KOBE -- In 10 days, this port city will commemorate the sixth anniversary of the Great Hanshin Earthquake, which claimed more than 6,400 lives in the region. The whole city will offer silent prayers for the victims, including the 4,571 who died in the city.
This year, instead of hosting the usual annual memorial service, City Hall, together with local businesses and citizens, will turn Kobe into a stage for about 400 events over a period of nearly nine months starting Jan. 17.
A restoration commemorative project called "Kobe 2001" aims to wipe away the negative image of the city, which has also been hit by recession, and to send messages of gratitude to those who helped the local citizens after the quake, according to Chieko Sawada of the promotion committee organizing the project.