Kinosaki Onsen: Mikiya

Posted on March 28, 2013 by Tabi-Boots

More beautiful views and things to do in Hyogo’s best onsen town!

For this trip, we stayed at Mikiya. With over 300 years of history, Mikiya is one of the oldest ryokan in all of Kinosaki.

Mikiya is also famous as the lodging that notable Taisho period novelist Shiga Naoya stayed at for months at a time. He even wrote a novel featuring the town called “Kinosaki ni te”. The room is preserved as it was during his stay.

Longtime readers won’t have to guess what dinner is at a Kinosaki ryokan – of course, a Japanese-style multicourse meal featuring crab and other delicacies from the Sea of Japan.

Many Kinosaki visitors go out for a stroll around town and another dip in the baths after dinner.

It’s fun to see everyone wandering around after dark in their yukata, and there are plenty little places to amuse oneself. Kinosaki is anachronistic in some ways, and one of the most fun things you can do at night is go to an arcade – not a video game arcade, but an old-fashioned arcade with manual (!) pinball, target shooting, and other entertainments from days gone by.

After a final dip in the baths, return to Mikiya to sleep in fluffy futons. In the morning, a hearty Japanese-style breakfast awaits you.

When the weather is nice, wandering around town is the perfect way to learn how to have a non-goal-oriented vacation (for once!).

You might encounter Onsenji, or “hot springs temple”, an entire Buddhist temple dedicated to hot springs.

Behind the temple is a ropeway that takes visitors up the mountains that surround the town.

Some beautiful mountain views await at the top.

There is also a hiking trail, so you could always decide to descend the mountain the old-fashioned way. (Or ascend, if you are particularly energetic.)

Exploring the rest of the town will reveal lots of interesting sights. So take it slow!

Mikiya
Hours: Check-in: 2 PM – 5 PM. Check-out: 10 AM.
Address: 487 Yushima Kinosaki-cho, Toyooka-shi, Hyogo 669-6101
Telephone: 0796-32-2031
E-mail: https://kinosaki-mikiya.sakura.ne.jp/contact/
Website: http://www.kinosaki-mikiya.jp/en/ (English)

How To Get There

Kinosaki Onsen
From Kobe Sannomiya, take the JR special express train “Hamakaze” to Kinosaki Onsen Station (2.5 hours). Three “Hamakaze” trains depart per day, so we recommend buying tickets ahead of time, especially during the busy winter season.
From the station, a free shuttle bus will take you to the ryokan.

Izushi

Posted on March 22, 2013 by Tabi-Boots

Izushi is a small castle town now part of the city of Toyooka in northern Hyogo. It’s famous for its old-Japan atmosphere and distinctive soba noodles.

Izushi is a destination for castle enthusiasts and other fans of Japanese history. It boasts not only Izushi Castle, but also Shinkoro Tower and an old theater playhouse called Eirakukan.

When you arrive in Izushi, your first stop will be the castle. Izushi Castle is small but fairly well-preserved and has a hilltop location that commands a view of the surrounding area.

The castle is connected to a Shinto shrine with a picturesque series of torii gates.

The whole town is visible once you’ve climbed up into the castle grounds.

Nearby is Shinkoro Tower, an imposing-looking clocktower. Apparently, this used to serve as a drum tower, where a drum would be struck every morning to summon the townspeople to work.

Now it’s a famed symbol of the town. It’s even featured on the Izushi manhole cover!

Next, a short walk through town leads you to Eirakukan, a wonderful old structure that is my favorite place in Izushi. This building used to serve as a venue for traveling theater troupes back in the old days. Theater was one of the main forms of entertainment in pre-modern Japan. Plays gave way to movies in the 20th century, and the building turned into a movie theater for the golden age of cinema. As the times changed again Eirakukan fell into disuse, until it was recently renovated and turned into a cultural landmark.

Now, it is used as a performance hall for all different kinds of traditional Japanese arts, and you can take a tour that shows you the secrets of the Japanese stage.

Here’s a full view of the theater. Note that guests sit on cushions on tatami mats (of course). The pine tree backdrop is a traditional symbol of good fortune.

