is a

prefecture A prefecture (from the Latin word, "''praefectura"'') is an administrative jurisdiction traditionally governed by an appointed prefect. This can be a regional or local government subdivision in various countries, or a subdivision in certain inter ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

located in the

Kansai region The or the lies in the southern-central region of Japan's main island Honshū. The region includes the prefectures of Nara, Wakayama, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyōgo and Shiga, often also Mie, sometimes Fukui, Tokushima and Tottori. The metropol ...

Honshu , historically known as , is the largest of the four main islands of Japan. It lies between the Pacific Ocean (east) and the Sea of Japan (west). It is the list of islands by area, seventh-largest island in the world, and the list of islands by ...

. Hyōgo Prefecture has a population of 5,469,762 () and a geographic area of . Hyōgo Prefecture borders

Kyoto Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Kyoto Prefecture has a population of 2,561,358 () and has a geographic area of . Kyoto Prefecture borders Fukui Prefecture to the northeast, Shiga Prefecture ...

to the east,

Osaka Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Osaka Prefecture has a population of 8,778,035 () and has a geographic area of . Osaka Prefecture borders Hyōgo Prefecture to the northwest, Kyoto Prefecture to the north, Nara ...

to the southeast, and

Okayama is the prefectural capital, capital Cities of Japan, city of Okayama Prefecture in the Chūgoku region of Japan. The Okayama metropolitan area, centered around the city, has the largest urban employment zone in the Chugoku region of western J ...

and Tottori prefectures to the west.

Kobe Kobe ( ; , ), officially , is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. With a population of around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's List of Japanese cities by population, seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Port of Toky ...

is the capital and largest city of Hyōgo Prefecture, and the seventh-largest city in Japan, with other major cities including

Himeji 260px, Himeji City Hall is a city located in Hyōgo Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 525,682 in 227,099 households and a population density of 980 persons per km2. The total area of the city is ...

Nishinomiya 270px, Nishinomiya City Hall 270px, Aerial view of Nishinomiya city center 1985 270px, Hirota Shrine is a city located in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 484,368 in 218,948 households and a population density ...

, and

Amagasaki 270px, Amagasaki Castle 270px, Aerial view of Amagasaki city center 270px, Amagasaki Station is an industrial city located in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 455,555 in 223,812 households, and a population de ...

. Hyōgo Prefecture's mainland stretches from the

Sea of Japan The Sea of Japan is the marginal sea between the Japanese archipelago, Sakhalin, the Korean Peninsula, and the mainland of the Russian Far East. The Japanese archipelago separates the sea from the Pacific Ocean. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it ...

to the

Seto Inland Sea The , sometimes shortened to the Inland Sea, is the body of water separating Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu, three of the four main islands of Japan. It serves as a waterway connecting the Pacific Ocean to the Sea of Japan. It connects to Osaka Ba ...

, where Awaji Island and a small

archipelago An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands. An archipelago may be in an ocean, a sea, or a smaller body of water. Example archipelagos include the Aegean Islands (the o ...

of islands belonging to the prefecture are located. Hyōgo Prefecture is a major economic center,

transportation hub A transport hub is a place where passengers and cargo are exchanged between vehicles and/or between transport modes. Public transport hubs include railway stations, rapid transit stations, bus stops, tram stops, airports, and ferry slips. ...

, and tourist destination in western Japan, with 20% of the prefecture's land area designated as Natural Parks. Hyōgo Prefecture forms part of the Kobe metropolitan area and

Osaka metropolitan area is a metropolitan region in the Kansai region of Japan encompassing the metropolitan areas of the cities of Kyoto in Kyoto Prefecture, Osaka in Osaka Prefecture and Kobe in Hyōgo Prefecture. The entire region has a population () of 19,302,746 o ...

, the second-most-populated urban region in Japan after the

Greater Tokyo area The Greater Tokyo Area is the most populous metropolitan area in the world, consisting of the Kantō region of Japan (including Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolis and the prefectures of Chiba Prefecture, Chiba, Gunma Prefecture, Gunma, Ibaraki Prefecture, ...

and one of the world's most productive regions by

GDP Gross domestic product (GDP) is a monetary measure of the total market value of all the final goods and services produced and rendered in a specific time period by a country or countries. GDP is often used to measure the economic performance o ...

History

Present-day Hyōgo Prefecture includes the former

provinces A province is an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outside Italy. The term ''provi ...

of Harima, Tajima, Awaji, and parts of Tanba and

Settsu is a city located in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 87,143 in 40,825 households and a population density of 5700 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . It is a suburban city of Osaka City and a pa ...

