[Hyogo] How to enjoy Hyogo! Experience local technology, culture, and history
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Why is the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge so magnificent? Why is Arima Onsen celebrated as one of Japan's Three Oldest Hot Springs and Three Famous Hot Springs? And why is Kobe Beef so delicious? By exploring Hyogo Prefecture from various angles, experiencing the daily life of the locals, and gaining a deeper...
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In Hyogo, the five prefectures with different histories and climates, the local people have been proactively working to solve problems and pave the way for the future. The efforts to enrich the region, such as "creative reconstruction from the earthquake disaster," "recycling agriculture that is friendly to people and the environment," "food grown in the fertile land and sea," "local industries that have repeatedly taken on challenges," and "arts and culture that have been passed down in the nature and life of the region," hold many hints for the world to achieve sustainable development. The Osaka-Kansai Expo, which will be held in 2025 under the theme of "Designing a Future Society for Life," is a great opportunity to communicate these efforts of Hyogo both domestically and internationally. The "Hyogo Field Pavilion" will be developed throughout the prefecture, where local people will take the initiative in promoting the "field of activities itself" in the region and inviting many people to see, learn, and experience it.
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Table of Contents
- "Akashiura Fisheries Cooperative Association" where a thrilling auction takes place
- The view from the 98th floor is truly exceptional. "Visiting the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge"
- Kineya: Enjoy handmade Japanese sweets and listen to craftsmen's stories
- Stroll around Himeji Castle and Kokoen Gardens in elegant Japanese clothing
- "Tanaka Ichino Cutlery Factory" - Every sword is made with passion that goes beyond the hearth
- Hakushika Museum: Uncovering the sweet and mellow secrets of Nadagogo local sake
- Take a stroll with a local guide through Arima Onsen Town, where the main streets are bustling and the narrow alleys hide fascinating spots.
- Learn the secrets of Kobe beef at the KOBE Beef GALLERY
- Matsumoto Shoten: Make your own natural Japanese-style candles
- Recommended accommodations for your trip to Hyogo
- Enjoy the pleasures of travel beyond just delicious food and beautiful photos
"Akashiura Fisheries Cooperative Association" where a thrilling auction takes place
Hyogo Prefecture is the only place in Japan with two sea areas, one on the Sea of Japan side, famous for crabs and squid, and the other on the Seto Inland Sea side, famous for sea bream and octopus. The Seto Inland Sea side produces a lot of seaweed, and has been the number one producer in Japan for the past two years. In addition, the Akashi area has fast currents, is rich in nutrients, and has a suitable water temperature, so Akashi seaweed grown in this environment is black and glossy, has a thick texture, and has a subtle fragrance. It is very delicious even when eaten alone, and once you start eating it, you won't be able to stop.
What's special about the Akashi Fisheries Cooperative is that the fish caught are first placed in a pond that is constantly filled with seawater, and then they wait for the live fish auction that takes place every day at 11:00. When the time comes, the fishing port suddenly fills with the voices of people and becomes lively. Traders from all over the country gather at the same time, and the emcee speaks at an astonishing speed that is impossible to understand unless you are a professional trader. The traders make bids using only hand gestures so as not to interfere with each other, and everything progresses at high speed. Onlookers can only follow the action with their eyes, and although it is a bit tense, it is an interesting experience.
The view from the 98th floor is truly exceptional. "Visiting the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge"
The Akashi Kaikyo Bridge is the second longest suspension bridge in the world, crossing the Akashi Strait and being a very important transportation hub connecting Kobe City and Awaji City. Inside the bridge, there is the Maiko Marine Promenade, which is open to the public and where you can take an elevator to an observation space 47 meters above sea level to enjoy the ocean views. If you want to know more about the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge, you can sign up for a tour.
Tours require advance reservations and can be booked online two months in advance. They are not held every day, so we recommend checking the official website when planning your trip. Tours are closed in winter due to weather conditions. The tour fee is a little high at 5,000 yen per person, but an engineer who worked on the construction of the bridge will accompany you throughout the entire journey and explain things to you, and you can see the spectacular view from a height that you normally can't see with your own eyes. The open view from the top of the tower is truly mind-lifting, making it a very worthwhile experience.
Kineya: Enjoy handmade Japanese sweets and listen to craftsmen's stories
Kineya is a Japanese sweets store that has been in business for over 100 years, and is a very famous long-established store in the Himeji area, with a track record of winning awards at the National Confectionery Exhibition for its Japanese sweets. The store also sells Western sweets, and the attached cafe restaurant serves light meals. Japanese sweets in the Himeji area have a deep connection with the feudal lords of the late Edo period, and the development of confectionery culture was promoted by the fact that successive feudal lords loved the tea ceremony.
The experience course offers three levels of wagashi making: beginner, intermediate, and advanced. The content changes according to the season, with cherry blossom wagashi used in the spring experience course and bellflower and chrysanthemum wagashi used in the autumn. All props and materials are provided by the shop, and participants simply listen to the owner's explanations, who will teach them about the production techniques and props, as well as various anecdotes related to wagashi. The experience takes about 40 minutes, but you can gain a lot of knowledge.
