[Settsu]
Kobe Shoes

Kobe Shoes

Number one in Japan for synthetic shoe production: Kobe

Synthetic shoes were developed in 1957 in the Nagata district from polyvinyl chloride and became a huge hit nationwide. This led to Kobe becoming known as a “shoe town”. Alongside terms such as "Dress till you drop in Kyoto” and “Eat till you drop in Osaka", Kobe became known for "Buy new shoes until you go broke" showing how important wearing good shoes is for Kobe residents. Today, many shoe manufacturers are concentrated in Nagata and Suma Wards, and the majority of women's shoes made in Japan are made in Kobe.

• match
  
  Number one in match production in Japan: Hyogo Prefecture
• Leather
  
  Number one cowhide producer in Japan: Himeji City and Tatsuno City