Hyogo (Prefecture)
The Underrated Yet Charming Western Side of Kansai Area
Hyogo is a Japanese prefecture of the Kansai area, located in the West of Honshu, bordered by a seaside on its north and its south coasts. While less popular than its touristy neighbors Osaka and Kyoto, the area, and its capital Kobe, is home to beautiful touristic destinations that are worth taking the time to visit.
Discovering Hyogo prefecture often starts with its capital Kobe, hugging the Osaka Bay, in a densely inhabited and urbanized territory shared with Osaka prefecture, and benefiting from a fine public transport network with trains, buses and ferries.
Kobe, the cosmopolitan gateway
An interesting introduction to Hyogo Prefecture is to stay at Arima Onsen ♨️, behind the Rokko mountain range that separates Kobe from Osaka. This small hot springs station is one of the oldest of Japan and has been renowned for its healing waters since Japan’s classical times, when the Imperial Court lived in Heian (today’s Kyoto). The top of Mount Rokko provides a beautiful panoramic view over Kobe and its port.
Down to the city center, you’ll find lots of restaurants serving Kobe beef, the most famous wagyu (Japanese beef) marbled meat. Downtown Kobe is spreading from the Shinkansen 🚅 station Shin-Kobe, to the bay busy with the traffic of tourist cruises and cargo ships. Visit of the following places is highly recommended:
- Nunobiki Herb Garden and its waterfalls on the heights of the city;
- The wonderful Takenaka Carpentry Tools Museum;
- Around Sannomiya station, several areas showing European and East-Asian influences, including Nankinmachi the heart of Kansai’s Chinese community;
- The sake 🍶 breweries in Nada district;
- Kobe Port, the walk to Meriken Park, where the city’s landmarks are gathered, such as the Kobe Port Tower (renovated in 2024), the impressive letters "Be Kobe," the Maritime Museum and the memorial preserving the ruins of 1995’s great Hanshin-Awaji earthquake.
On January 17, 1995, Kobe was indeed hit by a magnitude 7,2 earthquake that made the whole region tremble and caused heavy casualties and material damages.
Contrary to the historical landscape of Kyoto considered a masterpiece of traditional and zen architecture, Kobe is a city to enjoy on a daily basis, day and night, with a lifestyle and gastronomy that are just as sophisticated.
A place of traditional and feudal heritage
Moving inland into Hyogo Prefecture, away from Osaka bay and the big cities, the area becomes more traditional, pridefully displaying a carefully preserved local heritage. Several choices are available, depending on the travel’s direction:
- Towards south, cross the impressive Akashi Kaikyo bridge to reach the large Awaji-shima island, the mythological cradle of the Japanese civilization and holiday destination for the locals;
- Towards west, stop by Himeji castle-town to explore one of the last authentic keeps of Japan, nicknamed the White Heron Castle and its gardens, enlisted in the UNESCO World Heritage;
- Towards north, to the edge of the San’in area and Tottori, to discover places that Japanese people love but that are not popular among foreign visitors, such as the ruins of Takeda Castle 🏯, Ikuno Ginzan silver mine in Asago City, or the charming Kinosaki Onsen village near Toyooka City.
Hyogo prefecture offers another way of discovering the Kansai area, thanks to its people’s authenticity, built on a mix of customs 🛂 of the past and exchanges with cultures from all around the world. The fact that the places to explore are scattered inland and on both seasides spares the prefecture from over-tourism and offers an opportunity of leisurely travel using local trains, or driving when going to more rural destinations.