TID Travel Journal "Takarazuka Travelogue"   By TID, Summer 2009 update

On a sunny day at the end of May I visited Takarazuka City and walked to many tourist spots near several stations on Hankyu Takarazuka Line.

Takarazuka is located in the south-eastern part of Hyogo. It consists of a southern residential area and a northern farming area which is surrounded by nature. It is about 30 minutes by train to either Osaka or Kobe. The area is 101.89km² and it has a population of 224,000.

More than 10 million tourists visit Takarazuka every year. It is not only famous for the Takarazuka Revue and hot springs, but there are also many historical shrines and temples such as Nakayamadera Temple (for safe child birth) or Kiyoshikojin (for the kitchen god).

Beside these things, there are other tourist attractions such as the JRA Hanshin Race Cource or golf courses. Hiking courses surrounded by nature or a city walking tour are also some of the attractions. A gardening industry in Yamamoto has several hundreds years of history and is nationally famous for the traditional plant farms.

First I visited Ai-Ai Park. To get there I got off the train at Yamamoto Station on the Hankyu Takarazuka Line. The sign to the park is very clear, so it was easy to get there without getting lost.

Ai-Ai Park

The park was made to look like the English county of Surry in the 17th century. Some gardening shops and a restaurant are inside. Many older people visit to see beautiful flowers and plants. Across the street there is a park and a pond. Married couple and their small child were walking in the park merrily. I could see a jet that departed from Osaka International Airport (Itami) overhead.

Access:	5 minute walk from Hankyu Yamamoto Station
Address:	2-2-1 Yamamoto Higashi, Takarazuka
Tel:	0797-82-3570
URL:	http://www.aiaipark.co.jp/

Nakayamadera Temple

Next I visited Nakayamadera Temple. Got out of the train at Nakayamadera Station and reached the main gate of the temple a couple of minutes later. Many pilgrims visit this temple. Nakayamadera is known as the place to pray for an easy birth. It was built by Shotoku Taishi to enshrine Princess Onaka and Prince Oshikuma. It has been destroyed by fires several times and the current building was reconstructed by Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
The principal image of the Juichimen Kanzeon Bosatsu (11-Faced Goddess of Mercy) carved from wood is an Important Cultural Property. To my surprise there are escalators and elevators so that the elderly can go up to the temples scattered on the hill side. There is a tea room and a restaurant for worshippers. It commands a fine view from the top of the temple.

Access:	1 minute walk from Hankyu Nakayamadera Station
Address:	2-11-1 Nakayamadera, Takarazuka
Tel:	0797-87-0024
URL:	http://www.nakayamadera.or.jp/top.html

Mefu Jinja (shrine)

Then I moved on to Mefu Jinja Shrine. I got off at Mefu Jinja Station and walked up to the enterance. Mefu Jinja was built in 610 and is dedicated to the god of clothing, food, wealth, and marriage. There is a stone signpost that says "Mefusha" in Japanese and was constructed in 1736 which has been designated as a cultural asset by Takarazuka City. The shrine grounds are also designated as a protected nature area.

Access:	5 minute walk from Hankyu Mefu-Jinja Station
Address:	1-1 Mefuyamate-cho, Takarazuka
Tel:	0797-86-4236
URL:	http://kamnavi.jp/mn/kinki/mefu.htm

Kiyoshi-kojin Seichoji Temple

My fourth destination was Kiyoshi-kojin Seichoji Temple more commonly known as "Kojin-san." It is about 1 km from the exit of Kiyoshikojin Station to the main gate of the temple. After about a 15 minute walk, I reached the temple. There are about 200 restaurants and souvenir shops along the easy slope that produce the atmosphere of temple town on both sides of the approach to the temple. When I neared the main gate I heard the sound of little streams and the song of birds. Kiyoshi-kojin Seichoji Temple is dedicated to the god of the hearth and the god of fire.
Thus, various sized fire-handling chopsticks are donated here. It was built in 896 (Heian Era). The principle image is a seated Buddha that has been designated as an Important Cultural Property. Special ceremonial days are held on the 27th and 28th of every month, and during the New Years holidays. In the precincts there are Kiyoshi-kojin Seichoji Temple Shiryokan (Historical Museum) and the Tessai Bijutukan Museum of Art).

Access:	15 minute walk from Hankyu Kiyoshi-kojin Station
Address:	1 Kiyoshi Maitani, Takarazuka
Tel:	0797-86-6641
URL:	http://www.kiyoshikojin.or.jp/

[Kiyoshi-kojin Seichoji Temple Historical Memorial Hall]

Open:	9:30 - 16:30
Closed:	Beginning and end of the year, mid-August, exhibit rearrangement periods
Admission:	Free

[The Tessai Museum]

Sometimes delicate, sometimes fearful, Tomioka Tessai is a giant of modern Japanese painting, who is esteemed around the world. The Tessai Museum holds over one thousand pieces of Tessai's art.

