Kobe City is located just to the west of center on the main island of Honshu in an area known as the Kansai Region, the port city of Kobe is easily accessible to most domestic and international destinations by land, sea or air. Travel time from Tokyo takes 1 hour 20 minutes by plane and 2 hours 50 minutes by Shinkansen Bullet Train. From Osaka, train travel takes 30 minutes and Airport Limousine Bus service from Kansai International Airport takes one hour. In addition, even the most remote points in Japan, as well as the neighboring countries of Korea and mainland China, are but one and a half to two hours by air. Its ideal location allows Kobe, together with Osaka and culturally-rich Kyoto, to serve as the focal point for the economy of western Japan.
Geographically, the city can be roughly divided into two sections by the Rokko Mountain Range. The southern portion which faces Osaka Bay forms the urbanized area, while the western and northern areas have become the scene for the construction of large-scale new towns that maintain harmony with their natural surroundings. Stretching like a ribbon 30 km east to west and 2 to 4 km north to south, the southern urban area occupies roughly 30% of the city but is home to 60% of the population. Developmentally, Kobe is built upon a 3-tier structure: a port and industrial zone along the coast, residential areas on the hillsides, and mixed residential and commercial areas in the intermediate zone between the mountains and the sea.
With the mountains on one side and the ocean on the other, and with its overall mild climate averaging 17.1C (62.8F), Kobe is a city blessed with unparalleled natural conditions extremely conducive to business and daily life.