About Tamba Sasayama

Sasayama is a beautiful castle town with rich natural landscapes and old city charms located in the central-eastern part of Hyogo prefecture.
With Kyoto to the east, and Osaka to the south, it only takes about an hour to travel from Kyoto, Osaka or Kobe to Sasayama – which makes it all the more miraculous that the natural landscape and old town feel of this area has remained intact. It has also become a popular place for tourists from all around the world too.
Agriculture is another important side to Sasayama, with their main specialty products being Tamba Sasayama black soybeans (black edamame), Tamba Sasayama yamaimo (Japanese yams), Tamba chestnuts, Tamba matsutake mushrooms, Tamba tea, and other foodstuffs.
Traditional crafts from the area include Tamba yaki pottery, Ojiyama yaki pottery, Tamba cotton, and others, all of which have been included in the UNESCO Creative Cities Network under the craft division.
Meanwhile, this area is also home to Dekansho Bushi,a local festival song known across Japan, and is where in August every year, the grand Dekansho Festival is held.The Dekansho Bushi tells of the charms and specialties of Sasayama, and even today, new songs in this vein are composed regularly here. And thanks to the Dekansho Bushi, many aspects of Sasayama’s culture have been recognized as National Heritage points by Japan’s Agency for Cultural Affairs.
Not only that, but there are also various other festivals held here throughout the year, including the Tamba Yaki Pottery Festival, and the Aji Festival (a food festival) too.
And finally, many of the old Japanese style homes found here have been renovated into coffee shops, hotels and other facilities, bringing new life to this historical area.