[Image] Challenging a nightmarish hairpin curve! Going up a “kunekune-zaka” slope in Higashinada Ward

The city of Kobe is surrounded by the sea and mountains, and the difference in elevation is very large. The number of such slopes is enormous, and some of them are so “devilish” that they seem to exist only to destroy the legs and feet of local residents. I would like to introduce you to such slopes that inevitably make you say, “Wow…” when you encounter them.

The slope we visited this time is commonly known as “Kunekune-zaka” in Higashinada Ward. This is a slope that “makes cars cry”!

I said “Wow…” even before going up the hill because it looks like a mountain pass….

The hill is located in the Sumiyoshiyamate area, which is known as an upscale residential area. Right next to the hill is the Hakutsuru Museum of Art, one of the most famous buildings representing Hanshin modernism.

Walking straight down the street between the museum’s main building and the new building, you will soon reach the start of the slope.

The slope is so high from the beginning of the hill that it feels more like climbing a mountain than going up a slope…. I am amazed at the strength of the residents’ legs and backs that this is used as a road for daily life.

After a few minutes of climbing, we came to a sharp curve that may have given rise to the common name “Kunekunezaka.

I felt a little angry at my predecessors who named the slope “Kunekune,” a cute name!

Look at this hairpin curve! The black tire marks on the road tell how steep the curve is. I walked on the inside of the curve to take a shortcut, but the slope became steeper as I walked inward, so I felt like I was losing more energy….

If you do visit the site, be sure to go around the outside of the curve without being too careless. Be very careful of car traffic!

There is another hill after the nightmarish hairpin curve…. As you move your feet forward, asking yourself why you are doing this, you will see….

Beyond the kunekune slope, the incline continues…

The endless slope continued for a long time (as is normal in a residential area). To add a little more information, at the end of the Kunekune slope, there is a plaza with a “Monument to the Loyal Souls” enshrining the war dead, where we could take a break and feel a slight sense of accomplishment.

It is not a particularly good view, so I would not recommend visiting just for the sake of climbing up the hill, but if you visit the Hakutsuru Museum of Art and the weather is nice while waiting for the bus on the way back, it might be a good idea to try it as a commemoration!

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Location

Kunekunezaka
(Sumiyoshiyamate, Higashinada-ku, Kobe)
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