Hyogo-ken Travel and Tourism Guide

This is another example of how my trip was influenced by a travbuddy blog! I saw it and wanted to visit the castle, I didn't even know they had castles in Japan before... Since Himeji is on the way from Hiroshima to Kyoto, we had mapped it out and to make a stop in Himeji for the day before continuing to Kyoto, instead of going to Kyoto first, then make a day trip back to Himeji.In Japan, it seemed all the train stations have lockers of various sizes so it was convenient to put our luggege in...

Last school year I was looking through a Japanese/English dictionary that my students were using and I saw a picture of an amazing castle. I asked Nagaosa Sensei where the castle was and she said it was in Himeji which was by Kyoto. Of course once Andrea and I started planning this trip I (in my spoiled brat way) said that we were going to Himeji to see the castle and she had no say in the matter. Luckily Andrea can deal with me in that mood and said “fine”.

Dinner!!! Kobe beef in Kobe - I was so looking forward to this. The restaurant name is in japanese but i took a picture (looks like a christmas sign) - i had had kobe before in the U.S. but it is so different here. The authentic kobe (or wagyu) beef is so marbled, tender and flavorful ... mmm... some of the other travelers felt it was too rich and intense - I was more than happy to eat their share ... they also served the beef with fried garlic chips - quite a good complement in texture ...

I have been living in Osaka for the last 8 years so I thought i would add some places of interest so you can decide where to go if you come to Kansai