The History and Innovation of Mt. Rokko – Continuing the Pioneering Spirit of Mr. Groom-

The innovator who originally made Mt. Rokko into a great place to live

It is a place that can be an extension of everyday life. Nestled between Osaka and Kobe, Mt. Rokko has a well-established impression of being a popular recreational place for activities such as hiking or taking the cable car up on Saturday or Sunday for a picnic on the mountain. Since one can look out on the city from the top of the mountain, one feels that the area is an extension of our normal living space.

However, this type of culture might not have been possible without the efforts of the British trader A.H. Groom (*). IN 1895 (Meiji 28), he built a villa on the banks of a pond on Mt. Rokko. It is hard to believe from the current appearance of Mt. Rokko, which is now densely covered with trees, but at that time the area was a desolate bald mountain with only sparse low trees. It is said that the mountain during the Warring States period and the Edo period many trees were cut down and others burned. According to some records from that period, a person who saw Mt. Rokko from the sea for the first time said that it was so white that they thought it was a snow covered mountain. Quite a sad story.

*A.H. Groom: In 1868, when the port of Kobe opened, he moved to Japan and became a successful trader.

Being a desolate area with no people on it, many wondered, “Could people live on such a mountain?” Mr. Groom however, who loved the magnificent view, did not think it to be an inconvenience. So he built a new house on the mountain, invited his friends, and gradually over time, the number of residents on the mountain increased. He explained to the governor at that time the need for reinforcement works and as well as tree planting. He even invested his own money in large-scale tree planting projects and road construction. In 1897, 15 years after Mr. Groom first built his house, there were more than 60 houses in total that had British, American, German, Belgian and Japanese people living in them. This is why he is called the ancestor of the development of the Rokko area.

The Birthplace of Golf in Japan

Mr. Groom is also known as the person who created Kobe’s first and oldest golf club, the “Kobe Golf Club” on Mt. Rokko. He said that he built it to play golf with his friends (he had never played golf before). When Groom created this place in 1903 (Meiji 36), everything was done manually, the clearing and burying of rocks, cutting and burning of bamboo grass and leveling of the ground.

The golf course is still quite active even after more than 100 years! With it just being a stone’s throw from ROKKONOMAD, one can look over the beautiful grass on the way to and from ROKKONOMAD. The green is naturally cultivated to the terrain, and it is quite soothing to look at. At dusk, the green of the golf course is illuminated by the west setting sun and is dyed yellow. It is one of the wonderful healing areas one can see when taking a walk around ROKKONOMAD.

Opportunities use Mt. Rokko better

Mr. Groom took the lead and after he passed away tree planting and mountain work continued to be done. Mt. Rokko became a summer resort and the saying “Karuizawa in the east, Mt. Rokko in the west” became well known. The area was then designated as a national park in 1956. This increased awareness about the area even more. Mountain resorts peaked during the period of high economic growth and the bubble economy during the 1980s. It is said that there were 229 recreational facilities on the mountain in 1990.

The economy slowed down due to the bursting of the bubble economy and then the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake hit. In the last 20 years, 70% of the corporate recreational facilities closed. There are now abandoned houses scattered around on Mt. Rokko. Many were splendidly constructed and have magnificent views, but recently have not been maintained property and are now decaying.　　

This actually may be a great opportunity depending on one’s way of thinking. New high speed fiber internet lines were installed and services started from December 2020 (many people have been waiting for this!). In the current era, as long as one can connect to the internet, one can work and have meetings. As was written in the previous column “A great place to work on top of a mountain that is just 30 minutes away from the city“, a place like this where one can be in nature and change one’s mood comfortably is indispensable for modern workers.

Looking back on the history of the area, it was very exciting to find that Mt. Rokko had been improved through the work of many people. We would like to re-imagine Mt. Rokko from an even more modern perspective, just as Mr. Groom once found and regenerated the area’s potential, we to see many ways it can be further improved. As a matter of fact, the current property, which is being renovated to be used as a shared office, was originally built as a corporate recreation center.

When ROKKONOMAD opens in the spring, we think that various people will use it as a base. Kobe City also has a fairly substantial subsidy programs or businesses planning to open an office on Mt. Rokko. We are currently preparing different ways to provide support for this. Property information is also being researched by R Real Estate and as more is found it will be posted to this site. Many interesting places already, so please check them out.

References

• “Old Rokko Arima, a heavenly resort with postcards,” published by the Kobe Shimbun General Publishing Center, 2011
• “People living on Mt. Rokko” by Hoshiyama Tanaka

Text: Youhei Yasuda