“Tetsujin 28″ is a 1956 manga written and illustrated by Mitsuteru Yokoyama.After a 13-episode live TV series in 1960, the manga was later adapted into four anime TV series, the first in 1963. It was the first Japanese series to feature a giant robot.

Tetsujin28 manga

A live-action movie was produced in Japan in 2005.
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As the name suggests the main theme of the park is fruits and flowers. This park which is laid out in the form of a medieval European castle provides wonderful facilities like a public bathhouse, a swimming pool, ice skating and lush gardens filled with multi-hued flowers and juicy fruits.

The children will love to loiter and play in the park. What can be more delighting than spending some time amid the enthralling natural surroundings and pick seasonal fruits like peaches, pears, grapes, chestnuts, apples and apricots.

The display continues through Jan 17.

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Singer-songwriter Ai Kawashima (川嶋あい）, 24, on January 16 held a free concert at Minato no Mori park in Kobe as a tribute for victims of the Great Hanshin Earthquake, which occurred on January 17, 1995. The park, which opened last year, is a popular spot for local artists. Some 300 fans gathered in a light snow for the performance.

Kawashima has been dreaming to become a singer from a young age. Her father vanished before she was born, and she was raised by her mother. She first began learning to play the piano at the age of three. Kawashima’s mother died when she was just 3 years old. She was taken to an orphanage and eventually adopted by the Kawashima family, owners of a construction company. Her adoptive father died when she was 10, and her adoptive mother died when she was 16. Every year since her adoptive mother’s death, she has held a concert on August 20th in her memory. Now she is singing not only for her mother, but also for people who listen to her songs, wishing for world peace. Kawashima has also helped to establish schools in poor countries, 3 schools have already been built, her goal is to build 100 schools.

Before she became famous, she set herself the goal of performing 1000 times on the street, finally accomplishing this after she became well known.

Kobe earthquake occurred on Tuesday, January 17, 1995, at 05:46 JST round Kobe. Approximately 6,434 people lost their lives; about 4,600 of them were from Kobe.

Kawashima played three songs, including “I Remember,” and “Tabidachi no Hi Ni.”for the earthquake victims in Kobe.

Kobe Port Tower's optical fiber-made starry sky

Kobe Port Tower now undergoing renovation will have an optical fiber-made starry sky in the observation deck on its top floor. The tower will open to the public on April 28.

Kobe Port Tower (神戸ポートタワー)is a 108 metre high lattice tower in the port city of Kobe. The red steel Port Tower offers a spectacular sight of the bay area and the surrounding area.

The construction of the Kobe Port Tower was completed in 1963 and it looks like the Sydney Tower. The unusual design with scaffolding cover at the top is liked by tourists all over the world. The massive tower decorated with lights all over presents a unique sight at night.

kobe port tower

Tourists will be able to visit the port tower from 9 in the morning to 8 in the evening until August. The hours of the port tower in the month of December will be extended to 9 pm. However in the month of February when the place experiences its winters, the closing time will be narrowed to 6 in the evening. The Port Tower will be open all days of the week and all days of the year.
An entrance fee of 600 yen will be charged for entering the tower.

Kobe Port Tower :Map

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Kobe Girls Collection 2010

Many “kawaii” models joined in the Kobe Girls Collection 2010 Spring-Summer show at Kobe World Kinen Hall.

The Kobe Girls Collection (神戸コレクション) is a fashion event that has been held in Kobe, over 30 brands and some have participated. It is characteristic of this event that is public relations to consumer, and chance for young designers to publish their own design.

The wildly popular 6-hour show featured about 70 top models and celebrities in Japan took part in the annual event.

Among the celebrities modeling clothes were Uno Kanda (神田うの）, Rinka　（梨花）, Hinano Yoshikawa（吉川 ひなの）, Aki Hoshino（ほしのあき）, Anna Umemiya（梅宮 アンナ）and Yoko Kumada（熊田 曜子）.

Hinano Yoshikawa X Kobe Girls Collection

The Kobe Collection and its Tokyo counterpart attract thousands of girls with their “kawaii” (カワイイ) fashions which are generally ordinary clothes that are on sale at shops in places such as Shibuya and Harajuku.

The Tokyo counterpart will be held in the Grand Prince Hotel Takanawa on March 13

Tokyo Ticket Info>>

Grand Prince Hotel Takanawa

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Kobe city (神戸市） has been adorned with colorful illuminations, drawing crowds of visitors.

According to NHK News, the annual Kobe Luminarie festival (神戸ルミナリエ), featuring 200,000 light bulbs, opened on Dec.3 in the city that was devastated by the Great Hanshin Earthquake (阪神大震災）in 1995.The event was started that year to pray for the victims and Kobe’s reconstruction.The lights were donated by the Italian Government and the installation itself is produced by Valerio Festi and Hirokazu Imaoka.

Lights are kept up for about two weeks and turned on for a few hours each evening. Each light is individually hand-painted. One venue at the festival features displays of art objects using multicolored lights. Exhibits this year are based on the theme “embracing light.”

Organizers estimate that the 12-day event through December 14th will draw 4 million visitors. Major streets in the vicinity are closed to auto traffic during these hours to allow pedestrians to fill the streets and enjoy the lights.

This year, corporate sponsorship of the festival is down due to the economic slowdown. Organizers are soliciting donations from visitors to keep the event going.

Map:Kobe Luminarie festival

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