[Kinosaki Mugiwarazaiku Densyokan(Kinosaki Straw Works Orally Hand Down Museum)]
A handicraft truly unique to this area of Japan is called Mugiwarazaiku, a form of Japanese straw-working. The techniques used in this craft have been refined to the current level of mastery over a period of about 300 years.
It is reported that the origin of Japanese straw-work began in the first half of the 18th century. Hanshichi came from Inaba district (current Tottori Prefecture) to bathe in the spas here and he weaved the red, blue and yellow straws around bamboo pipes and sold them. About 40 works made by modern craftsmen are on display on the first floor and about 200 works made from the Edo period to the Meiji, Taisho and the early Showa are display on the second floor.

[Kinosaki Town Museum of Literature]
There is a small art and literature museum located across the Otani Stream from Kiyamachi-dori. This museum was constructed in the style of a traditional Japanese storage house. Inside, one can find the works of poets, authors, artists, and other famous people reflecting on Kinosaki. There is a Japanese straw-work manufacturing experience corner in the museum. All the visitors from the U.S. participated, making nice Japanese straw-works and took them back as souveniors. The local newspaper “The Kobe Shimbun”, wrote an article about their experience in the next day’s morning paper.

[Welcome Reception]
In the evening the Kinosaki Tourism Association held a welcome reception at a restaurant near JR Kinosaki Station. Attendants from the sponsors were Deputy-mayor Okuda of Toyooka City, Chairman, Board of Education Mr. Ota of the same city, Mr. Nishimura (former Mayor of Kinosaki-cho) and local influential persons. The Americans enjoyed fresh crab meats local local shochu.

[Hyogo Prefectural Homeland for the Oriental White Stork]
In the morning of October 12 we visited the Homeland for the Oriental White Stork. The stork population decreased rapidly after the Second World War. Successive governments attempted to conserve the storks through local community projects and began captive breeding in 1965. 25 years later, the first chicks produced through artificial breeding were successfully hatched in 1989. Thereafter, the captive population increased reaching 100 birds in 2002. A Homeland for the Oriental White Stork was established by the Hyogo Prefecture to promote propagation and reintroduction of the storks in 1999.
When we arrived there at the opening time of 9:00 a.m. many school pupils and kindergarten children were already there and raised sounds merrily. Mr. Kenjirou Hamada, Director General of the Municipal Ecomuseum Center “Kounopia” kindly showed us around the homeland for the oriental white storks. The oriental white storks make nests in high places. One month later the stork’s eggs will finish incubating and two month later it will be able to fly. But sometimes the eggs are attacked by crows. About 50 years ago there were about 10 living storks and they are in danger of extinction. Now there are 118 living. As a first step to reintroduce the stork on September 24 they released 5 caged birds. Now three are in the cage. The stork lays four to five eggs at one time. One or two, and if they are lucky three or four, will survive. The stork lay eggs twice or so a year.
Some of the storks of artificial incubation will live more than 30 years in comparison with those inactive, whilch will live about 20 years. I was impressed with the efforts of all concerned. Annual visitors to the homeland were 150,000~160,000. I hope more people will visit there to learn how they handle artificial breeding.

[Izusi Castle Town]
The last destination in Hyogo Prefecture was Izushi. Izushi is a castle town. Ms. Horikawa, a guide, kindly showed us inside the Izushi castle town.
According to her, the Izushi Citizens opposed the construction of railroads due to the reason their lands and houses would be lost. As a result, the rows of old houses standing shoulder to shoulder of Izushi remained. The castle was broken down in the Meiji Era. Izushi is very hot in the summer and very cold in the winter because this area is a basin. In winter they have much snow but no ski slope because Kannabe, a very famous ski slopes is near Izushi. There are no skyscrapers in the city because the citizens wish to keep the castle town. To my surprise there are many soba-shops all over the place. The origin of soba in Izushi was the feudal lord who came from the noted soba district in Nagano and settled there. There are 50 soba-shops in this area of a population of 11,000. Most of the customers are tourists.
We took the American participants to the famous soba-shop for lunch. Then we took a walk around the town.