. In 1180, near the end of the

Heian period The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kammu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means in Japanese. It is a ...

Emperor Antoku was the 81st emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. His reign spanned the years from 1180 through 1185. His death marked the end of the Heian period and the beginning of the Kamakura period. During this time, the Im ...

Taira no Kiyomori was a military leader and '' kugyō'' of the late Heian period of Japan. He established the first samurai-dominated administrative government in the history of Japan. Early life Kiyomori was born in Japan, in 1118 as the first son of Taira ...

, and the Imperial court moved briefly to Fukuhara, in what is now the city of Kobe. There the capital remained for five months.

Himeji Castle () is a hilltop Japanese castle complex situated in Himeji, a city in the Hyōgo Prefecture of Japan. The castle is regarded as the finest surviving example of prototypical Japanese castle architecture, comprising a network of 83 rooms with adva ...

, a

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

, is in the city of Himeji. Southern Hyōgo Prefecture was severely devastated by the 6.9 Mw

Great Hanshin earthquake The Great Hanshin Earthquake (, ) occurred on January 17, 1995, at 05:46:53 JST in the southern part of Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, including the region of Hanshin. It measured 6.9 on the moment magnitude scale and had a maximum intensity of 7 o ...

of 1995, which destroyed major parts of Kobe and Awaji, as well as

and Ashiya and the neighboring

, killing nearly 6,500 people.

Geography

Hyōgo has coastlines on two seas: to the north, the

, to the south, the

. On Awaji Island, Hyōgo borders the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...

coastline in the

Kii Channel The , also called the Kii Strait, is a strait separating the Japanese island of Shikoku from the Kii Peninsula on the main island of Honshū. This strait connects the Inland Sea with the Pacific Ocean. The name of the strait derives from Kii P ...

. The northern portion is sparsely populated, except for the city of Toyooka, The central highlands are only populated by tiny villages. Most of Hyōgo's population lives on the southern coast, which is part of the

Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto is a metropolitan region in the Kansai region of Japan encompassing the metropolitan areas of the cities of Kyoto in Kyoto Prefecture, Osaka in Osaka Prefecture and Kobe in Hyōgo Prefecture. The entire region has a population () of 19,302,746 o ...

metropolitan area. Awaji is an island that separates the Inland Sea and

Osaka Bay Osaka Bay (大阪湾 ''Ōsaka-wan'' ) is a bay in western Japan. As an eastern part of the Seto Inland Sea, it is separated from the Pacific Ocean by the Kii Channel and from the neighbor western part of the Inland Sea by the Akashi Strait. I ...

, lying between Honshu and

Shikoku is the smallest of the List of islands of Japan#Main islands, four main islands of Japan. It is long and between at its widest. It has a population of 3.8 million, the least populated of Japan's four main islands. It is south of Honshu ...

. Summertime weather throughout Hyōgo is hot and humid. As for winter conditions, the north of Hyōgo tends to receive abundant snow, whilst the south receives only the occasional flurry. Hyōgo borders on

Tottori Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Tottori Prefecture is the List of Japanese prefectures by population, least populous prefecture of Japan at 538,525 (2023) and has a geographic area of . ...

and

Okayama Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Okayama Prefecture has a population of 1,826,059 (1 February 2025) and has a geographic area of 7,114 Square kilometre, km2 (2,746 sq mi). Okayama Prefecture ...

. 20% of the total land area of the prefecture was designated as Natural Parks, namely the Sanin Kaigan and Setonaikai National Parks;

Hyōnosen-Ushiroyama-Nagisan Quasi-National Park is a List of national parks of Japan, Quasi-National Park in Hyōgo Prefecture, Tottori Prefecture, and Okayama Prefecture, Japan. It was founded on 10 April 1969 and has an area of . Overview Hyōnosen-Ushiroyama-Nagisan Kokutei Kōen comprise ...

; and Asago Gunzan, Harima Chūbu Kyūryō, Inagawa Keikoku, Izushi-Itoi, Kasagatayama-Sengamine, Kiyomizu-Tōjōko-Tachikui, Onzui-Chikusa, Seiban Kyūryō, Seppiko-Mineyama, Tajima Sangaku, and Taki Renzan Prefectural Natural Parks.

Current municipalities

Islands

* Awaji Island * Ieshima Islands Two major artificial islands are located Hyōgo Prefecture: *

Port Island is an artificial island in Chūō-ku, Kōbe, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Japan. It was constructed between 1966-1980 (Phase 1) and 1987-2009 (Phase 2) at the Port of Kobe, and officially opened with an trade fair, exposition called "Portopia '81." It now ho ...

