Image search results - "kobe" - JAPAN PHOTOS by Philbert Ono

Image search results - "kobe"

Lake Biwa and cherry blossoms as seen from Nagahama Castle.

Snowy Mt. Ibuki as seen from Lake Biwa. Shiga Prefecture's highest mountain.

Snowy mountains all around. Mt. Ibuki can be seen on the right. It was a smooth ride.

Mt. Kanakuso-dake (金糞岳 or Azai-dake) overlooks Takatsuki in Nagahama. Kanakuso-dake is indeed Shiga's second highest mountain (1,317 m). Part of Yamamoto-yama (dark green) can be seen on the left in the foreground.

Mt. Kanakuso-dake (金糞岳 or Azai-dake) behind Takatsuki in Nagahama. The peak to the left is Shirakura-dake (白倉岳). The orange/white smokestack is from the Nippon Electric Glass factory (日本電気硝子) in Takatsuki.

Mt. Ibuki as seen from Chikubushima.

Hogonji's Shinto shrine has this iconic torii facing the lake. You can buy small clay dishes to throw at the torii. If your dish goes through the torii, your wish will come through. However, most dishes never make it through the torii. They litter the ground.

Chikubushima's west side.

On the mountain top is Biwako Hakodateyama ski grounds near Imazu. びわこ箱館山

Approaching Imazu in winter.

Ducks seek the protection of the reeds.

View of Lake Biwa and Otsu from Enryakuji Station.

Panoramic view of Lake Biwa from Mt. Hiei.

Kitanozaka slope goes to the Kitano-cho area of Western homes built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Many are very well-preserved and open to the public. This one has Starbucks. 北野坂（奥に北野物語館）

The main square in Kitano-cho. Most of the homes charge admission. It's cheaper to buy a set of tickets to see multiple homes. Most of the major homes have a ticket booth selling these ticket sets.

Weathercock House, built in 1909, is one of the main Western homes open to the public in Kobe's Kitano-cho. 旧トーマス住宅

This Kitano area is also a National Important Traditional Townscape Preservation District (重要伝統的建造物群保存地区).

So named because of a weathercock (rooster) on the spire.

Jazz sculptures accent the Kitano-cho area.

Inside Weathercock House.

View from Weathercock House

Study

Study's bay window

Moegi no Yakata or Sharp residence 萌黄の館（シャープ住宅）

Inside Moegi no Yakata

Kitano Tenman Shrine

View from Kitano Tenman Shrine

Dutch House

Austria

Another major house is Uroko no Ie which has an art museum as well. 旧ハリヤー邸（うろこの家）

Inside Uroko no Ie

北野外国人倶楽部（旧ブリューガー邸）

Inside Uroko no Ie art museum

Top floor gives a good view of Kobe.

Yamate Hachibankan 山手八番館

Inside Yamate Hachibankan 山手八番館

Kitano Foreigners Club 北野外国人倶楽部（旧ブリューガー邸）

Kitano Foreigners Club 北野外国人倶楽部

Former Chinese Consulate 旧中国領事館（旧チン邸）

Inside former Chinese Consulate

Bed

Bathroom

Rhine House (free admission) 旧ドレウェル邸（ラインの館）

Inside Rhine House

Kobe Kitano Art Museum

Kitano-dori road 北野通り

British House 英国館

Rolls Royce

Inside British House

Garden outside British House

Sherlock Holmes room in British House, Kobe Ijinkan

Sherlock Holmes cloak and hat

French House

Glassware by Rene Lalique

Ben's House

Full of big game animals.

Animal rights activists will love this house.

Largest head in the house, buffalo

Hammack which Ben slept on.

Kobe manhole

Lake Biwa shore in Imazu, with a boat landing in the distance

Tundra swans from Siberia at Lake Biwa.

Bean geese at Lake Biwa.

For 10 evenings every December near JR Motomachi Station in Kobe, the beautiful Kobe Luminarie holiday lights are displayed amid massive crowds. This is Motomachi Station with a banner pointing the way.

This was a Saturday, which happened to be the most crowded evening for the lights. About 559,000 people came to see Kobe Luminarie this Sat. evening. Even before 4:30 pm, the crowd starts near Motomachi Station.

Kobe Motomachi shopping arcade across from Daimaru Dept. Store.

Joined the line at about 4:45 pm. The lights were to turn on at 5 pm.

Passing by Ikuta Shrine's torii.

Well before 5 pm, people already lined up and waited to see Kobe Luminarie. "Luminarie" means "illuminations" in Italian.

The line formed along these wide roads that were blocked off from traffic.

The line was long and crowded, but it moved along quite well.

