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| Native name: 六甲アイランド | |
|---|---|
 Rokkō Island viewed from Mt. Rokko. | |
  Rokkō IslandLocation within Hyōgo Prefecture. | |
| Geography | |
| Location | Osaka Bay |
| Coordinates | 34°41′N 135°16′E / 34.683°N 135.267°E / 34.683; 135.267 |
| Total islands | 1 |
| Area | 5.80 km (2.24 sq mi) |
| Length | 3.4 km (2.11 mi) |
| Width | 2.0 km (1.24 mi) |
| Highest elevation | 2 m (7 ft) |
| Administration | |
| Japan | |
| Ward | Higashinada-ku |
| City | Kobe |
| Prefecture | Hyōgo |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 19,253 (30 April 2017) |
Rokkō Island (六甲アイランド, Rokkō Airando) is a man-made island in Higashinada-ku, Kobe, Hyōgo, Japan. It is located in the southeast region of the Port of Kobe. The island has a 3.4 by 2 km (2.1 by 1.2 mi) rectangular shape and covers 5.80 km (2.24 sq mi). The residential area of the island is located in the center of the island. A green belt separates the residential area from industrial and port activities. International schools located on the island cater to foreign residents who live in foreigner-only condominiums created when the headquarters of P&G used to be located there.
Creation of the Island
Kobe is a long and narrow city between the coast to the south and the Rokkō Mountains to the north. As Kobe's population grew, there was no more space to expand. This situation is similar to the rest of Japan, which has an abundance of dense forests and a shortage of livable land. Urban planners in Kobe created new land by using rock from nearby mountains.
Workers used the tops from heavily wooded local mountains to the northwest of the city. A ten-mile-long underground conveyor belt was created to move the reclaimed land to the sea. A conveyor carried the rock and earth to barges, which dumped their contents two miles out into the bay. The project took almost twenty years, from 1973 until 1992, to complete. The 1,400 acres (570 ha) island is shaped like a rectangle.
Rokkō Island is not the first island that Kobe city planners built. Port Island was completed a decade before Rokkō Island. Historically, In 1173, Taira no Kiyomori, a military leader of the late Heian period of Japan, also built an island known as Kyogashima.
Access
There are two main forms of public transportation to the island. The Rokko Liner, an automated guideway transit system, runs on an elevated viaduct through the central axis of the island and connects to the mainland. The Rokkō Liner stops at three stations on the island: Marine Park, Island Center, and Island Kita-Guchi. It connects Rokkō Island to Minami Uozaki, Uozaki Station on the Hanshin Line, and Sumiyoshi Station on the JR Kobe Line. The Kobe Minato Kanko Bus is an alternate option.
The Harbor Highway is a toll road that links Sannomiya and Port Island with Rokko Island. The Hanshin Expressway Route 5 Wangan Route heads to Osaka. Limousine buses departing from the Kobe Bay Sheraton Hotel take passengers to Kansai Airport or to Universal Studios Japan. Ferry boats (Hankyu Ferry and Ferry Sunflower) leave the island every day for Kyushu and Shikoku.
Economy
The major business on the island is based around the Kobe-Osaka International Port Corporation which operates port container terminals, port liner berths and port ferry terminals. Several manufacturing companies also operate on the island including the chocolatier, Morozoff Ltd. The Asia One Center used to house the P&G Japan Head Office. Rokkō Island also features businesses catering to local residents and tourists including two hotels, shopping, and restaurants.
Education
Universities
Public schools
All are operated by Kobe municipality:
- Rokkō Island High School [ja]
- Kōyō Junior High School (神戸市立向洋中学校) - Covers all chome in all three districts in Rokko Island
- Rokkō Island Elementary School (神戸市立六甲アイランド小学校)
- Koyochohigashi [ja] and Koyochonaka [ja] 1-4 and 9-chome
- Kōyō Elementary School (神戸市立向洋小学校)
- Koyochonishi [ja] and Koyochonaka 5-8-chome
International schools
Culture and recreation
Sports and leisure
Residents can walk, run, or bike on the 5 km (3.1 mi) long green belt pathway that encircles the island. At Marine Park, provides views of palm trees and the Pacific Ocean. The River Mall is an artificial river about one kilometer long that flows through the center of the island. In the summer, many children play in the wading pool. There are also several playgrounds on the island.
There is a community fitness center with exercise equipment, classes, and an indoor lap pool. Residents can play tennis or take lessons. There is an indoor skateboarding park. There are also several places to play futsal. There is also a waterpark which opens during the summer.
Museums
Two museums are located on Rokkō Island. Kobe City Koiso Memorial Museum of Art is a small museum that commemorates the works of Kobe botanical artist Ryohei Koiso. The museum features a replica of his art studio, an art library, and three exhibition rooms.
The island is also home to the Kobe Fashion Museum, which features exhibits on the history of fashion, seasonal exhibitions, and a library.
Events on the island
Christmas caroling and a farmer's market are two of the events held throughout the year The Rokkō Island Halloween and Harvest Festival is an annual event featuring a costume parade, costume contest, pumpkin carving, a haunted house, live shows, and trick-or-treating.
References
- "Possible Island to Work in the Center of Kansai | RE/MAX APEX" (in Japanese). 2023-08-23. Retrieved 2024-10-07.
- Halloran, Richard (July 21, 1975). "Japanese moving mountains to expand Port of Kobe". New York Times. Retrieved November 29, 2018.
- "Reclaimed land in Japan". Japan Property Central. 13 November 2011. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
- "Facilities of Hanshin Port". Kobe-Osaka International Port Corporation. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
- ^ "校区一覧「こ」". City of Kobe. Retrieved 2022-10-19.
- "About Rokko Island (Japanese)". Rokko Island.com. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
- "Rokko River Mall" (PDF). Nikken Sekkei Civil Engineering Ltd. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
- "Rokko Island City events (in Japanese)". Rokko Island City. Retrieved November 30, 2018.