Most viewed - Kobe 神戸市 |
Since Jan. 2010 is the 15th anniversary of the Kobe earthquake that struck on Jan. 17, 1995, I decided to upload these photos for the first time. I visited Kobe 10 days after the killer quake struck. Had to take a hydrofoil from Osaka to reach Kobe.427 views
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I was amazed to see Mos Burger back in business so soon. It was another sign of a very progressive recovery.384 views
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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)354 views
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Fukae Shopping Center332 views
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Earthquake tourists getting their picture taken.304 views
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Santica building near Sannomiya Station had a middle floor crushed. As I walked around the devastation, I could see common ways in which the buildings collapsed. High rise buildings commonly collapsed on a middle floor.300 views
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Kobe manhole283 views
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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221 views
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Inside Weathercock House.197 views
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Moegi no Yakata or Sharp residence 萌黄の館(シャープ住宅)192 views
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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)188 views
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British House 英国館187 views
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Kobe City Hall buckled at the middle floor.178 views
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Inside Moegi no Yakata172 views
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Ben's House170 views
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Nihon Seimei Bldg. collapsed at the middle, near Sannomiya Station. It's hard to imagine what would've happened if the quake struck during working hours with people working in this building.169 views
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The Japanese tile roof makes the home top-heavy, making it more vulnerable to horizontal swaying and eventual toppling.169 views
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Tilted buildings near Sannomiya Station. It took only 15 sec. to wreak all this damage.161 views
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Animal rights activists will love this house.160 views
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Hammack which Ben slept on.160 views
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Kobe Shimbun newspaper offices near Sannomiya Station was in shambles.157 views
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No, my camera lens is not distorting this picture. That building is actually tilting a lot, but they still allowed traffic on the road below.153 views
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The expressway that supposed withstand such quakes collapsed. It was a major scandal. The shinkansen bullet train tracks also had broken concrete columns which revealed pieces of scrap wood mixed in. 150 views
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Near Kobe City Hall along Flower Road was this office building which had also collapsed at a middle floor.147 views
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Sogo Dept. Store cracked vertically in the middle. This building was later torn down and replaced with a new dept. store building.146 views
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Interesting contrast between buildings which fell and didn't fall.143 views
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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.139 views
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In front of Sannomiya Station is Sogo Dept. Store.138 views
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The engineers said this would be strong enough, but they were dead wrong.138 views
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Damage to Sannomiya Station building.135 views
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Expressway pylon broken.130 views
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Sherlock Holmes room in British House, Kobe Ijinkan127 views
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The building next to Washington Hotel scraped against the hotel as it fell.125 views
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Crushed car125 views
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Shop shutters along Ikuta Road are tilted due to the crushing weight.124 views
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Another common way in which buildings collapsed was the 1st floor giving way like this small hotel.120 views
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Sannomiya Station119 views
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Cracked Sogo Dept. Store in Sannomiya.116 views
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So named because of a weathercock (rooster) on the spire.115 views
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Kobe Port. Most of the people entering Kobe during this time were relatives and friends of Kobe residents, bringing relief goods.113 views
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Distribution place for relief goods. Ten days after the earthquake, the initial fires, confusion, and pandemonium had subsided. It was pretty calm by then, but the damage was still visible.112 views
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Hankyu Railways' Sannomiya Station being torn down.110 views
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Crushed car109 views
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Rhine House (free admission) 旧ドレウェル邸(ラインの館)107 views
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Crushed Audi.107 views
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Fallen clock which stopped at the time of the earthquake.106 views
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Jazz sculptures accent the Kitano-cho area.105 views
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Employees are removing merchandise from Sogo Dept. Store.104 views
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Amid the rubble of a collapsed building, a yakisoba stall sold yakisoba noodles.104 views
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The next day, I again visited Kobe, this time by train to Ashiya Station. See gravestones overturned.103 views
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Collapsed shopping center near Ashiya Station. That's the 2nd floor which now looks like the 1st floor.102 views
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Ashiya Station101 views
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Nihon Seimei Bldg. collapsed at the middle.100 views
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People eating yakisoba amid the rubble.100 views
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The 1st floor is totally flattened.100 views
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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).99 views
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Store in shambles.99 views
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Backstreet destruction.98 views
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I really felt sorry for the people who had just bought a house or condo with a 35-year mortgage and the house or condo was destroyed by the quake. They are stuck paying off the housing loan and also have to pay monthly rent at a new place.98 views
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A mess inside a restaurant.97 views
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Study's bay window96 views
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Sherlock Holmes cloak and hat96 views
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One hotel guest escaped by using bed sheets as a rope.96 views
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Houses along the train tracks in Ashiya. Basically, Japanese-style homes with heavy tile roofs collapsed easily, while concrete homes withstood the quake better.96 views