Near Daimaru Dept. Store at around 5 pm. We were to turn left before Daimaru. This area used to be Kobe's foreigner settlement in the late 19th century.

Some lights on trees next to Daimaru. The line proceeded pretty quickly after the lights turned on at 5 pm on Sat.

Kobe Luminarie finally in sight. Everybody was amazed and thrilled as we got closer and closer...

Entrance called the Frontone (フロントーネ). It looks like a cathedral. Very impressive.

Kobe Luminarie's Frontone (フロントーネ) in Dec. 2018.

Tunnel of lights called the Galleria Coperta (ガレリアコペルタ). It goes on for 50 meters. They are all LED lights, 510,000 of them.

Galleria Coperta (ガレリアコペルタ).

Kobe Luminarie's Galleria Coperta (ガレリアコペルタ). This road is lined with luxury brand shops.

Kobe Luminarie's Galleria Coperta (ガレリアコペルタ) in Dec. 2018. Reminds me of the Galleria in Milan. Distinctly Italian.

Side of the Galleria.

The Galleria has another corridor of lights.

Kobe Luminarie is made possible by many corporate sponsors and donations from the public. When you put in a coin, etc., into the front slot, the box lights up and I think the doll inside dances or something.

After the Galleria, you end up at a large park called Higashi Yuenchi (東遊園地). The park has more lights. Very impressive.

This park has twin walls of lights called "Spalliera" (スパッリエーラ). It's like a decorated backboard.

Flanked by twin Pisa-like towers, the center had the Cassa Armonica (カッサ・アルモニカ).

Flanked by twin Pisa-like towers, the center had the Cassa Armonica (カッサ・アルモニカ), a bandstand used as a place where people could toss money.

Kobe Luminarie's Cassa Armonica (カッサ・アルモニカ).

Roof above Cassa Armonica.

Kobe Luminarie's Cassa Armonica (カッサ・アルモニカ). People lined up for the Cassa Armonica like a shrine.

Kobe Luminarie's Cassa Armonica (カッサ・アルモニカ). People gave donations.

Back of the lights.

There were also souvenir booths in the park.

Souvenir booth

Booth promoting Rugby World Cup in 2019. Kobe is one of the venues.

Promoting Rugby World Cup in 2019. Kobe is one of the venues.

People lined up to donate money and ring this bell.

The crowd going home. Most went to Sannomiya Station.

Lakeside park in northern Nagahama. This area was formerly Biwa-cho town which merged with adjacent Nagahama in Feb. 2006.

Minamihama swimming beach, Nagahama 南浜

Minamihama swimming beach in Nagahama. Pebble beach. 南浜

Kobe Center for Overseas Migration and Cultural Interaction was originally the National Emigration Center (国立移民収容所) where Japanese immigrants stayed for orientation before traveling mainly to South America (especially Brazil) by boat.The Emigration Center was used from 1928 to 1971 and it's Japan's only surviving building used for sending Japanese immigrants. Later renamed Kobe Emigrant Education Center and then Kobe Emigrant Assistance Center and Kobe Emigration Center (神戸移住センター).

This was where the Japanese immigrants would stay for up to 10 days to prepare for their long boat journey and move to South America.Today, the center is partially a museum where a few of the old rooms used by the emigrants have been restored. Other rooms are rented, including an event hall, meeting rooms, and gallery spaces. It includes a consultation center for South American residents of Kobe.
Museu da Emigração e Centro de Intercâmbio Cultural de Kobe

During World War II, the facility was used by the Japanese military. Then it became a school for hospital nurses. Today, the building is a South America emigration museum and the base for the Kansai Brazilian Community.There are exhibition rooms showing Kobe's history of Japanese immigration, especially to South America. Art studios, art gallery spaces, and meeting rooms are also provided for cultural exchange.

It is also has a consultation center for South American residents of Kobe. Operated by the city of Kobe, the current facility opened on June 3, 2009.15-min. walk from JR Motomachi Station (East Exit) on the JR Tokaido/Kobe Line. Walk straight along Koikawa-suji road (鯉川筋). Or 10-min. walk from Kencho-mae Station on the subway line. From JR Shin-Kobe Station (shinkansen), 10-min. taxi ride.

Monument for the "Birthplace of Japan's Emigration to Brazil" (ブラジル移民発祥の地)

Entrance.Open 10:00 am -5:00 pm (enter by 4:30 pm), closed Mon. (open if a national holiday and closed on Tue. instead) and December 29 to January 3. Admission: Free

Portuguese notices.

The 1st and 2nd floors have the emigration exhibition rooms. The 3rd floor is mainly offices of local Brazilian groups, and the 4th floor has rented studios for artists.