The Oriental Hotel was Kobe’s face for more than a hundred years. At the time that this photo was taken, it was known as one of the best places in Japan to stay, and even more, one of the best places to eat.
Houses, onsen ryokan (spa inns) and white kura (traditional storehouses) are crammed together at Arima Onsen, the ancient hot water spa nearby Kobe. The Arimagawa river winds itself along the edge of the village.
View of Kobe city as seen from the harbor, sometime between 1908 and 1918.
Kiyamachi (木屋町) towards Sanjo Kawaramachi, as seen from a building nearby Shijo bridge. The clock tower in front belonged to Murata Watch Shop (村田時計店) and was a famous landmark on Shijodori.
This postcard of around 1907 shows two important buildings on the Bund in Oura-Sagarimatsu. The large white building is the Nagasaki branch of the Hongkong Shanghai Bank, the brown building on the right is the Nagasaki Hotel.