MINATOMOTOMACHI STATION (KOBE)

Wall a tribute to city's past glory

Photos by Yomiuri Shimbun Photographer Sei Kohama

By Kazuhiro Katayama

Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

After leaving a subway train, passengers go through a ticket gate to reemerge above ground — a common scene at almost every subway station.

Leaving Minatomotomachi Station, however, was different. I left the station to find myself in front of a magnificent Western-style building. But when I looked into the building's windows, all I could see was blue sky.

It was then that I realized I was looking at a facade rather than a building — it was similar to a stage set.

But the building had not always been like that. First constructed in 1908, the building was the Daiichi Bank's Kobe branch and had been designed by Kingo Tatsuno (1854-1919), a pioneer of modern architecture who is known for having designed the Tokyo Station building.

In 1964, the building became Obayashi Co.'s Kobe branch. At the time, Sakaemachi-dori street was a financial district in Kobe, and Motomachi-dori street could be found to the north of the street, with the harbor, where a lot of foreign ships were anchored, to the south.

Nankinmachi, Kobe's Chinatown, where many foreign sailors gathered in the bars — symbolized Kobe of that time.

But the scene changed completely after the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake. Most historical buildings had been destroyed in the disaster. The red-brick building was severely damaged, and restoration seemed impossible.

There was strong support among local governments and residents to restore the building, which fueled the idea to use the building in designs for a municipal subway station.

After a long discussion, it was decided to rebuild the southwest wall of the building. Subsequently, Minatomotomachi Station opened underneath the building in 2001 — six years after the earthquake.

The subway Kaigan Line is about eight kilometers long and runs between Sannomiya-hanadokeimae Station and Shinnagata Station. The train has only four cars, one of which is designated for female passengers only.

The number of people who use the line is growing more slowly than the local government expected as the development of neighboring areas has been delayed due to the earthquake.

"Our subway is mainly used by commuters, but Minatomotomachi Station also is useful for sightseeing because it's close to the Kobe Port Tower and Nankinmachi," Masami Ota, the station manager in charge of the Kaigan Line stations.

After the earthquake, many financial institutions left the area, and the area became predominantly residential.

But as the number of residents increases and with the new subway line, the city has gradually changed.

The redbrick wall at the station is expected to keep the memory alive of a time when Sakaemachi-dori flourished as a financial center.