Stroll around Himeji Castle and Kokoen Gardens in elegant Japanese clothing
Utakata no Koi, a clothing store located in the same Nikaimachi shopping arcade as Kineya, rents out Japanese clothing and yukata. The price is reasonable and includes a simple hair arrangement. With the owner's skillful techniques, women can transform into beautiful people in no time. The shopping arcade is close to popular tourist sites such as Himeji Castle and Kokoen Garden, about a 10-15 minute walk away. Change into your outfit and stroll through the downtown streets to refresh your mood.
Himeji Castle and Kokoen Garden are adjacent to each other, and many tourists visit both places together. Set tickets that allow you to enter both are also available. After touring the snow-like beauty of Himeji Castle, Japan's most famous castle, you can walk along the moat for about 10 minutes to reach Kokoen Garden. Kokoen Garden is a Japanese garden with a stroll-style pond and covers an area of about 33,000 square meters. The garden contains several gardens with different themes, a teahouse, and a restaurant, and many TV dramas have been filmed here.
"Tanaka Ichino Cutlery Factory" - Every sword is made with passion that goes beyond the hearth
Miki City was once famous for the production of metal tools (knives), and Tanaka Ichino Cutlery Factory is located here. It has been passed down through the generations and is currently in its fourth generation. Japanese knives are highly regarded, especially overseas, and many tourists visit Japan in search of the perfect knife.
There are many places that sell blades, but there are few sword workshops that are open to the public. This is because specialized workshops are not large, with large manufacturing machines placed everywhere and furnaces always blazing. However, Tanaka wanted many people to know how fine swords are made, so he decided to open his workshop and offer tours and experiences.
During the experience, Mr. Tanaka will always be by your side to explain things to you. Watching the iron in the furnace, forging and reforging it over and over again, makes you feel the amount of effort and passion that the craftsmen put into making a single good sword. When you actually experience the work of using a high-temperature furnace and heavy hammers, you can't help but feel a deep respect for the skilled and passionate craftsmen.
Hakushika Museum: Uncovering the sweet and mellow secrets of Nadagogo local sake
The Nada Gogo region of Nishinomiya City has a long history of sake brewing, dating back to the Edo period and continuing to the present day. In Nada Gogo, the natural, high-quality spring water "Miyamizu" and the dry, cold wind "Rokko Oroshi" that blows from Mt. Rokko allow the area to brew particularly delicious, mellow sake. Miyamizu (Nishinomiya water) is hard water that is rich in minerals such as phosphorus, calcium, and potassium, which promote fermentation, so Hakushika sake is characterized by its dry, rich flavor.
Hakushika Museum was formerly a sake brewery, but has since been reborn as a museum showcasing the history of sake brewing. Inside the museum, the old sake brewery has been recreated, and many of the sake brewing tools used at the time are on display. The scenery is enhanced with sound and video, and it is also the only place where you can actually touch the tools used in sake brewing.
The Hakushika Museum is made up of two areas: the memorial hall and the sake brewery. Next door is the Hakushika's own restaurant, Hakushika Classics, which serves Japanese cuisine that pairs well with sake and also offers tastings of various types of sake.
Take a stroll with a local guide through Arima Onsen Town, where the main streets are bustling and the narrow alleys hide fascinating spots.
Arima Onsen has a long history and is one of Japan's three oldest hot springs, as well as one of Japan's three most famous hot springs. This place has a deep connection to Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and there is a statue of him in the Steam Square near the station. After passing the water park, you will see a small red bridge named after Hideyoshi's wife, Nene, and at the foot of the bridge is a statue of Nene, facing the statue of Hideyoshi.
Arima Onsen town is not a large area, but it is surrounded by mountains and the buildings are built along the slopes, creating a very nice atmosphere. There are many shops lined up on the main street, and just walking around is enjoyable enough to make your head spin. One place I would especially recommend is Ganso Mitsumori Honpo. This is the shop that first invented the carbonated rice crackers that are a specialty of Arima Onsen, and even now it is one of the souvenirs you definitely want to buy when you come here.
The spring quality of this hot spring is mainly chloride spring containing iron and sodium, and is divided into orange-brown "kinsen" (gold spring), carbonated spring containing radon, and radioactive spring "ginsen" (silver spring), each with their own beneficial effects. Currently, there are seven hot springs scattered around Arima Onsen town.
This hot spring town is a fun place to just wander around, but it will be even more interesting if you have a local guide explain things to you! Guides know many anecdotes about Arima Onsen and will take you to backstreets that ordinary tourists don't go to. Guided tours last about 2 hours, so we recommend that you consider joining one!
