{"id":104787,"date":"2024-10-01T10:59:40","date_gmt":"2024-10-01T01:59:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/voyapon.com\/?p=104787"},"modified":"2024-11-15T22:12:14","modified_gmt":"2024-11-15T13:12:14","slug":"kobe-emerging-from-the-shadow-of-osaka","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/voyapon.com\/kobe-emerging-from-the-shadow-of-osaka\/","title":{"rendered":"How Kobe is Emerging from the Shadow of Osaka"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A phoenix is rising in the shadow of Osaka, but you’ll need to look closely. It rises slowly and deliberately from the ashes of a disaster that occurred nearly 30 years ago. In the small hours of January 17, 1995, the Great Hanshin Earthquake tore through the region, lasting only a few seconds but wreaking unthinkable havoc on the port city of Kobe. Thousands of lives were lost, hundreds of thousands of buildings destroyed, all in an instant. But, now rises the phoenix.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Kobe has long been the underdog, an afterthought in the conversation that includes Osaka and Kyoto. Never mind that the rise of post-WWII Japan was built on the back of its port, once the most active container port in the world. Or before that, it had a thriving international quarter packed with art deco-inspired buildings that made it look like a mini-Manhattan. To the simple eye, Kobe lacks the appeal of the ancient cultural landmarks of Kyoto and the frenetic nightlife of Osaka. The 1995 quake stripped Kobe of its economic significance, and with only 3% of the city’s properties covered by earthquake insurance, the disaster was nearly fatal to many of the city’s businesses. At this point, a lesser metropolis might have thrown up its hands and given in to its fate as a second-rate and, ultimately, overlooked city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But in the years since, Kobe has quietly reinvented itself, focusing on its best features while slowly rebuilding from the rubble, stronger and better than before. It flies under the radar as a place many people desire to live, despite its underrated appeal as a tourism destination. Yet those who do visit Kobe are rewarded for taking a chance on a city nobody except its residents seems to understand.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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There are three pillars of Kobe’s culture: its international flare, its art and music communities, and its innovation in construction and architecture. Each of these pillars represents something distinctive to Kobe and the city has taken pride in highlighting these areas to make them stand out from the rest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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