Analysis of the area NE of the Sannomiya Stations, around the Ninomiya Shotengai. Above: the highlighted area in the upper-left is the Kitano Ijinkan neighborhood. The highlighted area at the bottom is the subject area. The streets above are highlighted hierarchically as follows: – Magenta: Covered arcades and open-air shopping streets. – Red: “Busy” Boulevards. – Orange: … Continue reading Kobe Ninomiya Area
Analysis of the area east of the Sannomiya Stations; Asahidori (旭通) and Kumoidori (雲井通). This 0.14 square km (35 acres) area had a 2005 census population of about 2,500. This is an unusually high residential population density (~45,000/sqmi) for an area so close to the commercial center. Streets are highlighted hierarchically as follows: – Magenta (straight east-west): Open air shopping street (shotengai). – Other Magenta: Station Direct … Continue reading Kobe Asahidori & Kumoidori
Map from feel-kobe.jp [red marker added] Analysis of the area SE of Sannomiya Stations; Onoedori (小野柄通), Gokodori (御幸通), Isogamidori (磯上通), Isobedori (磯辺通), and Hamabedori (浜辺通). The area has a bit of a de-industrialised feel, consistent with its much shrunken population (a dramatic decline between 1920 and 1960; a considerable recovery between 1988 and 2005). Isogamidori is representative of these two demographic shifts, visible in all the … Continue reading Kobe Isogami Park
Map from feel-kobe.jp [red marker added] Analysis of the Foreign Settlement area SW of Sannomiya Stations. Not to be confused with the Kitano Ijinkan Area. The Foreign Settlement occupies a roughly 1/3 square kilometer (80 acre) area SW of Sannomiya; basically the whole area between the Center-Gai arcades and Kaigan-Dori (the wide surface avenue running along the coast). Notable characteristics of the Foreign Settlement: – Wide sidewalks and … Continue reading Kobe Foreign Settlement (神戸・旧居留地)
Almost the entire area between the two stations is a pedestrian-priority shopping zone. It is somewhat of a “University Village”, with many cafes and shops catering to students of several nearby colleges. Continue reading Okamoto
The Kitano-ijinkan area is a unique historic neighborhood located in the foothills near Sannomiya Station. This post covers a neighborhood including parts of Kitano-cho (北野町), Yamamoto-Dori (山本通), and Naka-Yamate-Dori (中山手通). The streets above are highlighted hierarchically as follows: – Magenta: A pedestrian plaza and shopping street, with high density of tourists. – Cyan: Single Lane One Way (minimal road width, … Continue reading Street Hierarchy: Kitano
The area southwest of Kitano-cho (the western halves of 中山手通 & 山本通) is notable for hosting many educational institutions: St Michael Nursery, Kobe Kakyo Kindergarten, Kobe Elementary School, Shinko High School, Kobe Chinese School, and Kobe Yamate University. How safe are the streets for students walking to school? As described previously, streets in Japan can be analysed hierarchically, and classified on a five rank scale. The streets in this area occupy only … Continue reading Hierarchy of Japanese Streets – Sorakuen Garden (相楽園)
Pedestrian movement paths in Japanese cities can be decomposed hierarchically, proceeding from the narrowest residential laneways to the busiest shopping streets (near rail stations). – As described previously, the highest levels of the pedestrian hierarchy are completely separate from the vehicular network. – The following illustration shows the structure of these streets near Sannomiya station dark green: subway tunnels light green: shopping arcades blue: nightlife alleys peach: … Continue reading Hierarchy of Japanese Streets – Illustrated
The city of Kobe is currently moving forward with major street improvements which will culminate in the total pedestrianization of downtown’s Sannomiya area (a major commuter rail hub with no less than six stations). This will greatly enhance the overall appeal of central Kobe, and could be a real game changer for international tourism. The following is a rough translation of this press release, which describes … Continue reading Road Diet in Kobe: Fukiai-Minami (葺合南)
The backbone of the Kobe High Line* is an old elevated railroad track (the Harbor Line / 臨港線), now converted into a pedestrian promenade. It has been expanded with a new pedestrian overpass (歩道橋) that connects it directly to the Kobe Waterfront and Hanshin Kasuganomichi Station (阪神春日野道駅). The aerial view below shows covered arcades in green, pedestrian bridges and elevated promenades in yellow, and rail stations in … Continue reading Kobe High Line 神戸の臨港線
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