Rokkō Island is a Artificial island, man-made island in Higashinada-ku, Kobe, Hyōgo, Japan. Located in the southeast region of the Port of Kobe, the island has a rectangular shape and covers . The island's central region features a residential area, sepa ...

National parks

* Sanin Kaigan National Park *

Setonaikai National Park is a Japanese national park, comprising areas of Japan's Seto Inland Sea, and of ten bordering Prefectures of Japan, prefectures. Designated a national park in 1934, it has since been expanded several times. It contains about 3,000 islands, know ...

File:Hyonosen02s1760.jpg,

(Mt. Hyonosen view from Yabu) File:Cercidiphyllum japonicum05s3200.jpg,

(Torokawataira in

Kami are the Deity, deities, Divinity, divinities, Spirit (supernatural entity), spirits, mythological, spiritual, or natural phenomena that are venerated in the traditional Shinto religion of Japan. ''Kami'' can be elements of the landscape, forc ...

) File:TakenoBeach Hyogo prefecture.jpg, Sanin Kaigan National Park (Takeno Beach in Toyooka) File:Tajima mihonoura39st3200.jpg, Sanin Kaigan National Park (Tajima-mihonoura of Sanin Coast in Shinonsen)

Mergers

Future mergers

The city of Akō and the only town in Akō District ( Kamigōri), were scheduled to merge and the city would still retain the name Akō. Akō District would be defunct if the merger was successful. However, the merger has not taken place.

Economy

Hyogo prefecture population pyramid in 2020

As in all prefectures nationwide, agriculture, forestry, and fisheries play a big role in the economy of Hyogo Prefecture. Hyōgo Prefecture also has an IT industry, many heavy industries, metal and medical,

Kobe Port The Port of Kobe is a Japanese maritime port in Kobe, Hyōgo in the Keihanshin area, backgrounded by the Hanshin Industrial Region. Located at a foothill of the range of Mount Rokkō, flat lands are limited and constructions of artificial islan ...

being one of the largest ports in Japan. Kobe Port also hosts one of the world's fastest supercomputers, and Hyogo Prefecture passed laws to keep Kobe Port free of nuclear weapons (a

nuclear-free zone A nuclear-free zone is an area in which nuclear weapons and nuclear power plants are banned. The specific ramifications of these depend on the locale in question, but are generally distinct from nuclear-weapon-free zones, in that the latter only b ...

) since the year 1975. Hyōgo is a part of the

Hanshin Industrial Region The is one of the largest industrial regions in Japan. Its name comes from the ''on''-reading of the kanji used to abbreviate the names of Osaka (大阪) and Kobe (神戸), the two largest cities in the megalopolis. The GDP of this area (Osaka ...

. There are two research institutes of

Riken is a national scientific research institute in Japan. Founded in 1917, it now has about 3,000 scientists on seven campuses across Japan, including the main site at Wakō, Saitama, Wakō, Saitama Prefecture, on the outskirts of Tokyo. Riken is a ...

, natural sciences research institute in Japan, in Kobe and Harima. "

SPring-8 SPring-8 (an acronym of Super Photon Ring – 8 GeV) is a synchrotron radiation facility located in Sayo Town, Sayo District, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, which is the main facility of Harima Science Garden City. It was developed jointly by RIKEN a ...

", a synchrotron radiation facility, is in Harima. Port of Kobe01s3780

Culture

National Treasures of Japan

Chōkō-ji Chōkō-ji (朝光寺 ''Chōkōji'') is a Buddhist temple, in Yashiro, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. History According to the official record of the temple, this temple was originally constructed on the Mount Gongen in the 7th century, by Hodo-Shon ...

in Katō *Chorakuji in

Kami, Hyōgo (Mikata) is a town located in Mikata District, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 16,256 in 6368 households and a population density of 44 persons per km². The total area of the town is . The Ojiro neighborhood of the ...

(

) *

Ichijō-ji is a Buddhist temple of the Tendai sect in Kasai, Hyōgo, Kasai, Hyōgo Prefecture, Hyōgo, Japan. It was first established in 650 at Emperor Kōtoku's request, and the temple complex and buildings have undergone several periods of destruction ...

in Kasai * Jōdo-ji in

Ono ONO, Ono or Ōno may refer to: Places Fiji * Ono Island (Fiji) Israel * Kiryat Ono * Ono, Benjamin, ancient site Italy * Ono San Pietro Ivory Coast * Ono, Ivory Coast, a village in Comoé District Japan * Ōno Castle, Fukuoka * ...

