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Sunny and moderate Seto
Inland Sea coastline - San-in Kaigan Coast National Park with a
complex and varied coastline
Hyogo prefecture is situated in the western part of Kinki
region(Midwest Japan) facing Seto Inland Sea to the south and the Sea
of Japan to the north. There are scenic places like Seto Inland Sea
National Park, San-in Kaigan Coast National Park, Rokko Mountains and
Awaji-shima Island. It also has numerous cultural heritage represented
by Himeji Castle which is a World Cultural Heritage.
Seto-naikai coastline enjoys sunny, moderate weather and it has big
cities such as Kobe with one of the leading trading ports in Japan,
the Kobe Port, and castle city Himeji, as well as Mt. Rokko-san area
known as a health resort. Kobe that is the core of the prefecture's
administration and economy is an exotic port city. On Port Island, an
artificial land floating in the Kobe Port, is the International
Convention Center. The meridian line at 135 degrees east longitude
runs through Akashi and Japanese Standard Time is measured according
to this line.
Coastline on the Japan Sea side that belongs to San-in Kaigan Coast
National Park reveals complex and varied scenery. At Tajimamihoura and
Kasumi beaches you can see formative arts of intricate coastline,
washed reef, and cave mouth created by rough wave of the Japan Sea.
Getting there
About 3 hours 10 minutes from Tokyo Station to Shin Kobe Station
by Tokaido Sanyo Shinkansen Line. About 15 minutes from Shin Osaka
Station.
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San-no-miya
The biggest shopping quarter of Kobe, the port city, with easy
transportation access
San-no-miya, the biggest shopping quarter of Kobe, is located on
the west bank of Ikuta-gawa River. It is not only popular as a place
for shopping and dining, but also a very important transportation
hub for many train lines which come into San-no-miya; JR Tokaido
Honsen Line, Subway Yamanote Line, Hanshin Honsen Line, Hankyu-Kobe
Honsen Line and Kobe Shin-kotsu Port Island Line. Underground
shopping street with easy transportation access, San-chika Town has
over 130 shops, varying from boutique fashion goods to restaurants.
The open floor gives a bright atmosphere to this shopping area.
Flower Road is a 50-meter wide road that stretches southward from
San-no-miya Station. There are a Flower Clock, fountains and
sculptures among the trees. Higashi-yuenchi Amusement Park used to
be the exclusive playground for foreigners and is the birthplace of
modern sports. The 550 meter long arcade between Flower Road and
Moto-machi on the south-west of the station is called the San-no-miya
Center. Boutiques, stores selling imported goods, bakeries, cake
shops, big shopping buildings and restaurants make San-no-miya
Center one of the big shopping areas representative of Kobe. San-no-miya-jinja
Shrine, from which the name "San-no-miya" has derived, is located in
the south of the Center.
Getting there
From Tokyo Station, 2 hours 30 minutes by JR Tokaido Shinkansen
Line to Shin-Osaka Station. From Shin-Osaka Station, 30 minutes by
JR Tokaido Honsen Line to San-no-miya Station.
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Kitano-machi
An exotic district with old western style houses - Hilly street of
Yamanote
Kitano is a town on the hills north of San-no-miya. In the late
19th century, foreigners who moved from Kobe, built their houses in
a western style in memory of their homes, on the high hills of
Yamanote overlooking the sea. The street that runs from east to west
of Kitano is called Ijinkan-dori Street or the Foreigner House
Street, and is the main street of Kitano. Fudo-zaka, that stretches
from the east end of Ijinkan-dori Street towards north, and Hunter-zaka
that runs north from the middle of Ijinkan-dori Street, are lined
with sophisticated boutiques and international cuisine restaurants.
In the area around Kitano-dori Street, that runs from east to west
on the northern side of Kitano, many foreigners built their houses
between the 19th and early 20th century. These houses called Ijinkan,
the foreigners' houses, and are designated as National Important
Cultural Properties. In particular, Kazamidori-no-yakata or the
Weathercock House, is typical of Kitano. The architectural style of
Rain-no-yakata, a National Important Cultural Property, is typical
of a foreigner's house. Uroko-no-ie has a characteristic wall of
scale-like design, and its antique furniture and collection of
western porcelain is famous. Its first floor is open to the public
as a tea-room. A number of these buildings, along with their
collections, are open to the public, as in the case of
Yamate-hachiban-kan, once owned by a Spaniard, in which Spanish
armor and shields and furniture from the Middle Ages are exhibited.
