As Kobe commemorates the 25th anniversary of the Great Hanshin Earthquake that took the lives of more than 6,400 people, the city and region are working to remind younger generations of the past devastation — and the importance of disaster-preparedness — even as they face tough questions about their future.

At Kobe's Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake Memorial/Disaster Reduction and Human Renovation Institution, a museum that opened in 2002, the purpose is to remember what happened that day on Jan. 17, 1995.

From videos and dioramas portraying the widespread devastation just minutes after the quake struck at 5:46 a.m., to reproductions of ravaged streets and personal items left behind by those who perished, the museum is a tour de force.