You will receive a free quarterly E-mail Newsletter! Ryokan & Restaurants in Hyogo which are English-friendly. Guided Tours Available by volunteers in Hyogo Translation Service is also available. ~Castles & Castle Towns~ Castles & Castle Towns [ Sample Itinerary ] Himeji Castle(Harima) / Akashi Castle(Harima) / Ako Castle(Harima) Tatsuno Castle(Harima) / Takeda Castle Ruins(Tajima) / Izushi Castle(Tajima) Sasayama Castle(Tanba) / Sumoto Castle(Awaji) AKASHI CASTLE designated as an important cultural asset, UO-NO-TANA FISH MARKET with 400 years of history and others. Akashi Castle is one of the 100 best cherry blossom-viewing spots and the blossoms are at their best at the beginning of April. The place is also famous for Uo-no-Tana, one of the biggest fish markets in Japan. From Kobe to Akashi Sannomiya Station – about 20 minutes by JR Sanyo line – Akashi Station Akashi Station 2 minutes by Sanyo Railway Hitomarumae 3 minutes on foot AKASHI MUNICIPAL PLANETARIUM TEL:078-919-5000 Akashi Municipal Planetarium stands on the meridian of 135 degrees east longitude, which decides Japanese standard time. Planetarium films are shown and you can learn about the heavenly bodies and space. Open: 9:30-17:00 Closed: Monday and the second Tuesday Admission: ¥700 **For more information http://www.hyogo-tourism.jp/english/e_harima/ 3 minutes on foot Hitomarumae Station 2 minutes by Sanyo Railway Akashi Station 5 minutes on foot AKASHI CASTLE (AKASHI PARK) TEL:078-912-7600 Akashi Castle was built in 17th century. Two turrets and stonewalls survive still now, and the turrets are designated as important cultural assets. A garden on the premises of Akashi Castle, which is said to have been made by Musashi Miyamoto, a great swordsman , was restored and has been opened to the public since 2003. **For more information http://www.hyogo-tourism.jp/english/castle_town/ 10 minutes on foot UO-NO-TANA FISH MARKET TEL:078-911-9666 Uo-no-Tana Fish Market has a history of about 400, the same as that of Akashi Castle. There you see an array of fresh seafood caught in the Akashi strait. The market is very popular not only with local people but also tourists from around Japan. **For more information http://www.hyogo-tourism.jp/english/e_harima/ AKASHI YAKI The well-known Akashi dish, Akashi-yaki. Small pieces of octopus are placed inside a ball- shaped mold containing a mixture of flour and eggs and this is then fried. Akashi-Yaki is eaten by dipping it in a thin soup. Akashi-yaki is sold from no less than 120 eateries and vendors around Akashi City. Okonomiyakidojo TEL:078-911-8084 Syochiku TEL:078-912-0091 Kodama TEL:078-913-0160 **For more information http://www.hyogo-tourism.jp/english/e_harima/ 5 minutes on foot Akashi Station 6 minutes by JR Okubo Station 4 minutes on foot AKASHI RAMEN HATOBA TEL:078-934-2277 AKASHI RAMEN HATOBA is a theme park for ramen, Chinese noodle soup. Each shop flies a flag indicating a large catch and the park produces the atmosphere of a wharf. There are 8 ramen shops; 4 of the top shops in Setouchi and 4 of the most popular ramen shops in Japan. Here you can enjoy the taste of popular Japanese ramen. Open: 10:00-22:00 4 minutes on foot Okubo Station 10 minutes by JR Asagiri Station 8 minutes on foot TATSU NO YU TEL:078-912-1268 It has ten kinds of bath, such as an open-air bath, an electric bath, and so on. The open-air bath commands a beautiful view of the Akashi kaikyo strait Open: 10:00am-2:00am Closed on third Tuesday of each month Admission: ¥550,¥600 (on Saturday, Sunday and National holidays) The Top of This Page Hyogo Tourism Association Hyogo Prefectural Government Bldg. No.1,5-10-1 Shimoyamate-dori, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo, Japan Postal Code:650-8567 Tel:078-361-7661 Fax:078-361-7662 e-mail: