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Kobe city in Japan covers a long and narrow stretch between the coast and the mountain. Kobe is recorded in history as one of the first cities to open for trade with the West, in 1868. Kobe Port remained the world's busiest port from 1973 to 1978. The Kobe Port in Japan is one of the most visited places by tourists given its beautiful coastline, pleasant climate and cosmopolitan culture. Kobe port is one of the most beautiful ports in Japan with the backdrop of lush green Rokko Mountain and deep water. The Kobe port in Japan is host to many cruise ships that brings visitors from all around the world to visit Kobe and other nearby cities such as Kyoto and Nara. The Kobe Port bears a long history of trade and commerce in Japan. Of all the other ports in Japan , Kobe port was found the most suitable for vessels to arrive in and leave out as well as staying safely, surrounded by calm deep sea in the mid 19 th Century. The Kobe port started operating at this time without any port facilities such as piers or quays where vessels could get to the shore. However by early 20 th century Kobe port had already started a huge amount of trade in value terms, accounting for 40% of the entire trade amount in Japan. Besides it also carried the largest amount of import in Japan. Kobe Port started taking a modern shape since the 1921 with the completion of the ‘comb shaped' New Pier One, Two and Three. Keeping up this pace of modernization of the Kobe Port , the Maya pier was completed in 1967 as the first container terminal in Japan while the reclamation of the Port Island began in 1966. Unfortunately Kobe Port was severely affected by the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake, which was again promptly restored as the new Kobe Port by the end of March 1997. Today Kobe Port is one of the most visited places by tourists in Kobe. One of the conspicuous landmarks of the Kobe Port area is the red steel Port Tower, a 108 meters high hyperboloid structure. Other attraction here is a giant ferris wheel in the nearby harbor land and a tourist promenade offering a spectacular view of the bay area especially at night. Highlights of the Kobe Port are the two man-made island namely the Port Island and the Rokko Island that has given Kobe city some room to expand. There are two major transportation modes to these islands namely the Portliner Monorail, Kobe and Rokko liner. These are the two major modes of Transportation in Kobe . This significant Japan port also houses the Kobe Port Terminal on Shinko Pier No. 4, serving the sophisticated passenger ships from all over the world. The Naka Pier Passenger Terminal was also renewed as an international terminal in 2006.
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