Kobe (神戸市, Kōbe-shi) is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture and a prominent port city in Japan with a population of about 1.5 million. The city is located in the Kansai region of Japan to the west of Osaka. Kobe is classified as one of Japan’s fifteen designated cities and is a part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan sprawl.

It was one of the first cities to open for trade with the West, in 1868, and as such it is known as a cosmopolitan port city. Consistent with this reputation, Kobe has a population of 45,000 foreign residents from more than 100 countries. The city hosts the Asian or Japan headquarters of a number of companies including Procter & Gamble and Nestlé, and is the point of origin and namesake of Kobe beef.

The city was severely affected by the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake, in which over 6000 residents lost their lives. Kobe has largely recovered from the damage.

Kobe is situation in between the sea and the Rokko mountain range, which makes it one of the most attractive city in Japan. It is a city that filled with arts and fashion and is widely associated with the cosmopolitan of fashion. Which is why a saying goes, “If you can’t go to Paris, got to Kobe”. Twice a year, a fashion even called Kobe Collection is held in the city while the Kobe Jazz Street is held every October in Jazz clubs and hotels since 1981.

Some of the interesting attractions of this city is the earthquake museum build to commemorate the lives that was lost in the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake in 1995. You can also visit the world’s longest suspension bridge, Akashi Kaikyo, if you’re not afraid of heights and then drop of the Arima Onsen, which is a hot spring that is located within the city.

Of course, not to forget Kobe beef, it is one of the main attractions here - so eat some where you’re in Kobe City :)

How to get there?
Visit this page for more details.

Amanohashidate is one of Japan’s three scenic views otherwise, also know as Nihon Sankei. The word “Amanohashidate” technically translates to bridge in the heaven in Japanese. A thin strip of land connects two opposing sides of Miyazu Bay. This sand bar is 3.3km long and is covered with about 7000 pine trees. This strip is the bridge in heaven.

To view the “bridge in the heaven” you just need to turn your back from the bay and look in between your legs. Tourists have been doing this for a millenia.

It can be viewed from mountains on either side of the bay or it can be traversed on foot. Visitors are recommended to view the “heaven’s bridge” by turning their back to it, then bending over and looking at it upside down from between their legs.

Near the southern end is Chion-ji, a Buddhist temple. The temple has a small tahoto, a kind of pagoda which still resembles the Indian stupa more than the more common three and five storied Japanese pagoda.

When you go to Japan, you must attend a Sumo match because it’s a traditional japanese sport. Baseball may be big in Japan but Sumo Wrestlers are bigger, literally and figuratively. :)
The sport is surrounded by ceremony and ritual. The Japanese consider Sumo a gendai budō: a modern Japanese martial art, even though the sport has a history spanning many centuries.

The Sumo tradition is very ancient, and even today the sport includes many ritual elements, such as the use of salt for purification, from the days Sumo was used in the Shinto religion.

The basic rule of Sumo is very simple; the first sumo that touches the floor with something else apart from his sole or leaves the ring before his opponent, loses. The fights usually last about a few seconds and its very rare for it to last for up to 1 min or longer.

Six tournaments are held each year and each tournament lasts 15 days. I don’t know how many fights go on in one day with each fight lasting a few seconds. I think they must be many fights but there are also the traditional rituals held before and after a match as well. It’s definitely something that’s worth experiencing.

Three of the 15 tournaments is held in Tokyo (Jan, May, Sept), and one each in Osaka (March), Nagoya (July) and Fukuoka (November).

To know more about Sumo, go to Nihon Sumo Kyokai

Source: Wikipedia ; Japan Guide

Ise Shima is a National Park near the Shima Peninsula. The Shima Peninsula is home to Japan’s most sacred Shinto Shrines, the Ise Shrines. It is in Ise Shima where Mikimoto Pearl Island, an internationally known name for cultivated pearls, is situated to.

So the two places that’s worth the visit in Ise Shima is the shinto shrinese and the pearl island of Mikimoto. There are several sacred shrines to visit while you’re there:

The Ise Jingu consists of two shrines: the Outer Shrine (Geku), which is dedicated to Toyouke, the kami of clothing, food and housing, and the Inner Shrine (Naiku), which enshrines Amaterasu, the Sun Goddess. They are Shinto’s most sacred shrines.

