Thursday 19 December 2013

Weathercock House and Kobe's First Subway Train

EMU Kobe Municipal Subway 1000 series stands at Shin-Kobe Station on the Seishin-Yamate Line
 
Before leaving Kobe City, I visited the Ijinkan (foreigner's mansion) area again. As I mentioned before, the Ijinkan area is dotted with residences built by foreigners, who arrived in Kobe after the port opened in the late 19th century. It became a popular sightseeing spot with its exotic atmosphere.

The bottom photo is Kazamidori-no-yakata (Weathercock House) built by German trading merchant, Gottfried Thomas in 1904. It is a three-story house made of brick and stone. A weathercock on the pointed roof is a good accent to this house. Currently, it is owned by Kobe City. The building was designated as a cultural asset of national importance in 1978. I saw many sightseers visiting this famous spot.

After visiting Weathercock House, I got on a train on the Kobe Municipal Subway again, and headed to Shin-Kobe Station to take the Sanyo Shinkansen for Tokyo.

The top photo shows the oldest subway train in Kobe, the EMU 1000 series on the Seishin-Yamate lines. It was launched in 1977 when the subway route was opened. A total of 18 sets, 108 units, have been manufactured so far by Kawasaki Heavy Industries. The 1000 series won the Laurel Prize in 1978. It is an annual award presented by Japan Railfan Club for the most outstanding technical and well designed train that debuted in the previous year.

This is the last post on my trip to Kobe City this year. It has become 7 posts long. Thanks for reading.

 
Weathercock House in Kobe City