Journeys in Japan S2014E04 - Kobe: Neighborhoods Reborn

On January 17, 1995, the Kansai region of Western Japan was hit by a massive earthquake. The city of Kobe suffered massive damage, and many neighborhoods were completely flattened. 19 years later, the city has been rebuilt and there is a whole generation of young people who have no memory of the disaster. On this episode of Journeys in Japan, copperplate print artist Peter Miller visits Kobe to see how the city has changed, to meet with the local people and to attend a ceremony to mark the anniversary of the Great Hanshin Earthquake. He joins in a walking tour of Kobe's oldest neighborhoods to discover some of their distinctive but little-known charms: an old café that survived the quake; a man who takes pictures of local scenes using cameras that he made for himself; and an artist who used to be the foremost painter of movie billboards. These neighborhoods have seen a quiet boom in what is known as "okan art" - handicrafts typically made at home by ordinary housewives, mothers and grandmothers. To discover more, Peter visits the home of one of the leading okan artists, and tries his hand at creating one.