“About half a century ago I used to spend most of my days wandering the streets of Kobe. I was just over twenty, and as I particularly liked ships and harbours, that exotic city was for me a thrilling wonderland of a place.

Today it is of course a completely different place from the one that used to be my playground. The way it has changed, especially since the devastating shock of the great earthquake, seemed to me quite remarkable, which made travelling back in time and chasing after that romantic dream of my youth a difficult task.”