The Kobe University is located in Kobe City, which, together with Osaka (second largest city in Japan) and Kyoto (ancient capital of Japan, founded in 794), is a principal city in Kansai area, about 550km west of Tokyo (the capital city of Japan). Kobe is an international city which has prospered mainly through the heavy industries and foreign trade, with the population of about 1.5 million. Sandwiched between Rokko mountains and Seto Inland Sea, the city offers comfortable circumstances of living and various ways of enjoying leisure.