Kakurin-ji The is a temple of the Tendai sect in Kakogawa, Hyōgo, Japan. It was established by Prince Shōtoku's instruction in 589. Kakurin-ji's Taishidō was completed in 1112, and Main Hall was finished in 1397. Both are National Treasures of Ja ...

in Kakogawa * Taisan-ji in

File:Jodoji Ono Hyogo01n3200.jpg, Jōdo-ji in

File:Ichijoji Kasai13bs4272.jpg, Ichijo-ji in Kasai File:Kakogawa Kakurinji12n4592.jpg,

in Kakogawa File:Hyogo-mikata-kami-kawai chorakuji-daibutsu.jpg, Chorakuji-daibutsu

Important Preservation Districts for Groups of Historic Buildings in Japan

* Izushi * Kitano-chō Yamamoto-dōri * Sasayama File:Choueke house02 1920.jpg, Kitano-chō Yamamoto-dōri File:Ganjoji-Toyooka02s4592.jpg, Izushi File:Sasayama Okachi-machi05st3200.jpg, Sasayama

Museums

* Asago Art Village in Asago * Ashiya City Museum of Art & History in Ashiya * Hakutsuru Fine Art Museum in Higashinada Ward, Kobe *

Himeji City Museum of Art 260px, Himeji City Hall is a city located in Hyōgo Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 525,682 in 227,099 households and a population density of 980 persons per km2. The total area of the city is ...

Hyōgo Prefectural Museum of Art is a purpose built municipal art gallery in Nada-ku, Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. It was opened in 2002. The major collections of the museum are foreign and Japanese sculptures, foreign and Japanese prints, Western-style and Japanese-style ...

in Nada Ward,

Kobe City Museum The opened in Kobe, Japan in 1982. It is one of Japan's many museums which are supported by a municipality. The museum resulted from the merger of the Municipal Archaeological Art Museum and Municipal Namban Art Museum. The museum is housed i ...

in Chuo Ward, Kobe *

Kobe Maritime Museum Kobe ( ; , ), officially , is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. With a population of around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Tokyo and Yokohama. It is located in the Kansai re ...

in Chuo Ward, Kobe * Kosetsu Museum of Art in Higashinada Ward, Kobe * Tekisui Museum of Art in Ashiya * Osamu Tezuka Manga Museum in Takarazuka File:Hyogo prefectural museum of art08s3200.jpg,

File:Kobe city museum01 1920.jpg,

in Kobe File:Kosetsu Museum：香雪美術館 - panoramio.jpg, KOSETSU Museum of Art in Kobe File:Himeji City Museum of Art20bs4480.jpg,

File:Asago Art Village08n4272.jpg, Asago Art Village in Asago File:Tezuka osamu01 2048.jpg, Osamu Tezuka Manga Museum in Takarazuka

Education

Universities

Amagasaki

Sonoda Women's University 270px, Sonoda Women's University is a private women's college in Amagasaki 270px, Amagasaki Castle 270px, Aerial view of Amagasaki city center 270px, Amagasaki Station is an industrial city located in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. , the city had ...

* St. Thomas University (ex-Eichi University) – closed in 2015

Takarazuka

* Koshien University * Takarazuka University

Sanda

Kwansei Gakuin University , colloquially known as , is a private, non-denominational Christian coeducational university in Japan. The university offers Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctoral degrees to around 25,000 students in almost 40 different disciplines across 11 underg ...

(Sanda Campus)

Nishinomiya

* Kobe College *Kwansei Gakuin University *

Mukogawa Women's University is a private university located near Koshien Stadium in Nishinomiya, Hyōgo, Japan, founded in 1939. It has an international branch campus in Spokane, Washington, United States: Mukogawa U.S. Campus. History * Feb 25, 1939 Educational Corporat ...

Otemae University Otemae University () is a liberal arts oriented school that began in 1946. Located in the Kansai region of Japan, the university has a campus in Osaka and a co-educational branch in Nishinomiya. A third campus for freshman students previously exi ...

Ashiya

Ashiya University is a private university in Ashiya, Hyōgo, Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from th ...

Kobe

* Kobe City University of Foreign Studies *

Kobe Institute of Computing is a private university in Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. History KIC was found by Mr Tomio Fukuoka in . The Graduate School of Information Technology was established in . Fields of study KIC Graduate School of Information Technology has one ...

