Added: 12/27/2005 |
Hyogo ? best Japanese beef and sake are hereHyogo has coastlines of two seas: to the north, the Sea of Japan, to the south, the Inland Sea. The northern part of Hyogo is sparsely populated, except for the city of Toyooka, and tiny villages only populate the central highlands. Most of Hyogo's population lives on the southern coast, which is a part of the Osaka-Kyoto-Kobe metropolitan area. Awajishima is an island in the Inland Sea, lying between Honshu and Shikoku.
In summer, the weather throughout Hyogo is hot and humid. During the winter, the north side tends to have lots of snow that gives opportunities for a variety of winter sports, while it only snows occasionally in the south.
The capital of Hyogo is the primary tourist destination in this area. Kobe was Asia's busiest port and the busiest port in Japan until the Great Hanshin Earthquake in 1995. The disaster was enormous, turning the city into ruins and taking many people's lives. Since then, Kobe's world position has dropped to the twenty-ninth busiest port (as of 2002), though it managed to recover up to the third position as it is today.
In fact, the history of Kobe is the story of its ports that have made the city famous in Japan and throughout the world. The city became well known after the opening of its port in the Meiji period. The port was an important trade gateway with the capital of Japan, China and the western region. The port has changed its location and the name has changed over the times, but it has always been the landmark of the city.
Although the earthquake has ruined many historical monuments in Kobe, there are still many ancient temples and shrines, underlining its through-the-times wealth and prosperity. These include Wada Shrine, Yakusen Temple, Kiyomori-zuka, Shinko Temple, the Hyogo Giant Buddha, Fukukai Temple, Yanagihara-hiruko Shrine and Yanagihara-ten Shrine.
Along with historical attractions and sights, Hyogo capital is known for its cuisine, sake and restaurants. In particular, there is a great number of Chinese restaurants that came into existence after the port opening and there is a China Town in Kobe, which is one of three biggest China towns in Japan. The high concentration of Japanese restaurants and correspondingly their competition allow for the excellent Chinese dining throughout Kobe.
The city also boasts many bakeries that bake Germany and French type bread. The traditions of the Western baking are again introduced through the port opening. The same is with the Western style confectionary, as Kobe stands for the best place in the nation to purchase pastries and cakes of a high quality.
However, there are two products that are originally national: Kobe sake and Kobe beef. Both nationals and foreigners appreciate the surprising tenderness, fine marbling and a rich flavor of Kobe beef (the results are achieved by means of massaging the cattle and giving it beer to drink), while Kobe sake (produced in Nada location) is the best in Japan.
Thus, if you want to combine the best Japanese dining with the best Japanese drinking, welcome to the capital of Hyogo. A few leave the city disappointed.
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