The 17th January 1995, early in the morning, a terrible earthquake shaked the city, killing more than 6000. Some scars can still be seen, but the city has risen again, and is now a very attractive place to visit - an probably to live in...

Here are two pictures of the harbour, the first one showing the impact of the disaster, and the second the way the area looks like now!

Other famous spots include Chinatown (Nankinmachi) and the cable car, which provides a great view of the city (but since it was snowing, we just had a quick look - in fact, it showed for 2 days, and due to the wind, we were really freezing...)

But the most surprinsing place is probably Kitano, with its old european-style houses. It provides a true feeling of foreign travel without leaving the country... There is even a swiss restaurant!!

And since we were there just after the new year 2003, year is a picture of the official symbol of this year : a sheep