Kobe Gakuin University is a private, co-educational university located on the western edge of the city of Kobe, in Hyōgo Prefecture in Japan. It was founded in 1966 and overlooks the city of Akashi, the Akashi Straits and the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge - the longest su ...

* Kobe Shukugawa Gakuin University *

Kobe University , also known in the Kansai region as , is a public research university located in Kobe, Hyōgo, Japan. The university was established in 1949, but the academic origins of Kobe University trace back to the establishment of Kobe Higher Commercia ...

* Kobe University of Commerce *

Kobe Women's University is a private women's college in Kobe, Hyōgo, Japan. The predecessor of the school was founded in 1940, and it was chartered as a university in 1966. It has three campuses: * in Sannomiya * on Port Island is an artificial island in Chūō-k ...

Konan University is a university on the slopes of Mount Rokkō in Higashinada-ku, Kobe, Japan. It was founded by business tycoons of major companies for their children. A private university with approximately 10,000 students, it offers a wide variety of progra ...

University of Hyogo The is a public university in Kobe, Hyogo, Japan. History The University of Hyogo (UH) was established in April 2004 by integrating three universities which were run by Hyogo Prefecture government: , and the . At its foundation, UH open ...

* University of Marketing and Distribution Sciences

Kato

Hyogo University of Teacher Education is a national university in Katō, Hyōgo, Japan, founded as "New Concept University" of Teacher Education for Undergraduate and Graduate in 1978. Graduate School satellite campus in Kobe was established in 2000. See also * Darryl Takizo Yag ...

Akashi

Kakogawa

* Hyogo University

Himeji

Himeji Dokkyo University is a private university in Himeji, Hyōgo, Japan. The predecessor of the school was founded in 1881, and it was chartered as a university in 1986. It has many international students relative to other Japanese universities, and is most known for t ...

*Himeji Institute of Technology * Himeji Kinki University *

Akō

High schools

There are 163 public and 52 private high schools within Hyogo prefecture. Of the public high schools, some are administered by the Hyogo prefectural government, whilst the others are administered by local municipalities. * Ashiya International Secondary School, founded 2003

Sports

The sports teams listed below are based in Hyōgo. Baseball *

Hanshin Tigers The are a Nippon Professional Baseball team playing in the Central League. The team is based in Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, next to their main stadium, Hanshin Koshien Stadium. The Tigers are owned by Hanshin Electric Railway Co., ...

(

) *

Orix Buffaloes The are a Nippon Professional Baseball team formed as a result of the 2004 Nippon Professional Baseball realignment by the merger of the Orix BlueWave of Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes of Osaka, Osaka Prefecture ...

(

) Basketball *

Kobe Storks The Kobe Storks () are a professional basketball team based in Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan that compete in the second division of the Japanese B.League. History The club was formed in 2011 as the Hyogo Storks (兵庫ストークス） and enter ...

(

) Football (soccer) *

INAC Kobe Leonessa INAC Kobe(INAC神戸レオネッサ, Ainakku-Kōbe Reonessa) is a professional Japanese women's soccer, football club from Kobe, founded in 2001. INAC stands for International Athletic Club, while Leonessa means Lioness in Italian language, Ita ...

(Women's) (Kobe) *

Vissel Kobe is a Japanese professional football club based in Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture. The club plays in the J1 League, which is the top tier of football in the country. They are currently the J1 League champions. The club's home stadium is Noevir Stad ...

(

) Rugby *

Kobelco Steelers The Kobelco Kobe Steelers are a Japanese rugby union team owned by Kobe Steel, and based in Kobe. They were the first ever Top League champions when the League started in the 2003-2004 season. The team rebranded as Kobelco Kobe Steelers ahead of ...

(

) *

World Fighting Bull World Fighting Bull were a Japanese rugby union team that played in the county's Top League competition. The team was the rugby team of clothing company World Co., based in Kobe in the Kansai The or the lies in the southern-central region of ...

(

) Volleyball *

Hisamitsu Springs is a women's volleyball team based in Kobe, Hyogo, Kobe city, Hyogo and Tosu, Saga, Tosu city, Saga, Japan. It plays in V.League (Japan), V.League 1. The club was founded in 1948. In July 2020 the team announced an official name change from ...

(

) *

JT Marvelous , formerly the , is a women's volleyball team owned by Japan Tobacco, Japan Tobacco Ltd., and based in Nishinomiya, Nishinomiya, Hyogo, Japan. History Osaka Marvelous was established in 1956. Honours Domestic competitions ;V.League (Japane ...