Getting there
From Tokyo Station, 3 hours 10 minutes by JR Tokaido and Sanyo
Shinkansen Line to Shin-Kobe Station. From Shin-Osaka Station, 15
minutes. From Shin-Kobe Station, take subway Yamate Line to San-no-miya
Station, 2 minutes.
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Nada Go-go
A region of sake, representative of Japan - Sake-tasting corner in
shiryo-kan museums
Nada is in the south-eastern part of Hyogo. Nada Go-go is the
generic name of 5 areas that lie within 12 kilometers between Kobe
and Nishinomiya; Nishi-go, Mikage-go, Uozaki-go, Nishinomiya-go and
Imazu-go. Uozaki-go is in the south of Uozaki Station by Hankyu
Honsen Line, and along the so-called Sakagura-no-michi, or Sake
Brewery Street, which stretches to the west, many sake(rice wine)
breweries stand side by side. There were three reasons for the
development of sake brewing in the 18th century that made the name
of Nada known throughout Japan. One was the discovery of miya-mizu,
excellent quality water for making sake; two, the production of rice
of high quality, an ingredient in sake; and three, a convenient
location for transportation by sea.
Most of the brewers have their own museums(shiryo-kan) to introduce
the process of sake brewing and information on production of sake.
In the factory of the Hama-fuku-tsuru Brewery, rice is polished to
less than 60%, fermented at low temperature, then brewed. Visitors
can watch the process of sake brewing using new equipment through
the glass window and then try sake at the tasting corner.
Getting there
From Tokyo Station, 2 hours 30 minutes by JR Tokaido Shinkansen
Line to Shin-Osaka Station. From Shin-Osaka Station, 37 minutes to
Nada Station by JR Kobe Line.
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Moto-machi
Asian shops and restaurants are gathered - Awaji-shima Island can be
seen in the distance from the Port Tower
Moto-machi is a lively town perfect for shopping, gourmet food
and night spots in the center of Kobe. Under Kobe Station is a maze
of shopping streets and above ground, a big shopping arcade . The
unique event is the Shunsetsu-matsuri Festival at Nankin-machi, that
celebrates the Chinese New Year at the end of January or in early
February. Nankin-machi has many Asian shops and Asian restaurants.
On the sea-side of Moto-machi is Kobe-ko Chuo Tsutsumi, or the
Central Dike, on which many landmarks of Kobe are built, for
example, Kobe Port Tower. Kobe Kakyo Rekishi Hakubutsu-kan Museum
exhibits the history of overseas Chinese who had immigrated from the
continent, and the exterior of Kobe Kaiyo Hakubutsu-kan Museum was
inspired by an image of sailboat and sea. Kobe Port Tower, 108
meters high, has a revolving glass observation room, and on a clear
day, Kansai Kokusai Kuko Airport and Awaji-shima Island may be seen.
Many people come to enjoy the wonderful night view of Kobe. The
sightseeing cruise boat starts from the Chuo-Tsutsumi Ryokaku
Terminal at the Port Tower.
Getting there
From Tokyo Station, 2 hours 30 minutes by JR Tokaido and Sanyo
Shinkansen Line to Shin-Osaka Station. From Shin-Osaka Station, 40
minutes by JR Tokaido Line to Moto-machi Station.
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Kobe Bay Area
The Bay Area is dotted with sightseeing spots and spots for
shopping, gourmet food and evening entertainment
JR Kobe Station area is close to Kobe Port, the second largest
trading port in Japan and is called the Bay Area. Nearby Kobe
Harborland has nice stores to enjoy shopping and gourmet food.
Nightspots and recreational facilities, such as amusement parks,
attract people day and night.
On the seaside of Harborland is "Mosaic" town, a very unique
place. A big Ferris wheel and carousel, Mosaic Garden and
restaurants, boutiques and movie theaters form an almost mosaic-like
effect in this commercial park complex. An open air mall and square
with a view of the sea make this park a very popular area. When 80
zelkova trees on Kobe Gasu-to-dori Street are decorated with 80,000
lights, they are like a fantasy world. The illumination has become a
symbolic winter scene of Kobe Harborland. Modern buildings line the
waterfront and visitors can enjoy the open atmosphere of this place.
Getting there
From Tokyo Station, 2 hours 30 minutes by JR Tokaido and Sanyo
Shinkansen Line to Shin-Osaka Station. From Osaka Station, 30
minutes to Kobe Station by JR Tokaiko Honsen Line.