There are raised wooden walkways running through the seating that servers used to walk on as they offered guests food and drinks.

I can’t get enough of the old hand-painted ads for businesses that line the theater.

Or the movie posters. I bet a collector would be interested in these.

You also get a chance to learn a little bit about how the stage works. This is a trapdoor through which performers magically appear or disappear located on the “hanamichi” stage walkway.

The tour takes you under the stage, to this massive mechanism that workers would push around by hand to rotate a portion of the stage above.

There’s lots more to see, including performers’ dressing rooms and baths. Anyone who is interested in Japanese history or performing arts must give Eirakukan a visit. At the end of the tour, you receive this cute little flag.

The must-try local specialty during your stay is Izushi soba noodles. The town is absolutely packed with soba shops, and you can buy an awesome pouch of coins at the tourist center that entitles you to a serving of noodles at three different shops of your choice.

Here’s one soba restaurant.

A serving of soba is presented on three little plates, with a variety of different sauces and toppings to slurp up along with your noodles.

The idea is to try three different soba restaurants and compare the noodles to find your favorites. Apparently noodle softness/firmness and lightness/darkness are the main variables, along with the taste of the sauce.

So go explore! After finishing my noodles at one restaurant, I even received this awesome badge, which is now proudly displayed in my home.

How To Get There

Izushi

From Sannomiya, take the Hamakaze express train to Yoka (2 hours and 20 minutes). Then, take the Zentan Bus to Izushi (30 minutes).

From Toyooka, take the Zentan Bus to Izushi (30 minutes). Because of its proximity to Toyooka, this is a good side trip to combine with visiting other destinations in northern Hyogo.

Izushi is a small town, and all the sights listed in this article are a short stroll from the bus stop.

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Ako hot springs – Ginpaso

Posted on March 15, 2013 by Tabi-Boots

We’ve already featured the great little town of Ako in a previous post: A weekend in Ako

But there’s so much to do in Ako that we just had to go back for more!

This time, my big goal was to stay at Ginpaso, a seaside ryokan with a legendary hot spring. We arrived at the ryokan in the late afternoon and checked into our beautiful Japanese-style room.

Here’s the view from our window.

Okay, just teasing. Here’s the real view from our window. Pretty impressive.

As soon as we were settled, we started getting ready to take a dip in the hot springs before dinner. Why before dinner?

To see this.

The hot springs provides a panoramic view of the Seto Inland Sea, and what’s more, it’s an outdoor hot springs with an infinity pool. As you sink into the pool, your eyes can’t distinguish the boundary between the hot springs and the ocean. It’s magnificent.

We dragged ourselves out of the hot springs reluctantly when it was time for dinner.

Dinner is, of course, exquisite Japanese cuisine served in your room.

Fish from the Seto Inland Sea is prominently featured.

The beef shabu-shabu is also delicious.

After one more relaxing dip in the hot springs, we were all ready for bed, and futons had been conveniently laid out for us on the tatami floor.

The next morning, we woke up for a healthy Japanese-style breakfast consisting of various egg, fish, tofu, and vegetable dishes… and of course, rice and miso soup.

Another dip in the hot springs provided a view of the inscrutable morning sea.

After breakfast and bath, we sadly said farewell to Ginpaso and headed to our first destination: The Ako Marine Science Museum. This is a museum dedicated to sea salt, one of Ako’s regional specialties.

Here you can see an authentic old-fashioned Japanese salt-processing facility and salt fields.

The facility is still in use, and salt is being produced there every day! Seawater is pumped in through canals and spread out across the salt fields, where the water evaporates and the salt crystallizes. This is rinsed with successive infusions of seawater, gradually increasing the salt concentration of the water until the extremely salty water is drained out and boiled in the buildings nearby.

After a tour of the facilities, we got to give salt-making a try ourselves! I was especially excited about this because I’ve been using sea salt a lot in my cooking recently, and I’ve turned into a bit of a sea salt nut.

The process was simple but very time- and effort-intensive. After boiling the water, you need to use a series of different techniques to grind constantly until the salt becomes a fine powder.

