Kobe Shimbun investigates the mystery of Coop Koyoen

Kobe Shimbun is investigating the mystery of Coop Koyoen.

Here it is↓

From An entrance above ground, but marked “B1”? Coop Koyoen in Nishinomiya — the clue to the mystery lies in the hilly terrain lined with upscale homes ｜ Kobe Shimbun

Here it is on the map↓

The address is 4-5 Shinkoyōchō, Nishinomiya City, Hyogo Prefecture.

It’s on the first floor, but it’s underground?

Apparently, Coop Koyoen’s ground-level entrance is labeled as “underground.”

Here↓

This seems to be the basement.

It totally looks like the first floor, doesn’t it??

If anything, you even go up three steps, but apparently it’s not the first floor, it’s underground.

The reporting team from Kobe Shimbun’s Scoop Lab, an interactive journalism project, looked into this mystery.

So, to give the conclusion:

• This whole area is on a slope
• There is a 3-meter height difference within the Coop Koyoen site
• The average is measured as the ground level

It seems that anything below that ground level is considered underground. You can read the details in the Kobe Shimbun article

Finally

Nishitsu has also investigated how the traffic lights change at the nearby intersection (six-way intersection) near this Coop Koyoen. If there’s anything you’d like us to look into, send it to the Nishitsu Detective!!

Investigation request↓