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Awaji-shima Island
Island sandwiched by the Akashi Strait and Naruto Strait - The
world's longest suspension bridge illuminated in seven colors
Located in southern Hyogo and in the east of the Setonai-kai (the
Inland Sea), Awaji-shima is an island largest in the Inland Sea and
the third largest in Japan. Facing the Osaka Bay on the east and the
Harima-nada on the west, the island is sandwiched by the Akashi
Strait on the north and the Naruto Strait south to west and its
coastal area is a part of Setonaikai National Park.
There is Sumoto City in the eastern part of Awaji-shima. On Mt.
Mikuma-yama south of the city is the site of the Sumoto Castle built
early in the 16th century, where some stone walls and the keep that
forms the castle's center remain. The castle tower commands a full
view of the city and the Osaka Bay. Also, Awaji-shima boasts places
worth a visit to enjoy the natural scenery, like the Naruto Strait
in which the tide as fast as about 10 knots rises in all sizes of
whirlpools, and many beaches including the Goshiki-hama (five color)
Beach known for colorful pebbles made by the erosion of waves.
The Akashi Kaikyo Ohashi (Akashi Strait Grand Bridge) is known as
the world's longest suspension bridge, 3,910 meters long overall
with two cable-braced main towers spaced 1,990 meters apart. This
bridge, which links Awaji-shima with Kobe, is nightly illuminated in
seven changing colors to regale the eye of viewers.
Getting there
About 3 hours and 10 minutes to Shin-Kobe Station from Tokyo
Station by JR Tokaido Shinkansen Line. About 40 minutes from
Shin-Osaka Station to Akashi Station by JR Tokaido Sanyo Honsen
Line. About 13 minutes from Akashi Port to Iwaya Port by Ban-Tan
Renraku Kisen fast boat.
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Himeji Castle
Prominent, beautiful castle registered as the World Cultural
Heritage - Beautiful shape of a white heron with spreading wings
The Himeji Castle is located in Himeji City in the western Hyogo. It
was constructed in the mid-14th century, and after a three-layer
castle tower was built by the order of the man of power Toyotomi
Hideyoshi in the 16th century, Ikeda Terumasa, a feudal lord of the
castle rebuilt it further in the 17th century. Its figure was
likened as a white heron spreading its wings, and thus called the
Shirasagi-jo, or White Heron Castle. It was designated as a national
treasure in 1931, and as the World Cultural Heritage in 1993.
The Tenshukaku, or castle tower is the main structure and has 5
stories in appearance but 6 stories inside and a first basement. All
structures are covered with white plaster unique to Japan. The roofs
are covered with kawara tiles and white plaster is applied to the
joints. The sturdy, magnificent structure and elegant appearance, as
well as complex and tactical defense devices make the Himeji Castle
the most prominent castle in Japan.
The Castle hosts the Himeji Castle Cherry Blossom Viewing Fair,
cherry blossom viewing drum music performance and Princess Sen-hime
Peony Festival in spring, Himeji Port Festival in summer, Moon
Viewing Fair in autumn and Himeji All Japan Ceramics Market in
winter. Visitors never cease throughout the year. In the surrounding
areas, there are a Japanese garden Koko-en, an affinity with the
Castle, Otokoyama Sen-hime Tenmangu Shrine and Hyogo Historical
Museum.
Getting there
Take JR Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen Line for 3 hours and 20
minutes from Tokyo Station to Himeji Station, or take JR Sanyo
Sinkansen Line for 40 minutes from Shin-Osaka Station to Himeji
Station.
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Kinosaki
Hot spring resort known as one-time stage of a novel - Basaltic mass
lying 70 m across and 35 meters high
Kinosaki is situated in northern Hyogo and has the
Kinosaki-onsen Hot Spring Resort spreading along the Otani-gawa
River branching off from the Maruyama-gawa River. Legend has it that
the place was found in the 8th century by Dochi-shonin, a Buddhist
saint. It is lined with community bathhouses, such as Ko-no-yu (hot
spring of stork) that the legend says was used by storks to heal
wounds, Sato-no-yu, Ichi-no-yu and Jizo-yu. The name Kinosaki became
known all over the country when it appeared in a novel "Kinosaki
Nite" (At Kinosaki) by Naoya Shiga, a famous novelist in the early
20th century.
The Kinosaki Hot Spring Resort was once a spa called Tajima-no-yu.
Since more hot springs were found in 1950's, the area has grown to
be a new sightseeing and health spot in and around the Hanshin
(Osaka-Kobe) district. At Onsen-ji Station of the Kinosaki-onsen
ropeway is the Onsen-ji Temple believed to have been erected by
Dochi-shonin, in which the standing images of Eleven-Faced Kan'non
(Goddess of Mercy) and Eleven-Faced Thousand-Handed Kan'non are
enshrined.