I was thrilled to be able to take home my very own homemade sea salt at the end! It was a very fine powder – completely unlike table salt, but similar to the powder that is sometimes served with tempura in Japan. It also contains a variety of trace minerals from the sea not found in ordinary table salt, so it has a deeper, richer flavor.

Later in the day, we also visited Ako Castle and Oishi Shrine – read more about these landmarks in my previous post, A weekend in Ako

Ginpaso
Hours:
Check-in: 3 PM (be sure to arrive in time to see the sunset!)
Check-out: 10 AM
Address: 2-8 Misaki, Ako-shi, Hyogo 678-0215
Telephone: 0791-45-3355
E-mail: http://www.ginpaso.co.jp/mail.html
Website: http://www.ginpaso.co.jp/index.html (Japanese/English)

Ako Marine Science Museum (Ako Shiritsu Kaiyou Kagakukan Shio no Kuni)
Hours: 9 AM – 4:30 PM
Address: 1891-468 Misaki, Ako-shi, Hyogo 678-0215
Telephone: 0791-43-4192
E-mail: ako-kaiyo@memenet.or.jp
Website: http://www2.memenet.or.jp/~akoharm/marine/ (Japanese)

How To Get There

Ginpaso
From Sannomiya: Take the westbound JR line to Banshu Ako Station (74 minutes). A shuttle bus can pick you up from the station. (Be sure to call in advance.)

Ako Marine Science Museum
The museum is a 10-minute taxi ride from Ginpaso or the train station. It’s also an interesting walk if the weather is good.

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Oysters in Aioi

Posted on March 14, 2013 by Tabi-Boots

Well, winter is finally drawing to a close here in Hyogo – and we’re all very thankful!

But before winter is over, I thought I should let you know about one must-eat winter delicacy that you need to try while it’s still around: Aioi oysters.

Now, I wasn’t a big oyster fan before, but this restaurant made me a believer.

The restaurant is called Ensui, and it’s located in the city of Aioi (famous for oysters) right by the train station. It should be very easy to find.

We visited for lunch and were offered a full-course oyster menu. This is a very affordable option compared with dinner – and I’m sure we ate about 30 oysters each!

The oysters come in courses based on cooking method, from lightest to heaviest. First were the raw oysters.

I was quite hesitant to try raw oysters at first, but as I said, this experience made me a believer. It was incredible how rich and sweet they tasted.

Next were grilled and steamed oysters. These were great too.

My palate was grateful for a break with these oysters flavored for Western cuisine.

The fried oysters. My Japanese companion claimed that these were a relief for him because they were the only kind of oysters he had ever been accustomed to eat before!

In Japan, you always know that the meal is winding down when you’re presented with a hotpot dish and rice.

Altogether the meal took about two and a half hours, and we were all ready to collapse by the end. I actually took a small nap on the tatami mat floor before we left.

It was overwhelming – but amazingly delicious. I know I’ll have to go back next year.

Ensui
Hours:
Lunch: 11:30 AM – 2:00 PM
Dinner: 5:00 PM – 10:30 PM
Address: 2-21 Sakaemachi, Aioi-shi, Hyogo 678-0008
Telephone: 0791-23-7274

Note: Oysters are served from November to March.

How To Get There

Ensui
From Sannomiya: Take the JR line west to Aioi Station (1 hour). From the station, walk down the main road and take a right at the first main crossing.

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Hiking in Hyogo: Takeda Castle

Posted on February 13, 2013 by Tabi-Boots

It’s what you’ve all been waiting for… another installment in our popular Hiking in Hyogo series!

This time, our destination is Takeda Castle, an absolutely stunning castle ruin located on the top of a mountain in central Hyogo.

Takeda Castle　has become a popular destination for nature photographers, castle junkies, and even couples planning unique weddings in recent years.

There are two ways to enjoy Takeda Castle – you can go up the opposing mountain range and view the castle from afar, or you can hike right up to the castle and stand among the ruins yourself. This time, I’ll show you how to hike up to the castle ruins.