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When you look at these toppled homes, you cannot help but think that they do look flimsy with thin walls. The problem is, such cheaply-made homes are very common in Japan.96 views
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Inside Uroko no Ie art museum95 views
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Bus for Ashiya Station, the furthest that trains could go at the time. Trains weren't running within Kobe.95 views
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View from Kitano Tenman Shrine94 views
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Kitano Foreigners Club 北野外国人倶楽部94 views
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Vending machine94 views
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A building owner stands by her destroyed building.94 views
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Water station94 views
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The emergency stairway got torn off this building whose first floor got crushed.94 views
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The famous scene of the expressway collapsed on its side was completely gone 10 days after the quake. They had cleared the collapsed section (about 600 meters) of the road.94 views
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Dutch House93 views
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Ashiya Station platform.93 views
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This house stood firm, while its neighbor collapsed.93 views
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View from Weathercock House92 views
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Line for the bus headed for Ashiya Station.92 views
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Inside Yamate Hachibankan 山手八番館91 views
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Rolls Royce91 views
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Garden outside British House91 views
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Weathercock House, built in 1909, withstood the quake.91 views
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Kitano Tenman Shrine90 views
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Austria90 views
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French House90 views
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Former Chinese Consulate 旧中国領事館(旧チン邸)89 views
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The collapsed expressway was so embarrassing that they made it a priority to clear it ASAP.89 views
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Inside Uroko no Ie 88 views
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Inside Uroko no Ie 88 views
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Yamate Hachibankan 山手八番館88 views
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Inside British House88 views
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Sign saying they are okay.88 views
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Truck carrying relief goods.88 views
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Study87 views
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Bed87 views
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Kobe Kitano Art Museum87 views
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Inside Rhine House87 views
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Something they needed the most was torn off the building. If you live in a high-rise building in Japan, have ropes ready in your veranda in case your stairway is destroyed like this.87 views
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Kitano Foreigners Club 北野外国人倶楽部(旧ブリューガー邸)86 views
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Inside former Chinese Consulate86 views
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Kitano-dori road 北野通り86 views
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Largest head in the house, buffalo86 views
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Top floor gives a good view of Kobe.85 views
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A makeshift altar placed on the collapsed home. Someone died here. By the time I visited, most of the trapped people had been rescued.85 views
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Full of big game animals.84 views
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Not a good idea to live in a house standing right next to another building.84 views
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83 views北野外国人倶楽部(旧ブリューガー邸)
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Bathroom83 views
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Another distinct pattern was buildings on stilts easily collapsing.83 views
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Kobe Port Emigrant Ship Boarding Monument. 神戸港移民船乗船記念碑83 views
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Only the chimney broke off atop the Weathercock House. The inside is a different story.82 views
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Glassware by Rene Lalique81 views
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Japanese emigrant family going to South America. "From Kobe to the World"81 views
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Kobe manhole81 views
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Another Kobe manhole81 views
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Collapsed 1st floor of an apt. building. I don't recommend living on the 1st floor of any building in Japan.79 views
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Sifting through the rubble.79 views
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Kobe Luminarie's Galleria Coperta (ガレリアコペルタ). This road is lined with luxury brand shops. 79 views
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In the Kitano area where there are many Western-style homes, the damage was not so apparent. But the interior sustained damage. None of the buildings collapsed though.78 views
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House covered by a blue tarp to protect against rain.77 views
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Kobe Luminarie's Frontone (フロントーネ) in Dec. 2018.76 views
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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.76 views
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Boxes of food (biscuits).75 views
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At least they recovered some things.75 views
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Sign says, "Keep our town beautiful."72 views
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A symbol of Kobe, Kobe Port Tower is 108 meters high, designed like the tsuzumi taiko shoulder drum. 56 views
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Kobe Port Tower52 views
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Bottom of Kobe Port Tower.51 views
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Phone booth at Nankinmachi, Kobe's Chinatown.51 views
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Monument for the "Birthplace of Japan's Emigration to Brazil" (ブラジル移民発祥の地)42 views
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Artist studio41 views
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Meriken Park also has this impressive monument of Japanese emigrants to South America. Built in April 2001 by local Brazilian organizations.41 views
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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.40 viewsThe 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).
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Entrance.39 viewsOpen 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
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History of the emigrant center: 1940s39 views
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Statue of emigrants to Brazil. This same statue also stands at Meriken Park in Kobe.39 views
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Japanese language textbooks.39 views
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Nice stairs39 views
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