(

)

Tourism

A popular troupe of

Takarazuka Revue The is a Japanese all-female musical theatre troupe based in Takarazuka, Hyōgo, Takarazuka, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. Women play all roles in lavish, Broadway theatre, Broadway-style productions of musicals and stories adapted from films, nov ...

plays in Takarazuka.

Arima Onsen is an onsen, or hot springs in Kita-ku, Kobe, Japan, located near Mount Rokkō. This onsen attracts many Japanese because of its easy access from the busy cities in the Kansai metropolitan area including Osaka and Kobe. Arima Onsen was named ...

in the south of the province in Kita-ku, Kobe is one of the

Three Ancient Springs {{Short description, Group of hot springs in Japan The Three Ancient Springs (日本三古湯, ''Nihon San Kotō'') are a group of ancient ''onsen'' in Japan. According to the ''Nihon Shoki'' and '' Fudoki'', both from the eighth century, they are ...

in Japan. The north of Hyogo Prefecture has sightseeing spots such as Kinosaki Onsen, Izushi, and Yumura Onsen.

Takeda Castle was a Sengoku period Japanese castle located in the Wadayama neighborhood of the city of Asago, in the northern part of Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. It is located north of Himeji, and north-west of Kyoto, and is situated some 353 metres above sea ...

in Asago is often referred to locally as the "Machu Picchu of Japan". The matsuba crab and Tajima beef are both national delicacies. File:170811 Rokko-Arima Ropeway Kobe Japan00n.jpg,

, Kobe File:Night view of Osaka bay.jpg, Million-dollar view, Kobe File:Kobe Mosaic06s4s3200.jpg,

Harborland is a shopping district in Chūō-ku, Kobe, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Japan. Kobe Port Tower is located there. This shopping district was made on the site of the former freight yard, Minatogawa Kamotsu Station of the Japanese National Railways. The yard ...

–

Meriken Park is a waterfront park located in the port city of Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. The park features the Kobe Port Tower, Kobe Maritime Museum, and a memorial to victims of the Great Hanshin earthquake. The name of the park comes from the word " ...

area in Kobe File:Westin Awaji Island Hotel 06.jpg,

Awaji Yumebutai The is a complex comprising a conference center, hotel and memorial in Awaji, Hyōgo, Japan, built near the epicenter of the 1995 Great Hanshin Awaji earthquake. It was designed by Tadao Ando, who had begun planning for the project (as a park ...

in Awaji File:Ichikawa river Ikuno Asago Hyogo01s5bs4272.jpg, Kuchiganaya in Asago File:Kinosaki onsen02 1920.jpg, Kinosaki Onsen File:Yumura onsen11s1920.jpg, Yumura Onsen File:Tonomine highland 01 b.jpg, Tonomine highland in Kamikawa File:Kounotori 06f4439.jpg, Toyooka Stork Park File:20130507 takeda castle 10.jpg, Takeda Castle

Festivals and events

*Miyuki Street New Year's midnight traditional sale, Himeji *Nishinomiya Shrine's Ebisu Festival in January *Yanagihara Ebisu Festival in January, Kobe *Tada Shrine's Genji Festival in April, Kawanishi *Kobe Festival and Parade in May *Aioi Peron Festival in May *Himeji

Yukata A is an unlined cotton summer kimono, worn in casual settings such as summer festivals and to nearby bathhouses. The name is translated literally as "bathing cloth" and originally were worn as bathrobes; their modern use is much broader, and ar ...

Festival in June *Dekansho Bon Dancing Festival in August, Sasayama *Nada Fighting Festival, Himeji *Kobe Luminarie in December *Ako Chushingura Parade

Transportation

Rail

JR West , also referred to as , is one of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group) companies and operates in western Honshu. It has its headquarters in Kita-ku, Osaka. It is listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange, is a constituent of the TOPIX Large70 index, ...

San'yō Shinkansen The is a line of the Japanese Shinkansen high-speed rail network, connecting Shin-Osaka in Osaka with Hakata Station in Fukuoka, the two largest cities in western Japan. Operated by the West Japan Railway Company (JR West), it is a westward co ...

JR Kobe Line JR, J. R. or Jr. may refer to: Arts and entertainment * '' J R'', a 1975 novel by William Gaddis * J. R. Ewing, a ''Dallas'' television character * JR Chandler, an ''All My Children'' television character * '' Jornal da Record'', a Brazilian ne ...