Shinto Shrines

Naiku and Geku are located several kilometers apart from each other at the foot of densely wooded hills. Unlike most other Shinto shrines, the Ise Shrines are built in a purely Japanese architecture style which shows no influence from the Asian mainland

There is also Oharaimachi, a one kilometer stretch of old buildings that is lined with traditional shops and houses. This is the stop for most pilgrims who comes over to Ise Shima to pray. Do stop to savor some of their traditional and local delicacies there.

How to get to Ise Shima? There are plenty of routes to get there, the most popular ones is from either Tokyo or Nagoya. For a better picture, read more about orientations HERE.

Source: Japan Guide

Gion (祇園 or 祇をん) is a district of Kyoto, Japan, originally developed in the middle ages, in front of Yasaka Shrine.

Geisha in the Gion district do not refer to themselves as geisha; instead, Gion geisha use the local term “geiko.” While the term geisha means “artist,” the more direct term geiko means specifically “a woman of art.” I bet this is an info that many do not know since the publication of Arthur Golden’s Memoirs of a Geisha has so misguiding termed/defined the word geisha.

This part of Kyoto has two hanamachi (geisha districts): Gion Kobu (祇園甲部) and Gion Higashi (祇園東). Despite the considerable decline in the number of geiko in Gion in the last one hundred years, it is still famous for the preservation of forms of traditional architecture and entertainment. Part of this district has been declared a national historical preservation district.

There is a popular misconception that Gion was a red-light district. However, as it was a geiko district, and as geiko are entertainers, not prostitutes, Gion is not, and never was, a red-light district. For those of you looking for the red light district, head on to Shimabara for a little history lesson as it WAS a redlight district before prostitution was banned in Japan.

The geiko of Gion still maintain the annual dances, the most popular being the Miyako Odori, or “Dances of the Old Capital,” staged by the geiko of Gion Kobu. The dances run from April 1 through April 30 each year during the height of the cherry blossom (sakura) season. Spectators from Japan and worldwide attend the events, which range from “cheap” seats on tatami mats on the floor (approximately $15.00 U.S.), to reserved seats with a small tea ceremony beforehand (appoximately $40.00 U.S.).

I would suggest visiting Gion to rid of the misconception that geisha/geikos are prostitutes..they are merely artisans or a person of arts. Indeed, to be served by a geisha/geiko is an experience of beauty and of Japan’s oldest cultural heritage.

Source: Wikipedia

Mount Koya (高野山 Kōya-san) is a mountain in Wakayama prefecture to the south of Osaka. It is the center of Shingon Buddhism - a buddhist sect which was introduced to Japan in 805 by Kobo Daishi (aka Kukai), one of the most significant personalities in Japan’s religious history. There are over 100 buddhist temples standing in Mount Koya area. And one of the main attractions there is staying overnight in a temple.

There are over 50 temples at Mount Koya that functions as a shukubo; where tourists are allowed to stay overnight a temple and experience temple life - vegetarians meals and morning prayers with the rest of the monks.

Mount Koya is definitely a very spiritual place that is a must see. It’s scenery coupled with its serenity gives the place an almost ethereal feeling to it.

Other noteworthy places to visit in Mount Koya, all in relation to temples of course, are:

Okunoin - where Kobo Daishi is enshrined; it is also a massive ancient Japanese graveyard
Garan - Koyasan’s central temple complex
Kongobuji - Head Monastry of the Shingon sect

In 2004, UNESCO designated Mt. Koya, along with two other locations on the Kii Peninsula, as World Heritage Sites.

Click HERE to find out how you can get to Mount Koya from two points in Japan.

Source: Wikipedia; Japan Guide

Osaka, the second largest city in Japan has a lot to offer. There are many things to do of course, it’s a city, you can technically do whatever you did before in your own city but in a different culture like remembering to take off your shoes and such. But there are also other things to see.

Today we’re channeling our focus to Osaka Castle. Now, there are many castles in Japan. Himeji Castle is one of them but we will get to that later. Osaka Castle is a castle in Chūō-ku, Osaka, Japan. Originally called Ozakajo, it is one of Japan’s most famous castles, and played a major role in the unification of Japan during the sixteenth century of the Azuchi-Momoyama period.

