Mount Rokkō

There is no single mountain or peak called "Rokkō," although the highest peak of the mountains is called , (literally, the highest peak of the Rokkō Mountains) and the area to the south is known as the Rokkō area. The mountains run approximately east-west from Sumaura Kōen Park in western Kobe to Takarazuka, and the length of the range is about . The highest point is . It also includes Mount Maya, Mount Kabutoyama, Mount Iwahara and Mount Iwakura. Today, the Rokkō mountain area is a centerpiece of a popular sightseeing and hiking area for people in the metropolitan Kansai region. Mt. Rokkō is a symbol of Kobe as well as Osaka. == History ==

Arthur Hasketh Groom opened the first golf course in Japan, Kobe Golf Club, on Mount Rokko in 1903. Mount Rokkō was the first place to introduce rock climbing to the Japanese by Kuzou Fujiki who established the first rock climbing club in Japan in 1924. == Points of interest==

• Rokkō Alpine Botanical Garden • Nunobiki Herb Garden • Nunobiki Falls • • Rokkosan Pasture • Kobe Golf Club • Ashiya Country Club • Okuike • East Rokko Observatory/Route Cafe == In popular culture ==

For many years, lenses made by the Minolta Camera Company, headquartered in Osaka, were named "Rokkor" after the mountains. The theme song of the baseball team Hanshin Tigers, based in Nishinomiya, is titled . == Access ==

• Rokkō Sanjō Station of Rokkō Cable Line • Kinenhidai Bus Stop of Hankyu Bus • Hoshi no Eki Station of Maya Cable ==Gallery==

File:Hotakako01.JPG|Lake Hotaka File:Mikuniike02s1920.jpg|Lake Mikuni File:Rokko garden terrace02s3872.jpg|Rokko Garden Terrace File:Kamakurakyo01.JPG|Kamakura Valley File:Rokko alpine botanical garden04s2816.jpg|Rokkō Alpine Botanical Garden File:FrozenWaterFall1.JPG| Frozen Nanamagari Waterfall File:Kobe Nunobiki Herb Garden08n4272.jpg|Nunobiki Herb Garden File:Odaki, from the Nunobiki Falls.jpg|Nunobiki Falls File:171125 Futatabi Park Kobe Japan02s.jpg|Futatabi Park == See also ==