries throughout the area (see pages "Urban Planning & Development Projects"). Various incentives are offered to businesses-including foreign firms and affiliates-who establish offices in a specially designated "Enterprise Zone",and the Kobe International Business Center was created specifically to extend support to such foreign companies and affiliates doing business in Kobe. Other projects are also slated specifically to attract more medical-related business to the area.