Strolling through Kobe’s mountains and sea, you’ll be surprised to spot a Taiwanese electronic flower float

The Port City KOBE Art Festival features Japanese artists using a Taiwanese electronic flower float in their performance (Photo/Provided by Kobe City Taiwan Promotion Office / Reference illustration, not an actual artwork from this festival). The event runs from September 16 to October 15, 2017.

Kobe Port in Japan was an important harbor during the Edo period. This year marks its 150th anniversary, and the upcoming Port City KOBE Art Festival, set to take place in September, will use Kobe Port as its exhibition venue. With the cityscape of Kobe and the Rokko Mountain scenery as backdrops, visitors can enjoy a unique vision of the port. Among the highlights is an art performance inspired by Taiwanese electronic flower floats. Beyond maritime imagery, the Rokko Mountains of Port City Kobe also serve as an artistic venue, where visitors can ride a cable car to experience the joy of a mountain outing infused with art.

Hyogo (Kobe) opened as a port on January 1, 1868. The presence of foreigners who brought Western culture to the area, combined with the historical significance of Kobe Port as a key harbor during the Edo period and the advanced shipbuilding techniques of “Hyogo Tsu,” have made Kobe a uniquely multicultural region.

The Port City KOBE Art Festival has created a field of “O2 Sunflowers” by the port. (Photo/Provided by Kobe City Taiwan Promotion Office)

“Rokko Meets ART – Art Scattering 2017” invites the public to go on a mountain outing and experience art. Participating artists include Kawauchi Kosuke, Akasaka Yume, Iguchi Yusuke, Okunaka Akihito, and Kaitoku Yoshimasa. (Photo/Provided by Kobe City Taiwan Promotion Office)

This year marks the 150th anniversary of Kobe’s port opening. The Port City KOBE Art Festival will last for one month, using Kobe’s most iconic spots — the port and the areas along the airport expressway — as venues. Visitors can admire artworks displayed at symbolically significant port facilities aboard art viewing boats and at various stations at the port’s entrance. Among them, local artists have incorporated elements of Taiwanese electronic flower float culture, featuring a MIT (Made in Taiwan) stage truck manufactured in Huwei, Yunlin, and exported from Kaohsiung, as part of the artistic performances.

In addition to enjoying the “million-dollar night view” from Kobe’s Rokko Mountains, the “Rokko Meets ART – Art Scattering 2017” will also showcase works that blend the charm of the mountain landscape. With lush greenery as the backdrop, large-scale installations will be set up at Rokko Alpine Garden, Rokko Shiraito Observation Deck, Rokko Alpine Botanical Garden, Rokko Music Box Museum, and the Rokko Cable Car, offering visitors a unique artistic experience during their mountain excursion.