The Oriental Hotel, Bund, Kobe

Category

Library Item

Item no

16612

Title

The Oriental Hotel, Bund, Kobe

Artist / maker

Unknown

Date

1913

Size

9.0 x 14.0 cm

Type

Photograph; Postcard

Location

Art and Design Library

This hotel is one of the most famous and oldest hotels in Japan and it has been open since 1870 in Kobe. This hotel was built in the Kobe Settlement which was a self-governing district. It was built as a location where foreigners had to settle and Japanese could not enter. The Kobe Settlement was designed by British civil engineer J.W. Hart and constructed on the basis of European modern city planning. The Kobe Settlement was praised as the most beautiful and well-planned area in Asia. The hotel was built first in number 79 in 1870, and then moved to number 80 in 1888. Unfortunately, the building was burned down by fire in the 1890s. It was rebuilt at number 6 on the seafront (this postcard view). The building was destroyed by bomb attack during World War II in 1945, but again reconstructed at the same place. The hotel moved to number 25 during the Tokyo Olympic Games in 1964. In 1995, again disaster struck and the building was destroyed by an earthquake in which over 6400 people died. However, it was again rebuilt and reopened in 2010. Since then, this hotel has provided high quality services and is very popular in Kobe. This postcard offers a nostalgic view of the past to foreign eyes. Previously, Japanese people could not enter this area so from their perspective, the hotel represents a different world from their daily lives and shows the Japanese government's difficulties to co-operate with foreign countries.

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Related subjects

Homes > Residential buildings > Hotels

Landscape > Landscape architectural facilities > Embankments

Landscape > Water > Seas

Places > Asia > Japan

Transport > Water > Boats