After you exit Takeda Station, you’ll need to turn around and go back under the tracks to reach the other side.

There are plentiful signposts to show you the way. If you need extra help, you can get a map at the information center by the train station. (They’ll even loan you a walking stick!)

You should find yourself at this path entrance.

The hike itself is approximately 800 meters. I consider myself fairly healthy, though far from an experienced hiker, and I found the route somewhat strenuous. It only took me about half an hour to reach the peak, though, and it was all worth it to reach this castle entrance:

Walk the winding path…

And reach the top of the tower:

You’ll be rewarded with this view:

You also get panoramic views of the valley below:

Hey! I was just standing there!

The ruins are quite spacious, so you can do a bit of exploring.

Takeda is a beautiful hike at any time of year (I’ve climbed it in midwinter), but it’s most atmospheric on spring and autumn mornings, when the castle summit peaks out of a sea of mist into the warm sunlight. It’s also popular during cherry blossom season.

Takeda Castle
Address: Takeda, Wadayama-cho, Asago-shi, Hyogo 669-5252
Telephone: 079-674-2120 (Wadayama Tourism Center)
Website: http://www.city.asago.hyogo.jp/0000001275.html (Japanese)

How To Get There

Takeda Castle
From Sannomiya: take the Limited Express Hamakaze to Teramae Station (75 minutes). Then, transfer to the Bantan Line and disembark at Takeda Station (39 minutes).

If you need refreshment before embarking on your climb, there are several cafes and restaurants around the station. Also, definitely pay a visit to the helpful staff at the information center.

Crab-lover’s paradise in Kasumi

Posted on February 8, 2013 by Tabi-Boots

Some might not find winter a very welcome season in Japan. Especially on the northern side of the country, it is heralded by a bitter cold and seems to bring life to a halt, driving us all back into the comfort of our kotatsu.

But there are reasons to look forward to the Japanese winter – and even some that will bring us out of our houses!

Not surprisingly, the greatest of these are food-related. One that is especially esteemed in Hyogo is the crab caught off the Sea of Japan coast and brought to the port in Kasumi, in northern Hyogo.

Kasumi is famous nationwide for its crab catch, and a special train from Osaka is even scheduled during the winter months so that you can arrive, stuff yourself with crab, and return home all in a day trip. You’ll even be greeted at the station by this hilarious crab mascot.

Why Kasumi crab? Well, the king crabs caught off the Sea of Japan are especially sweet-tasting and large in size, and are called Matsuba crab to distinguish them from lower-quality crabs from faraway seas.

Kasumi is one of the major crab ports in this part of Japan, which means that if you visit Kasumi, you can eat the very freshest crab available.

The best way to do this is to stay in a minshuku, a traditional Japanese lodging more affordable than a ryokan. If you stay at a minshuku, you’ll be able to enjoy a full-course meal of crab dishes in the comfort of your own room.

And that’s what we did at Marusei, a delightful little minshuku with a low-key environment and a focus on the food.

The meal starts with deliciously sweet and cold crab sashimi.

Then, the delicately soft and fluffy steamed crab.

Western-style flavors make an appearance in this gratin-in-a-crabshell.

The meal concludes with a filling and nutritious crab hotpot.

The balanced Japanese-style breakfast includes grilled fish, sashimi, egg, and a variety of vegetables, as well as a crab-flavored miso soup.

You’ll leave Marusei feeling relaxed and rejuvenated… and very well-fed!

If you’re looking for an unusual experience, it’s worth your while to wake up early in the morning to witness the crab auction. At about 5:30 in the morning, fishing ships return to the port after about three days at sea.

It’s dark as night at the fishing port, but hundreds of boxes of crab on ice have been unloaded. There are even some boxes of live crab – these fetch premium prices.

Once all the crab has been unloaded, the auctioneer from Japan Fisheries Cooperatives arrives and the bidding begins!

This was honestly a completely bewildering event for me. The auctioneer began talking in a sing-song voice and walking slowly down the endless rows of crab. I couldn’t tell what he was saying, and my Japanese companion told me that he couldn’t understand a word either!