In the neighborhood of the Onsen-ji Temple, a basaltic mass formed
of hardened lava lies 70 meters across and 35 meters high, in which
a basaltic cave opens its mouth and draws many viewers at all time
together with Byakko-do (white tiger cave) and Seiryu-do (blue
dragon cave) nearby.
Getting there
About 2 hours and 15 minutes to Kyoto Station from Tokyo
Station, or about 16 minutes from Shin-Osaka Station by JR Tokaido
Shinkansen Line. About 2 hours and 10 minutes from Kyoto Station to
Kinosaki Station by JR San'in Honsen Line.
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Rokko and Arima-onsen Hot Springs
Rokko Mountains that afford an overwhelming million-dollar night
view of Kobe - Arima, one of the oldest hot spring resort dating
back to the 8th century.
Located in southern Hyogo and on the northern coast of the Osaka
Bay, the Rokko Mountains belong to Seto-nai-kai National Park and
are the best sightseeing and health resort in the Hanshin
(Osaka-Kobe) district. The highest of the mountains is Mt. Rokko-san,
931 meters above sea level, affording a night view of Kobe so
beautiful that it is admired as "million-dollar night view."
Mt. Rokko-san area was originally opened as a place for foreigners'
cottages, followed by rapid development into a health resort since
when a cable railway was put in service. It boasts a 100 year old
golf course, the oldest in Japan, a man-made skiing ground, the
Rokko Ranch run by Kobe City where Kiso horses (Japanese breed),
Tokara horses and other horses are grazed on an spacious ground,
drawing upward of 7 million visitors a year. Located in what is
called "Ura-Rokko" (back of Rokko) in the north of Kobe is the
Arima-onsen Hot Spring Resort, one of the oldest in Japan, said to
have been opened when Buddhist monks built a sanitarium there in the
8th century. The spa contains a variety of hot springs including
salt-rich spring with a salt content as high as twice that of
seawater, carbonated spring with the flavor of soda-pop and radium
spring. Arima-onsen is very popular as it is referred to as "The
back parlor of Keihanshin" (Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe).
Getting there
About 3 hours and 10 minutes to Shin-Kobe Station from Tokyo
Station by JR Tokaido Shinkansen Line. To Rokko, 20 minutes from
Shin-Kobe Station to Hankyu Rokko Station by bus. Thirty-three
minutes to Hankyu Rokko Station from Hankyu Umeda Station by Hankyu
Dentetsu Railway. Twenty-five minutes from Hankyu Rokko Station to
the top of Mt. Rokko-san by bus. To Arima-onsen Hot Springs, 35
minutes from Shin-Kobe Station to Arima-onsen by bus. Fifty-five
minutes from Osaka Station to Arima-onsen by bus.
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Takarazuka
Aragami-san, the God of Fire and Kitchen, Home of all-female musical
theater
Takarazuka City is located in the south-eastern part of Hyogo
and developed along the Muko-gawa River coming from Rokko Mountains.
It is famous for Kiyoshi-kojin Seicho-ji Temple, popularly known as
Aragami-san, the God of Fire and Kitchen, and the Takarazuka Musical
Theater. Kiyoshi-kojin Seicho-ji Temple was erected by Emperor Uda's
imperial order in the 9th century for the purpose of protecting
people from a fire. At the monthly fair on the 27th and the 28th of
the month, and during the first three days of the New Year, it is
very crowded with stalls and people. Not only tea houses and
souvenir shops, but stalls selling good luck items and tsukudani, a
preserved food, fortune tellers and a painter who paints a snake
with a single stroke of the sumi(India ink) brush to entertain
people.
Takarazuka is the home of the Takarazuka Musical Theater, composed
only of women. It originated in the Girls' Musical Theater
established for the promotion of the hot springs in 1913. Since that
time, the company with its splendid costumes, magnificent songs and
dances, as well as plays, has been very popular and the theater has
produced countless stars. There is the big theater, the school of
music, the Takarazuka-kageki Kinen-kan Hall, the Takarazuka Family
Park Amusement Park and the zoo. The Takarazuka-onsen Hot Spring
with traditional Japanese inns are also popular.
Getting there
From Tokyo Station, 2 hours 30 minutes by JR Tokaido Shinkansen Line
to Shin-Osaka Station. From Shin-Osaka Station, JR Tokaido Honsen
Line to Osaka Station. Change to JR Takarazuka Line to Takarazuka
Station, 32 minutes.
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Hyogo
Information
provided by Japan National Tourist Organization.
