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An historic port and distinct city in its own right,
KOBE
, the capital of Hyogo-ken, now seems more like the fashionable western suburb of sprawling Osaka, 33km east around Osaka Bay. You don't visit Kobe for the sights, which are of limited interest, but more for its human scale, dramatic location on a sliver of land between the sea and Rokko-san, its cosmopolitan atmosphere and great range of food.
Although Kobe has almost totally recovered from the 1995
earthquake
, it has far from forgotten this horrific event; one of the city's most interesting new "attractions" is the
Kobe Phoenix Plaza
, which documents the quake and its aftermath. The nearby
Kobe City Museum
, covering the port's earlier illustrious history, is also worth a look, as is the space-age
Fashion Museum
on the man-made Rokko Island, east of the city harbour.
Heading into hills, you can relax at
Arima Onsen
, one of Japan's oldest spa resorts. West of the city is the
Akashi Kaikyo Ohashi
, the longest suspension bridge in the world
, linking Kansai directly with Shikoku via Awaji-shima. Continue some 55km further west along the coast and you'll arrive at
Himeji
, home of Japan's best original castle Himeji-jo, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1993.
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