** Wadamisaki Line **

San'yō Main Line The is a major railway line owned by JR Group companies in western Japan, connecting Kōbe Station and Moji Station, largely paralleling the coast of the Seto Inland Sea, in other words, the southern coast of western Honshu. The San'yō Shi ...

** San'in Line ** Fukuchiyama Line (JR Takarazuka Line) **

Kakogawa Line The is a railway line in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West), which connects the cities of Kakogawa and Tamba. The line begins at Kakogawa Station on the JR Kobe Line (Sanyō Main Line) and ends at Tan ...

Bantan Line The is a railway line that connects Himeji and Wadayama station in Asago City, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. The line is operated by the West Japan Railway Company (JR West) and serves as a connector between the Sanyo Main Line and the Sanin Main L ...

Kishin Line is a railway line operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West) between Himeji, Hyōgo and Niimi, Okayama, Japan. The name of the line comes from the first kanji of Himeji () and Niimi () which the line connects. Stations *S: Trains stop *s: ...

Akō Line is a railway line owned by West Japan Railway Company (JR West) between Aioi, Hyōgo to Okayama, Okayama in Japan. A loop line off the Sanyō Main Line, the Akō Line commences at Aioi, is situated south of the main line approximately parallel ...

Hankyu Railway , trading as , is a Japanese private railway company that provides commuter and interurban service to the northern Kansai region. It is one of the flagship properties of Hankyu Hanshin Holdings Inc., in turn part of the Hankyu Hanshin Toho Gr ...

** Kobe Line ** Kobe Kosoku Line ** Itami Line **

Imazu Line Imazu may refer to: People * Eddie Imazu (1897–1979), Japanese art director * Hiroshi Imazu (born 1946), Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party, a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet Places *Ōmi-Imazu Station is a ...

** Koyo Line ** Takarazuka Line * Nose Railway **Myoken Line **Nissei Line * Shintetsu ** Arima Line ** Kobe Kosoku Line ** Sanda Line ** Kōen-Toshi Line **

Ao Line The is a commuter railway line in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, operated by the Kobe Electric Railway (Shintetsu). It connects Kobe with its northwestern suburb, Ono, Hyogo, Ono. The line is long, extending from Suzurandai Station, Suzurandai in K ...

Kobe Municipal Subway The is a rapid transit system in Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. Like other large Japanese cities, Kobe's subway system is heavily complemented by suburban rail. In addition, two people mover lines also serve the Kobe area: the Port Island Line ...

Seishin-Yamate Line The , also known by its nickname of "Midori no U-Line" (), is one of the two lines of the Kobe Municipal Subway. It links the central districts to the east and western suburbs of Kobe. The line color is green. Service pattern The line has a r ...

Kaigan Line The , also known as the "Yumekamome" (), is one of two lines of the Kobe Municipal Subway. Trains of the line are propelled by linear motors. This is the third linear motor rapid transit line to be built in Japan. History Construction of the ...

Hokushin Line The is a line of Kobe Municipal Subway connecting Tanigami in Kita-ku, Kobe and Shin-Kobe in Chūō-ku, Kobe. The line has only these two stations. Formerly operated by the third-sector Hokushin Kyuko Electric Railway ( :ja:北神急行電 ...

*Hojo Railway (Ao-Hojo) *

Hanshin Railway is a Japanese private railway company owned by Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group that links Osaka and Kobe. It also owns the Hanshin Tigers baseball team. The first character for Kobe (神戸) and the second character for Osaka (大阪) combine to form ...

** Main Line ** Kobe Kosoku Line ** Mukogawa Line **

Hanshin Namba Line The is a railway line operated by the private railway operator Hanshin Electric Railway connecting Amagasaki Station in Amagasaki, Hyogo Prefecture, and Ōsaka Namba Station in Chuo-ku, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture, Japan. History The , the pre ...

Sanyo Railway is a former Japanese electronics manufacturer founded in 1947 by Toshio Iue, the brother-in-law of Kōnosuke Matsushita, the founder of Matsushita Electric Industrial, now known as Panasonic. Iue left Matsushita Electric to start his own bus ...

** Main Line ** Aboshi Line *

Chizu Express The is a Japanese third-sector railway that connects Hyōgo Prefecture, Hyōgo, Okayama prefecture, Okayama and Tottori prefectures. The Chizu Line is not electrified, but is a high-grade railroad, and extends a total of . The limited expresses ' ...

Kitakinki Tango Railway is a railway infrastructure company and a former railway operator in Japan. The company's name, which consists of "Kitakinki" meaning northern Kinki region and "Tango" meaning Tango Province, is occasionally abbreviated as KTR. KTR was a so-cal ...

