Kobe - home of one of the world's leading international trading ports - is a truly inviting city, noted for its beauty and thriving urban environment, superbly enhanced by the
backdrop of verdant Mount Rokko.

Kobe has prospered from times of old as the hub of Japan's maritime activities. As far back as the 8th century it had a port, then called the Owada Anchorage, now known as Wadamisaki.

It became a key place for both land and sea trade and, by the end of the 13th century, had come to be known as the Port of Hyogo. In 1868, Kobe opened itself to the outside world and began to write its own history as one of Japan's first five major ports opened to trade with the West.

Today, Kobe is forging ahead with vigour and gusto as the western nucleus of the Hanshin economic bloc and the eastern nucleus of the Seto Inland Sea economic area.

In 1868, Kobe had a population of 134,000, which swelled to one million by 1939, making it one of the six major cities in Japan.

Over the years, the port grew in size and importance, and industry flourished. Then came the Second World War, bringing widespread and unprecedented devastation to Kobe. By the
time hostilities ended, the population had dwindled to a mere 380,000.

Today, Kobe has a population of 1.5 million.

Kobe is about 3 hours and 20 minutes from Tokyo by Shinkansen train. Kobe, together with Osaka and Kyoto, forms the economic focal point of Kansai, western Japan.

Although Kobe was seriously damaged by the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake of 17 January 1995, restoration has progressed rapidly. In remembrance of that catastrophic event, the Kobe Port Earthquake Memorial Park, as well as other facilities, has been erected.

But Kobe is also a sport city with world-class facilities.

Kobe citizens enjoy sports in world-class facilities. In 1985, the Universiade Athletic Games - a student Olympics - were held in Kobe, in which more than 4,000 athletes from all over the world participated.

Kobe then declared itself an International Sport City, and has since made strides to promote sport.

The Universiade Commemoration Athletic Field has been the home of the Japanese League football team Vissel Kobe since 1995.

Kobe Wing Stadium, a new 42,000 capacity football playground, will be completed in October 2001. Kobe Wing Stadium was so named to conjure up the image of wings, rising from the reconstruction after the 1995 earthquake.

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