Rugby World UK – August 2019

Arts and crafts, hot springs and hikes

• and, of course, Kobe beef. This Japan
  2019 venue has much to offer...

C

The Culture Vulture
Arima Onsen is the oldest hot
spring in Japan and it is rated
as one of the top three in the country. It
has two kinds of spring, which is very rare.
The reddish-brown Kinsen is beneficial
for keeping your body hot and healing
your back pain, while the transparent
sparkling spring, Ginsen, contains a lot
of minerals, which is good for beauty.
Just 30 minutes from Kobe city centre, a
visit to the onsen also allows you to see a
geisha dance display as well as traditional
crafts, such as Arima baskets and dolls.
The Takenaka Carpentry Tools Museum
not only provides plenty of background
on Japan’s building and crafts techniques,
but you can also try
your hand at making
things yourself.
Visit the 500-year-old
camphor tree in the
serene Sorakuen Garden
in the city. There is also
a café overlooking the
Japanese garden if
you fancy a pit stop.

F

The Foodie
The food that
always comes to
mind when talking about
Kobe is, of course, Kobe
beef. Only cows which
have passed a rigorous examination can
be labelled as such and the soft meat,
marbled with fat, is loved by both the
Japanese and foreigners.
Kobe is not just about the beef, though.
Other local delicacies include sobameshi
(rice and noodles), dumplings with miso
sauce, and bokkake (small cuts of beef
and chopped konnyaku with
a sweet and spicy sauce).
Kobe’s Nada district is
Japan’s top sake-producing
region. It has long been
famous for its sake
due to the availability

of high-quality rice, suitable water and

favourable weather conditions in the area.

A

The Adventurer

If you want to hike or trek, head

to Nunobiki Waterfalls, which are

near Shin-Kobe Shinkansen station. Not

only will you get to see massive falls –

one of Japan’s top three – but you’ll also

have a brilliant view of Kobe city.

Plus, the hiking pass will take you

to the Nunobiki Herb Garden.

There are trekking routes

on Mount Rokko too.

You can also take a tour of

the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge,

which offers a panoramic

view 300 metres above the

sea. You’ll be given information

on the bridge’s history and

Kobe

RW PromotionTravel

Special art events will take place in

this host city during the World Cup

Culture trip

Arima Onsen

Get there

Kobe is just 12 minutes

by bullet train from Osaka or

two hours, 40 minutes from

Tokyo. You can also fly to Kobe

Airport from Tokyo (70min),

Sapporo (115min) and

Okinawa (130min)