As the auctioneer walked, he indicated various rows of crab with a pole. The auctioneer’s assistant was scribbling furiously, but I couldn’t for the life of me tell from the mysterious gestures who had bought the crab or for what price.

Still, though, it was completely fascinating to witness, and we got to see some other exotic sea life on sale as well.

By the time the auction had finished, dawn was barely breaking over the town of Kasumi.

All-in-all, highly recommended. Be sure to call the fisheries cooperative to make sure that a fishing boat will return to port on the day you’re in town. Japan Fisheries Tajima: 0796-36-1331.

Marusei
Hours: Check-in: 3 PM. Check-out: 10 AM.
Address: 31-1 Kasumi Kasumi-ku Kami-cho Mikata-gun, Hyogo 669-6544
Telephone: 0796-36-0028
Fax: 0796-36-2018
Website: http://www.kaniyado-marusei.jp/index.htm (Japanese)

How To Get There

Marusei

From JR Sannomiya Station, take the Limited Express Hamakaze to Kasumi Station (2 hours and 50 minutes). A shuttle bus will pick you up from the station.

Three Hamakaze trains leave per day, and a reserved seat is recommended (available at the green ticket machines or Midori-no-Madoguchi windows at major JR stations).

Buy lunch and drinks to eat on the train while you relax and enjoy the Japanese countryside scenery! This is the best way to travel on the limited express.

Hiking in Hyogo: Tonomine Highlands

Posted on December 14, 2012 by Tabi-Boots

Finally, a return to the Hiking in Hyogo series! Our previous article has enjoyed a lot of popularity, so we thought it was high time for another post on hiking in Japan.

This time I’ll take you to Tonomine Highlands, a location in central Hyogo.

This plateau with gently rolling hills is geographically unusual within Japan. The area itself was formed by the movement of glaciers, but the characteristic rolling hills are man-made, having been scraped down by iron-sand harvesting in the Heian Era.

It is also notable for its fields of Susuki, or “Japanese silver grass”. This grass is now rare, but was widely used for roof-thatching in the old days of Japan.

This silver grass is the highlands’ claim to fame, and visitors flock here every autumn to see it in its full glory.

Tonomine Highlands has four faces corresponding to the four seasons: in winter the plateau is a white expanse of snow, in spring the fields have been burned black, in summer the new buds are blooming a bright green, and in autumn the grass glitters silver and gold.

Tonomine is also worth visiting for its night sky full of stars, as there is absolutely no light interference on the plateau. Various events are held in Tonomine throughout the year, including taiko performances and a moon-viewing party with gigantic bonfire.

This is a great spot for hikers of all skill levels. Families can take a short stroll around the level areas of the plateau, and the energetic can hike for kilometers on mountain trails.

To sum up, this is a rare place for those of us from more wide-open countries to experience what we call “real” nature in Japan, with no buildings or telephone wires in sight – nothing but wilderness as far as the eye can see.

Tonomine Highlands has enjoyed renewed popularity in recent years due to its use as a film location for the adaptation of Haruki Murakami’s world-famous novel Norwegian Wood. Several prominent scenes of the film were shot here, and it also served as a location for NHK’s year-long historical show, the Taiga Drama.

When you go, stop by first at the Tonomine Nature Center, a facility with maps and photos, as well as a restaurant and the ubiquitous omiyage shop. This is a good spot to get some information before you start out, or to relax and eat after your hike.

Tonomine Nature Center
Hours: 9 AM – 5 PM (closed in midwinter due to heavy snow)
Address: 801 Kamikawa, Kamikawa-cho, Kanzaki-gun, Hyogo 679-3103
Telephone: 0790-31-8100
Website: http://www.kamikawa-kankonavi.jp/archives/269/ (Japanese)

How To Get There

Tonomine Highlands
From Himeji, take the Bantan Line to Teramae (40 minutes). From there you’ll need to take a taxi (20 minutes), or you can reserve a direct shuttle bus during the peak season in autumn. Inquiries: Kamikawa Tourism Association 0790-34-1001.

