Kansai

Kansai

The Kansai Region is a treasure house of Japanese history, culture and economy. Situated in the heart of the region, the district covering Osaka, Kyoto, Nara and Kobe was the capital until about 125 years ago, and the center of international exchange. In many aspects, it has played a leading role in Japan.

Each area of the Kansai Region has its own unique features. Osaka has prospered for about 400 years as the commercial and industrial center of Japan. It has also nurtured a unique entertainment culture including bunraku (Japanese traditional puppet theater). This year, Osaka celebrates the 1350th anniversary of the shift of the capital from Nara to Naniwa-no-miya in Osaka. The city is now emerging as an international base of economy, trade and business.

The third biggest city in Japan, Osaka is three hours by bullet train and one hour by airplane from Tokyo. It lies in the center of the Kansai Region. Each area in the city displays a depth of individuality: Kita (north), is the area around Umeda Station of Japan Railway Company (JR); the center of Osaka City features Minami (south), near Shinsai-bashi, with a concentration of fashion stores and gourmet restaurants; the bay area has been steadily developing since Universal Studios Japan (USJ) appeared; Higashi-Osaka (east) is not as famous but is surrounded by bountiful nature; and Sakai, the popular beach bristling with major amusement facilities and shopping malls.

Osaka Tenmangu is dedicated to Sugawara Michizane, who was deified as the patron of scholarship and literature. Many students visit the shrine before taking their school entrance examinations. It is also famous for Tenjin-matsuri, one of the three biggest festivals in Japan, which boasts a 1,000-year history. During the festival, bonbai-ten (an exhibition of plum tree bonsai; Sugawara is known to have loved plum trees) is held where you can see venerable trees such as dwarfed plum trees over 200 years old.

Osaka Castle has been restored twice since Toyotomi Hideyoshi built the first tenshu-kaku (donjon). It is believed to have been completed around 1585, but it burned down in Osaka natsuno-jin (the battle of Osaka between Toyotomi and Tokugawa forces) in 1615. Several years later, it was completely renovated by the Tokugawa shogunate, but was hit by lightning and burned down when the fourth Ietsuna was the shogunate. The present castle is a replica planned by Osaka City as a commemorative project celebrating the Emperor Showa’s coronation in 1928.

Kobe, situated 30 minutes by train from Osaka, has prospered as a port city since around the Meiji Restoration in 1868. It has long been known as an entry point for foreign cultures and is very exotic. It is a popular sightseeing spot where people can spend a fashionable day shopping, enjoying famous pastry shops and bakeries, and making an eating tour of ethnic cuisines. Kobe is only half an hour away from the well-known Arima hot spring. It also offers the natural beauty of Awaji Island as well as Takarazuka, with its two contrasting features: a vivacious operetta house and streets that still have the atmosphere of an old-time hot spring town. Why not visit Kobe, a city filled with attractive places of history and culture?

Kobe Port Tower This 180-meter-tall landmark of Kobe is one of the most famous locations for enjoying a night view. Its observation room offers a 360-degree panoramic view featuring the gorgeously illuminated Mosaic Garden.

Himeji Castle

Himeji Castle, along with Horyuji was the first Japanese cultural asset to be registered as part of the world cultural heritage of the United Nations Education, Science and Culture Organization (UNESCO) in December 1993. Of all the existing castles in Japan, Himeji Castle is perhaps the most highly regarded worldwide for its unique architectural design. The castle complex consists of a large principal tower and small subsidiary towers, boasts a stunning appearance which has won it the name Shirasagi (white egret), and has an ingenious function as a fortress made possible by elaborate design and devices. The edifice within uchikuruwa, or inner compound, is preserved in excellent condition, with the ancient architectural style maintained almost intact. It is a great place of interest and not to be missed.

Koya-san is about two hours by train from Osaka. It is interspersed with more than 120 temples established by Kobodaishi of the Shingon sect of Buddhism in 816. Koya-san means Mt. Koya, but in fact, there is no such mountain. Rather, it is a collective term for the mountains of altitude of some 1,000 meters that feature in the area. The mountains include Benten-dake (984.5 m), Jinga-mine (1105.8 m), Yoryu-zan (1008.5 m) and Mani-san (1004 m).

Over its history, Koya-san has been subject to as many as four fires that burned down a majority of the temples in the mountains. It is easy to imagine what terrible damage they must have wrought to the cultural assets. In the Meiji period, the cultural assets were destroyed or scattered and lost in the anti-Buddhist movement followed by the major fires. One cannot help but feel regret.

Only the cultural assets that escaped this danger remain today. There are still 23 national treasures, 188 important cultural assets, and 40 cultural assets designated by Wakayama Prefecture. Many other cultural assets have been handed down and are potential designated assets. Koya-san indeed deserves to be known for its wealth of cultural assets and as a sanctuary for religious art.