A spectacular view after climbing a “steep slope” with a gradient of more than 20%! In Shioya, a town of slopes

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

Shioya Love is a wonderful town that makes you feel at home no matter how many times you visit!

A friend of mine who lives in Shioya told me, “There is an amazing slope in Shioya! I was told by a friend who lives in Shioya, “There is also a great slope in Shioya! Shioya is a hilly town to begin with, with the sea to the south of the station and the slopes looming to the north. I was curious to know what kind of slope would make the people living in Shioya say “Wow”…so I headed to the site immediately.

About a 10-minute walk north from Sanyo Shioya Station, I arrived at a quiet residential area where I could feel the sea breeze. Walking from the station, I found myself on a slope for a long time, and I was wondering, “Has it started yet? Not yet? I was surprised to see so many hills.

Then I heard “Here it is! I looked up and sure enough, it was a steep slope!

Here is a shot of the slope from a side street

There is no special name for the hill, and it is a “spot known only to locals. There is a children’s park along the road, and I was puzzled as I imagined “walking up this steep slope with a child in my arms…? I was bewildered, imagining “I have to walk up this steep hill with my child…?

If I had the time and energy, I would like to play Michael Jackson…

As we started to climb the hill…I felt my Achilles tendon stretching…! When I asked my friend who guided me to stand up, the soles of my feet are so slanted.

I think it is hard to tell from just a picture, so I actually measured the angle with a measurement app on my phone. Placing the phone on the slope of the hill, the angle was found to be 12° (according to the author’s research).

This number translates to 21% when converted to the “%” used in road signs. It may be difficult to visualize the slope when you only hear the number, but it is said that a slope of 8% or less is desirable for walking and driving, and an angle of more than 12% is “difficult to walk and requires a handrail,” and road bikers call a slope of 20% or more a “steep slope. I hope you have understood the sharpness of the slope.

I think you might fall down if you don’t hold on to your foot when actually going down the slope. I felt indescribably dazzled when I saw local children running up this slope (laugh).

By the way, after climbing up the hill and entering a side road, you can see such a beautiful view. The gently spreading horizon and the blue sky! This is the view from the top of the hill in Shioya! After returning home with a refreshed feeling, I found that my legs were sore from lack of exercise… and the next day, sore muscles awaited me.

Kobe is known as a city of hills, and there must be some “wow…” hills that I have yet to see. I would like to continue to explore the slopes of Kobe while stretching my Achilles’ heel to get rid of my lack of exercise.

Details of the site information

Location

Shioyacho 3-chome, Tarumi-ku, Kobe
Google Maps

• Related article｜Challenge the nightmare hairpin curve! Up the “Kunekune-zaka” in Higashinada-ku, Kobe [Wow… Slopes in Kobe]. https://kisspress.jp/articles/53492/