30 July, 2010

City Filled with Traditional Japanese Culture

The other day, I had the chance to visit Tajima region in nothern Hyogo prefecture.
It was about a three hour drive from Sannomiya (Kobe), but the beautiful scenery made the trip feel very short.

First we visited the Hyogo Prefectural Tajima Ranch Park. There, we had the chance to learn the history of  Tajima beef as well as their management strategies. Tajima beef is known to be one of the best beef in the country, so their quality management is extremely strict. It was very interesting to hear the amount of effort they put into protecting the quality of their beef and their cattle. In fact, the best part of the Tajima beef that meet all the requirements is called the “Kobe beef” which is loved by many people around the world.


Hyogo Prefectural Tajima Ranch Park
 

20 July, 2010

Visiting Fukusaki Town (Part 2 of 2)


After we enjoyed our delicious lunch, we then visited Gin-no-bashadou, which means “carriage road for silver” in English. Built in the early Meiji era, it was the first major industrial road in Japan. Connecting Ikuno Silver Mine and Himeji, this 49km road was busy with carriage transporting silver. It is used as a public road now, but there are many buildings along the side of the road that are present from that time period.

09 July, 2010

Visiting Fukusaki Town (Part 1 of 2)


Last month, I visited the town of Fukusaki!

Located in the southwestern part of Hyogo prefecture, it’s about an hour and a half by train from Kobe.

The town is known for being the hometown of Kunio Yanagita, the first person to extensively study Japanese folklore, and also for the beautiful Nagusa Waterfall. The town is also famous for its mochi-mugi, a popular type of wheat used for a variety of dishes in this town.

01 July, 2010

TID Blog: Welcome to GO! GO! Hyogo!

Hello everyone! We’re the Hyogo Tourism Association!

Today we’re celebrating the launch of our official blog: GO! GO! HYOGO!

The bloggers are all members of the Tourist Information Desk, or the TID. Their job is to promote tourism in Hyogo and support tourists coming to Hyogo. There are three members of the TID, Ping, Soo, and Shark. They are all bilingual, so the TID can cover not only the local tourists but the visitors from around the world.
As for me, I'm Hana, and I'm in charge of this blog as well as the Hyogo Tourism Association's website.

In GO! GO! HYOGO, we’re going to introduce everything there is to know about Hyogo. From interesting places to delicious food, exciting activities, and many more!


Hyogo is now in tsuyu, or the rainy season.

When Japanese people think of the rainy season, we often associate it with the flower Hydrangea. The colorful flowers of Hydrangea stand out beautifully in a dark, rainy, day. Here are some pictures of Hydrangea.


Starting from the next issue, one of the TID members will update this blog. We’ll post tons of interesting topics and information so we truly hope you’ll enjoy it. See you on the next TID Blog!


Hana (Hyogo Tourism Association)