I visited Kobe City in Hyogo Prefecture for the first time in a while. It was a small trip in which I tried to trace some of my old memories.
Let me briefly review Kobe to start. Kobe is the main city of Hyogo Prefecture, located about 600 kilometers west of Tokyo. The city has a population of about 1.5 million. It was opened as a trading port in 1868. After the opening of Kobe Port, many foreigners moved to the area, forming the Ijinkan district, which is now a popular sightseeing spot.
I revisited Kazamidori-no-Yakata (the Weathercock House) in the Ijinkan district for the first time in 11 years. This mansion was built in 1904 by a German merchant, Gottfried Thomas. When I visited in 2013, it was crowded with sightseers, but this time the area was very quiet. Why? Because the building was undergoing renovation work to improve its earthquake resistance. Instead of entering, I simply enjoyed the beautifully illuminated exterior—oh well.
To reach the Weathercock House, the nearest station is Shin-Kobe on the Seishin–Yamate Line of the Kobe Municipal Subway. When I rode this line in the past, the oldest model, the EMU 1000 series, was still in operation, but this time I couldn’t find it anymore. I came across the latest model, the EMU 6000 series, instead. The 6000 series was introduced in 2019, replacing the EMU 1000 and 2000 series and others. I realized I didn’t know any familiar trainsets on the Seishin–Yamate Line anymore. I guess I couldn’t keep up with the flow of time.