The castle is open to the public, and is easily accessible from Osakajo Koen Station on the JR Osaka Loop Line. It is a popular spot during festival seasons, and especially during the cherry blossom bloom, when the sprawling castle grounds are covered with food vendors and taiko drummers. Cherry blossom bloom at the Osaka castle is really a pretty sight to behold.

Reasons why you should drop by Osaka Castle when you’re in Osaka.

1. It’s a beautiful architecture that will make perfect postcards
2. It is rich with history and knowledge is power
3. It’s situated right in the middle of the city like a protuding sore thumb but a sore sight it is not
4. Osaka Castle is a museum filled with historical facts
5. The observation deck on the highest floors gives you a fantastic view of the city

K’s House is a chain of backpacker hostels in Japan. They started out in November, 2003 in Kyoto (which has perhaps the highest concentration of backpacker hostels anywhere in Japan) and have since opened hostels in Nagano prefecture and Tokyo.

The prices are cheap (starting at 2500 yen for a dorm bed in Kyoto, 2800 in Tokyo and Nagano) and the entire hostel has a very modern and welcoming atmosphere. Features in all hostels include:

• Communal living and dining room
• A well-equipped communal kitchen
• Internet, laundry and bicycle hire
• Separate bathrooms and toilets
• No curfew, English speaking staff and air conditioning in all rooms
• No YHA membership required

After staying at the Kyoto hostel numerous times, I can tell you that the place is clean, airy, modern, comfortable and best of all - cheap! The staff are all very friendly and will always try to be helpful. They all speak English reasonably well.

One thing that I found very useful was how the hostel has a room availablity chart online for three months in advance. This is updated daily, and bookings can be made via email.

I highly recommend this place. While I haven’t been to the Tokyo hostel, if it’s anything like Kyoto’s (which was, by the way, voted best hostel in Asia by Hostelworld, an online booking service) then you won’t be disappointed. Besides, 2800 yen for a bed is probably unheard of in Tokyo.

Link:
K’s House - in English

This is bizarre but I love it. Off the coast of a small town in Wakayama prefecture, you can find an underwater mailbox - and it’s really in operation! This mailbox is really considered part of Susami’s postal system and mail is collected every day. Apparently there can be up to 200 pieces of mail to collect in peak times.

Susami is over a hundred kilometres away from Osaka in a not very densely populated but highly mountainous part of Kinki. This attraction is obviously like Small Town America’s or Small Town Australia’s attempts at getting tourist dollars. But while Small Town Australia can’t seem to do anything more creative than taking a model of whatever the local product is and making it really big - Susami here is onto a winner, as it also attracts the diver-types.

If you have a lot of spare time in the Kyoto/Osaka region, this might be worth some of it, just to say “I did that”.

Link:
Pink Tentacle

The Golden Pavillion is one of those sites that you’ll always find on postcards from Japan. This great, big, gaudy …..well, pavillion is one of the most popular sites in Kyoto.

It’s a little bit of an anti-climax to get there. Yes, it’s very nice, you take a few photos and you leave. Kinkakuji is not a temple and there is no way inside it. There is actually a temple on the site, but it’s a very small and a more-or-less unintersting affair. The gift shop is larger than the temple. Of course, the path leads you to the Golden Pavillion first, then you wind back to the gift shop and temple.

Another disappointing thing about Kinkakuji is that it’s only 50 years old. The original Golden Pavillion was built in 1397 (but was torn down and restored a few times) until in 1950, it was burnt to a ground by a crazed monk. The story of that monk was made into a novel and a movie, which might be more interesting than your visit to the site itself.

Kinkakuji is not a complete waste of time but I think it’s best to visit it in the late afternoon before it gets dark. It’s in the north-west corner of Kyoto, out of the way of most of the attractions, so basically, after a long day around maybe Ni-jo Castle or Arashiyama, you can grab a taxi and fit in this one last attraction before going to get dinner. Also, the position of the sun near sunset is perfect for taking photos of the building.

Link:
Wikipedia’s article on Kinkakuji