Ikuno Mine

Posted on December 13, 2012 by Tabi-Boots

Ikuno Mine is a fascinating piece of Japanese natural history. Ikuno was hand-mined for silver and other minerals by laborers for years before the advent of the industrial era, then converted to modern mining methods in the 1800s.

The mine buildings have been preserved in the old Japanese style.

There’s a waterfall by the mine entrance.

Exploring the surrounding areas will reveal actual silver veins in the rock.

Inside the mine itself, you’ll find modern tunnels and equipment that was used to mine up until the 1970s.

You can also see remains of the unbelievably narrow tunnels that the miners used to climb through in the Edo period.

After your tour of the mines, you can browse the museum and pay a visit to the activity room, where you can learn how to pan for silver! Finding the silver is harder than it looks – there’s a trick to it. And of course, you get to take home any silver you find.

There’s also a restaurant where you can try the famed Ikuno Curry, which apparently was beloved by the miners who worked here.

An interesting historical site in central Hyogo that would make a good side trip on your way to Kinosaki.

Ikuno Silver Mine
Hours:
April-October: 9 AM – 5:30 PM
November: 9 AM – 5:00 PM
December-February: 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM
March: 9:30 AM – 5 PM
Address: 33-5 Ono Ikuno-cho, Asago-shi, Hyogo 679-3324
Telephone: 079-679-2010
Fax: 079-679-2755
Website: http://www.ikuno-ginzan.co.jp/index.php (Japanese)

How To Get There

Ikuno Mine
From Sannomiya: Take the Hamakaze limited express to Ikuno Station (87 mins). From the station, take the Ikuno Ginzan-guchi bus to the mine (10 mins).

Hiking in Hyogo: Fukuchiyama revisited

Posted on November 1, 2012 by Tabi-Boots

I had another chance to visit the awesome hike along the Mukogawa River and the abandoned Fukuchiyama railway line again this autumn.

The autumn leaves were simply spectacular! This is a must-visit for outdoor lovers in the Hyogo area, and with no ups and downs it’s perfect for beginning hikers. The walk is about an hour and a half, and there’s a free onsen to bathe your tired feet at the other end!

Visit our first article for more information and directions to the hike: Hiking in Hyogo: abandoned railway line, Fukuchiyama

Miki, my new home town

Posted on October 18, 2012 by Tabi-Boots

Recently, I enjoyed the chance to stay with a host family and attend Banshu Miki Matsuri, the autumn festival in Miki City, Hyogo.

An autumn festival is a quintessential part of Japanese culture and is a must-see if you visit at this time of year.

During the festival, men from each neighborhood carry around gigantic mikoshi, or portable shrines, finally carrying them up the 85 perilous stone stairs of Omiya Hachimangu, the city’s big shrine, for the climax of the festival.

First, all the mikoshi gather and set up for their long day of parading.

I got a chance to see them getting ready and was lent a happi coat for the occasion!

The happi coats are pretty interesting – there’s a different one for each neighborhood in Miki.

The mikoshi are so huge that each one is housed in a special structure built specifically for it. This one is three stories high!

In the evening, traditional food stalls line the road leading up to the shrine, and the streets are filled with reveling festival-goers.

After the mikoshi finish their suspenseful and terrifying climb up the stone steps of the shrine, everyone gathers at the top to sing traditional songs and celebrate.

Festivals like these really embody the spirit of community togetherness that you find in local areas of Japan. You can tell that the festival has been enacted in the same way for untold years. The collective effort of the mikoshi carriers is truly amazing.

I also had the chance to see some other sights in Miki. Miki is famous nationwide for its hardware and cutlery. Craftspeople there have been making high-quality tools and knives for centuries.

You can see some of the coolest of these old-fashioned tools at the Miki City Hardware Museum.

Here’s an example of Japanese-style bellows. Western bellows are pumped with both hands, but Japanese bellows are worked with a pole that can be operated with one hand. Apparently, Japanese blacksmiths used to pump the bellows with a foot while using both hands at the forge!

Here are some gigantic saws, with their distinctive shapes.