Learn the secrets of Kobe beef at the KOBE Beef GALLERY
The Kobe Beef Museum is an exhibition hall where you can gain a deeper understanding of Kobe beef and its deliciousness. To receive the title of Kobe beef, you must pass a rigorous certification system. First, the cattle must be of the bloodline of the original Japanese black wagyu breed, "Tajima beef," and are carefully raised from calf age on high-quality feed. After a few years, they are shipped to a meat center, where they undergo a hygiene inspection before being put on the market. Finally, they are ranked based on multiple criteria, including marbling, muscle pattern, and weight. Samples from No. 3 to No. 12 are displayed in the museum for visitors to compare.
Inside the museum, the pedigree and certification standards of Kobe Beef are explained using text and models, and easy-to-understand videos and literature are also available to view. These books are mainly in Japanese, but multilingual materials are also available in English, Chinese, Korean, French, and other languages to help visitors to Japan who would like to try Kobe Beef at least once to gain a better understanding. The exhibition hall also has a restaurant that serves A5 grade Kobe Beef. There are only a few seats and reservations cannot be made, but there are many restaurants in Kobe city that use certified Kobe Beef, so you will never miss an opportunity to try it when you visit Kobe!
There are many beef restaurants in Kobe, but my favorite is teppanyaki. It's really enjoyable watching the chef cut the beautiful marbled beef one piece at a time in front of the hot plate, watching the raw red meat gradually change to a delicious color as it is cooked, and finally putting it in your mouth. The tender meat makes you feel happy with every bite. My recommendation here is Mouriya, which has six branches in the Sannomiya area. This restaurant is a long-established restaurant with over 140 years of history since the Meiji era, and each branch has its own unique characteristics, so I recommend choosing the branch you want to go to in advance on the official website.
Matsumoto Shoten: Make your own natural Japanese-style candles
It is said that Japanese-style candles originated when, in the beginning, people painted floral patterns on plain-colored candles to express vividness, as it was not possible to offer flowers in winter. Over time, the patterns have become more diverse. The biggest difference between Japanese-style candles and Western candles is the raw materials used. Western candles use petroleum, but Japanese-style candles use vegetable wax oil extracted from the fruit of the wax tree. Japanese-style candles have a hollow wick, which means that the flame flickers gently while burning, and they are less likely to go out. In addition, because of their low melting point, the light they emit is dim, but soft.
It is not easy to paint a pattern on a long, thin candle, and you need to paint carefully and accurately as there is no opportunity to make a rough sketch. You will gradually get used to it after painting a few times. During the experience, the craftsman will teach you how to adjust the color and suggest patterns. Matsumoto Shoten's main store is in Nishinomiya, near Kobe, so the simple and distinctive Kobe Tower is a popular choice for the experience course. You can take the painted candle home with you after the experience.
Recommended accommodations for your trip to Hyogo
So far we have introduced many tourist spots and experience tours, but finally we would like to introduce some recommended accommodations that have been carefully selected. Since you have come all the way to Japan, you want to choose an accommodation where you can fully enjoy hot springs, right? For those who like Japanese-style inns, we recommend "Yumenoi" in the Himeji area.
There are various hot spring facilities to soothe and relax your tired body and mind during your trip. In addition to Japanese-style and Western-style rooms, there are also family rooms for family trips and rooms where you can bring your pet.
Meanwhile, if you're in the Kobe area, you can't miss the night view! If you prefer a Western-style hotel, the Kobe Meriken Park Oriental Hotel is a truly unique choice, with its impressive sleek, wave-like design.
All rooms have a separate balcony, and when you open the window, you can enjoy the beautiful sea view or the night view of the harbor. The hotel has four restaurants, including Western cuisine, Chinese cuisine, and a bar, and each restaurant offers different cuisines while enjoying the spectacular view. The combination of fine food and beautiful scenery is a must-try.
Enjoy the pleasures of travel beyond just delicious food and beautiful photos
Kobe Port, a port town overflowing with Western-style romance, Himeji Castle, a beautiful historic site with pure white, and Mt. Rokko, famous for its night views...these are the famous tourist destinations that come to mind first when people visit Hyogo Prefecture, but in reality, a deeper trip can be had by delving into the local daily life and understanding and experiencing the culture and history. Why is the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge so majestic? Why is Arima Onsen one of the three oldest and three most famous hot springs? Why is Kobe beef so delicious? Try exploring Hyogo Prefecture in a different way and you'll discover the joy of deeper travel!
In Hyogo, the five prefectures with different histories and climates, the local people have been proactively working to solve problems and pave the way for the future. The efforts to enrich the region, such as "creative reconstruction from the earthquake disaster," "recycling agriculture that is friendly to people and the environment," "food grown in the fertile land and sea," "local industries that have repeatedly taken on challenges," and "arts and culture that have been passed down in the nature and life of the region," hold many hints for the world to achieve sustainable development. The Osaka-Kansai Expo, which will be held in 2025 under the theme of "Designing a Future Society for Life," is a great opportunity to communicate these efforts of Hyogo both domestically and internationally. The "Hyogo Field Pavilion" will be developed throughout the prefecture, where local people will take the initiative in promoting the "field of activities itself" in the region and inviting many people to see, learn, and experience it.
The contents on this page may partially contain automatic translation.
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