In this Photo Walk, I will take photos of the port as an industrial port. It all started with this: Google Map’s aerial photo.
From the start, I had a vague idea that I wanted to go take photos of the harbor, and fortunately, I have some familiarity with the area, so I was looking at this photo and thinking about where to go. Then, I noticed the blue dotted line area.
What is that? Was there a large ship or something there by chance?
When I zoomed in, I realized it wasn’t a ship’s shadow, but rather a shipyard dock.
After doing some research, I found out that this is a special structure called a ‘floating dock,’ where ships are pulled into the water, the water is drained, and the ship is then repaired or constructed in a dry dock.
Digging deeper, the large structure on the right is Kawasaki Heavy Industries’ No. 2 and No. 3 docks, while the smaller ones on the left are apparently several smaller docks operated by independent companies. Moreover, this area (the oldest port in Kobe Port, formerly known as Hyougo Port) is rare among industrial zones in that you can walk along the wharf and get right up close to the docks.
This is it! I’ll take a photo of this!
Let’s go to Hyougo Port!
So, after a long introduction, I started at the Chuo Ichiba Station on the Subway and walked around the former Hyogo Port area.
First, the introduction. To give you an idea of how old this port is, I found this stone monument near the canal.
Owada no Tomari… I traced it back to Taira no Kiyomori in Heian era. This proves its historical significance.
And finally, I went around to the quay.
As expected, I was able to get a close-up view and take photos of the floating dock and work boats.
It seems like they’re using a crane to lift and lower small vessels for repair work.
The scent of the tide and iron fills the air (though it doesn’t actually smell like that, it just feels like it), and it’s a very charming scene.
Across the river, you can see the massive No. 2 and No. 3 floating docks of Kawasaki Heavy Industries. Unfortunately, it’s unclear whether there are any ships inside or if operations are underway.
It appears that small vessels are being repaired inside this floating dock. However, since it is Sunday, all the work areas are unattended, and it is not “currently in operation.” In fact, if it were in operation, I would hesitate to get this close to take a photo.
There seem to be quite a few people who find this kind of scenery appealing. I saw a few people sitting on the embankment sketching and others walking around taking photos with their smartphones.
This is not as large as the one at Kawasaki Heavy Industries, but it is one of the largest floating docks you can see up close. I hope you can get a sense of its grandeur from the size of the cranes and the light trucks visible inside.
From the seawall side, it was difficult to see inside, but judging from this photo taken from the opposite shore, it appears that no ships were present at the time and it was likely during a transition period.
Anyway, this is how I walked along the wharf on a floating dock. Being able to view ships and port facilities up close is something we occasionally get to do at a fishing port, but it’s a truly rare and valuable experience at an industrial port. I don’t know much about the current state of the shipbuilding industry in this area, but I hope it continues to thrive and develop.
Anyway, the article about my walk in Kobe will continue a bit more.