Open:	10:00 - 16:30
Closed:	Monday
Admission:	Adult ¥300
Access:	20minute walk from Hankyu Kiyoshi-kojin Station
Tel:	0797-84-9600
URL:	http://www.kiyoshikojin.or.jp/tessai/

After visiting the shrines and temples along the Hankyu Takarazuka Line, I headed for the downtown Takarazuka. I walked on the Hana no Michi and passed by the Takarazuka Grand Theater.

Takarazuka Grand Theater

Performances of the Takarazuka Revue are very famous in and abroad. Revues at the Theater are on 5 week rotations performing 10 plays in one year. When I visited Takarazuka I had no time to see the revue and I hope to visit in the future. Some ladies were waking and talking about the getting tickets. They said it was very difficult to get tickets if you didn't purchase them ahead of time.

Closed:	Wednesday
Access:	10 minute walk from Hankyu/JR Takarazuka Station
Address:	1-1-57 Sakaemachi, Takarazuka
Tel:	0570-00-5100 (10:00-17:00)
URL:	http://kageki.hankyu.co.jp/english/index.html

Next I visited the Takarazuka Garden Fields.

The Takarazuka Garden Fields

-A Park to relax with the pets in the presence of nature.

[Seasons, the British Botanical Gardens]

This British style garden is about 9,000m2. Inside this area is a smaller garden known as the Green Room. Its border consists of hedges and stonewalls. The inside is divided into 12-themed sections surrounding a pond. The designer of this garden is a British man called Paul Smither. The main part of the garden is decorated with a variety of perennial plants creating an enjoyable experience each time you visit.

[Dog Run-Do, the Pet Park]

This is a place where people can fully enjoy a lifestyle with dogs. The facilities consist of a park where visitors can meet various breeds and a space for dogs to run freely with their owners. When I visited there I saw some families playing with dogs.

Open:	10:00 - 17:30 (From November until February closed at 17:00)
Closed:	Wednesdays (Open on Wednesday during the spring and holiday seasons)
Admission:	(for Seasons) Adult: ¥600, Child: ¥300 (for Dog Run Do) Adult ¥600, Child ¥300
Access:	8 minute walk from Hankyu/JR Takarazuka Station
Address:	1-1-57 Sakaemachi, Takarazuka
Tel:	0797-85-6210

Then I moved to the Osammu Tezuka Manga Museum.

The Osamu Tezuka Manga Museum

The museum had been closed because of flu but fortunately it was open when I visited. Seeing the old comic books reminded me of my youth. I saw Osamu Tezuka's video biography at the Atom Vision Video Hall. The facilities include the following:
-a library where all of his published comic books are kept;
-Atomvision, a theater for the presentation of animated works;
-Anime workshop, where visitors can experience producing animation.

Open:	9:30 – 17:00
Closed:	Wednesday
Admission:	Adult ¥500 Junior & Senior High School Student ¥300 Child ¥100
Access:	10 minute walk from Hankyu/JR Takarazuka Stations
Address:	7-65 Mukogawa-cho, Takarazuka
Tel:	0797-81-2970

Next I visited Iwashizu Jinja.

Iwashizu Jinja (shrine)

Takarazuka City has designated the main shrine a cultural asset. I thought the appearance of the worshipper's hall is wonderful. About 10,000km² have been preserved and make up a large park where people like to relax.

Access:	5 minute walk from Hankyu Sakasegawa Station
Address:	1-4-3 Isoshi, Takarazuka
Tel:	0797-72-3265

The last destination was JRA Hanshin Race Course.

JRA Hanshin Race Course

One of the 5 classic races in the country, the Oka-sho, (Japanese 1,000 Guineas) is held in April and marks the opening of the season. The Oka-sho is a Japanese domestic grade one flat horse race for three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is a magnet for horse racing fans. The grand prix race the Takarazuka Kinen is in June. An all-Star run since the horses have been chosen by the fans. All of the most popular horses compete together. All of the most popular horses compete together. Fun for the whole family, this spot also includes a park for children to play in, as well as an area to experience horseback riding. The Amenity Hall is established near the main gate. It displays panels and pictures on historical matters on the Hanshin Race Course.
There was no racing when I visited but I was surprised to see the huge facilities.

Access:	5 minute walk from Hankyu Nigawa Station
Address:	1-1 Komano-cho, Takarazuka
Tel:	0798-51-7151
URL:	http://japanracing.jp/en/index.html

At around five in the evening I left Takarazuka City for home. It was a memorable and impressive day for me because I have never been many places in Takarazuka except Hankyu Takarazuka Station area.