Finally, Miki knives! Knives from Miki are prized for their quality. After my visit to the museum, I actually stopped by a hardware store and picked up a (fairly affordable) luxury knife of my own! Apparently, foreign tourists often purchase Japanese knives to bring home. The knives are not only highly functional, but have attractive traditional designs as well.

When I brought home my Miki knife later, I was astonished how different it was from the cheap knives I had been using so far. Cooking is a lot easier! My Miki knife simply falls through vegetables like they were thin air. (And, yes, it has neat swirls and Japanese writing on it.)

After spending a lovely night with my host family, I visited the Miki Horse Land Park.

I had never heard of this facility before, but I love horses (used to ride as a child) and was amazed to learn that anyone can visit the park for free and watch professional horse events!

There’s a lot on display inside the buildings. Here’s a carriage that was once used to carry the imperial family.

And here I am on a hilarious exercise machine that is supposed to make you feel like you’re riding a horse.

On the day we visited, there was a dressage event going on. Here’s one competitor after her run.

And check out this sweet pony! There’s a lot for children to do, like carrot feedings and pony rides, and the park also offers riding lessons for a reasonable price.

This scale was once used to weigh horses. I love how it says “no springs – honest weight”. You can also see the logo of JRA, the Japan Racing Association. Horse racing is very popular in Japan.

The grounds are big and beautiful, and there are also trails, campsites, and lots of things to do for the non-equestrian.

I took first place! (I wish.)

Even the manhole covers around the park are decorated with　馬, the character for “horse”.

Well, my one-night stay was only enough for a small taste of all that Miki has to offer! Miki is famous for its sake and fresh vegetables, and is also blessed with plentiful historical sites and shrines and temples. It also has a large number of sports facilities, including a huge skate park!

Of special interest is the Miki Hardware Festival, or Kanamono Matsuri, which will be held this year on November 3rd and 4th. You’ll be able to shop for tools and the beautiful Japanese knives, see blacksmiths in action, and more. Not to be missed!

More info on the festival here (Japanese): http://www.mikicci.or.jp/kankou/matsuri.php

Miki City Hardware Museum
Hours: 10 AM – 5 PM. Closed Mondays and December 29th to January 3rd.
Address: 5-43 Uenomaru-cho Miki-shi, Hyogo 673-0432
Telephone: 079-483-1780
Fax: 079-483-1780
Website: http://www2.city.miki.lg.jp/miki.nsf/0/4FDA3D607DEC0D1E49256CA7001AC7C2 (Japanese)

How To Get There

Miki City Hardware Museum
From Sannomiya: Take the Hankyu or Hanshin lines to Shinkaichi. Change to the Kobe Dentetsu (Shintetsu) line bound for Arima and get off at Mikiuenomaru Station. (Total trip: 60 minutes)

Miki Horse Land Park
Hours: 9 AM to 5 PM. (Closes at 4 PM November through February.)
Address: Miki Horse Land Park, Bessho-cho Takagi, Miki-shi, Hyogo 673-0435
Telephone: 079-483-8110
Website: http://www.miki-hlp.or.jp/ (Japanese)

How To Get There

Miki Horse Land Park
From Sannomiya: Take the Hankyu or Hanshin lines to Shinkaichi. Change to the Kobe Dentetsu (Shintetsu) line bound for Arima and get off at Miki Station. From the station, take the bus to Asahigaoka bus stop (10 minutes), or take a taxi. (Total trip: 70 minutes)

Hyogo: The Heart of Japan

Only 20 minutes from Osaka, 30 minutes from Kyoto

Category Archives: Discover Hyogo

Kinosaki Onsen: Mikiya

How To Get There

Izushi

How To Get There

Ako hot springs – Ginpaso

How To Get There

Oysters in Aioi

How To Get There

Hiking in Hyogo: Takeda Castle

How To Get There

Crab-lover’s paradise in Kasumi

How To Get There

Hiking in Hyogo: Tonomine Highlands

How To Get There

Ikuno Mine

How To Get There

Hiking in Hyogo: Fukuchiyama revisited

Miki, my new home town

How To Get There

How To Get There

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How To Get There

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How To Get There

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How To Get There

How To Get There

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