The City of Kobe is located to the west of center on the Mainland of Japan. It is accessible by land, sea, and air to domestic and international destinations. It takes 2 hours and 50 minutes to get to Tokyo by Shinkansen Bullet Train, and 1 hour and 20 minutes by plane. Within easy reach of Kobe, there are several famous cities with many historical sites and spots of interest, such as Himeji, Kyoto, Nara, and Osaka. Ever since it was opened to the world, Kobe has developed as a cosmopolitan port city where people, goods, and information from around the globe are in constant motion. Now, Kobe has a population of 1.5 million including 45,000 foreign residents from as many as 115 different countries, and is well known throughout Japan as being an "international city." With diverse population of foreign residents and the resulting facilities and amenities established by and for such foreign communities, Kobe is uniquely qualified to support a comfortably refined lifestyle for any individual from any country. Sandwiched by Mt. Rokko in the north and the Inland Sea of Seto in the South, Kobe is endowed with its overall mild climate averaging 17.1C (62.8F) with four seasonal changes.