世界には親心しかない in KOBE

I once posted about how easy it is to navigate the streets of Kobe, but Hyogo Ward is a different story. Today, I had some errands to run in Hyogo Ward. Up until the areas around Sannomiya and Motomachi, the roads were easy to understand, and I knew which direction I was heading. However, as I drove a bit further west, I started to lose my sense of direction. If I made a right-angle left turn, I could still tell which way I was going, but there are many roads that curve left diagonally or turn right diagonally backward, making it hard to keep track of directions. Later, when I checked Google Maps, I noticed a road cutting diagonally across the main roads. That was the Saigoku Kaido. It was because I was driving on this diagonal road that I lost my sense of direction. The Saigoku Kaido existed first, and the other main roads were built later. But why does the Saigoku Kaido wind so much in this area? I want to investigate this a bit more.

Kobe is serviced by the JR (Japan Railways) lines. I often use JR to get to Sannomiya or Osaka. One of the things that surprised me when I came to Kobe was the sight of freight trains running regularly. While waiting on the platform, long freight trains pass by. This is something I had never seen in the town where I grew up, so I found it very curious. It feels strange to encounter so many freight trains in my daily life as I commute to work by train.

Kobe's cityscape is incredibly close to Mount Rokko, offering stunning views that can be experienced in everyday life. For those who were born and raised in Kobe, this might seem too ordinary to appreciate, but for someone like me who moved here as an adult, it feels fresh and exciting. There are several breathtaking spots in Kobe that are not typically listed in guidebooks or on tourism websites. One of these hidden gems is rooftop parking lots. In Kobe, elevated highways and railway tracks can sometimes obstruct the view of Mount Rokko. However, from a rooftop parking lot, there are no such obstructions, providing a clear and magnificent view. For example, the photo below was taken from the rooftop parking lot of Nitori in Mikage. My photography skills might not do justice to the beauty, but the actual view is incredibly beautiful. This isn't limited to just this location; you can enjoy the beauty of Mount Rokko from the rooftop parking lots of various buildings. When you vis...