Miyazu Line The is a railway line of the Kyoto Tango Railway in Kyoto Prefecture and Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. Trains on the line are operated by Willer Trains Inc. as part of its Kyoto Tango Railway system. The and the are the aliases assigned by Will ...

People movers

Kobe New Transit is the third-sector semipublic company that runs Port Island Line ("Port Liner") and Rokkō Island Line ("Rokkō Liner") automated guideway transit (AGT) systems in Kobe, Japan. When opened in 1981, the Port Liner was the world's first fully ...

Port Liner The , commonly known as is an urban automated guideway transit (AGT) system in Kobe, Japan, operated by Kobe New Transit. The initial system linked Sannomiya Station, Kobe's main transit hub, to the man-made Port Island, covering a distance o ...

** Rokkō Liner

Road

Expressways

*Bantan Expressway *

Chūgoku Expressway The (part of Asian Highway Network ) is an expressway in Japan, which extends from Suita, Osaka to Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi. It connects Kansai and Chūgoku regions in western Honshu, Japan's main island. Other major cities along the express ...

Hanshin Expressway The is a network of expressways surrounding Osaka, Kobe and Kyoto, Japan. History Operated by , it opened in 1962. Portions of the Hanshin Expressway about east of Fukae Station collapsed during the Kobe earthquake on 17 January 1995 ...

*Kobe-Awaji-Naruto Expressway *Maizuru-Wakasa Expressway *

Meishin Expressway The , or Nagoya-Kōbe Expressway is a toll expressway in Japan. It runs from a junction with the Tōmei Expressway in Komaki, Aichi (outside Nagoya) west to Nishinomiya, Hyōgo (between Osaka and Kobe). It is the main road link between Osaka a ...

San'yō Expressway The (Asian Highway Network ) is an expressway in Japan, running from Kobe through Hiroshima along the Inland Sea and terminating in Yamaguchi Prefecture. The entire length of the expressway was opened in 1997. The main line has a total length of ...

*Second Shinmei road

National highways

*Route 2 *Route 9 *Route 28 *Route 29 *Route 43 *Route 171 *Route 173 *Route 174 (Sannomiya-Kobe Port) *Route 175 *Route 176 *Route 178 *Route 179 *Route 250 *Route 312 *Route 372 *Route 373 *Route 426 *Route 427 *Route 428 *Route 429 *Route 436 *Route 477 *Route 482 *Route 483

Ports

* Akashi Port *

– Mainly international container hub port * Shikama Port – Mainly Shōdo Island route ferry

Airport

Kobe Airport is a primarily domestic airport on an artificial island just off the coast of Kobe, south of Sannomiya StationAIS Japan

* Konotori Tajima Airport

Notable people

* Ume Aoki, manga artist *

Mana Ashida is a Japanese actress, '' talent'' and singer. Her first appearance was in Asahi Broadcasting Corporation's ''ABC Short Movie 2'', though she rose to prominence after acting in the television drama ''Mother''. She became the youngest lead star i ...

, child actress from

Koichi Domoto is a Japanese idol, singer, actor, singer-songwriter, composer, lyricist, television personality, voice actor. Along with Tsuyoshi Domoto (with whom he has no blood-relation), he is a member of the duo Domoto, who holds the Guinness World Recor ...

, singer of

KinKi Kids is a Japanese duo consisting of Koichi Domoto and Tsuyoshi Domoto under the talent agency Starto Entertainment (formerly of Johnny & Associates). Domoto was formed in 1993 as Kinki Kids and officially debuted on July 21, 1997. With more than 30 m ...

Heath A heath () is a shrubland habitat found mainly on free-draining infertile, acidic soils and is characterised by open, low-growing woody vegetation. Moorland is generally related to high-ground heaths with—especially in Great Britain—a coole ...

, musician, singer-songwriter and bassist of

X Japan is a Japanese Rock music, rock band from Chiba Prefecture, Chiba, formed in 1982 by drummer and pianist Yoshiki (musician), Yoshiki and lead vocalist Toshi (musician), Toshi. Starting as a predominantly power metal, power/speed metal band with ...

is from

Hiro Fujiwara is a Japanese manga artist. The manga artist was once active under her previous pen name, at the end of the 1990s, but has abandoned the name after she won the Best Rookie award in the LMS for ''Kaeri Michi, Yuki no Netsu''. Her first series, ...

, manga artist * Miracle Hikaru, comedian and impersonator is from Toyooka *

Kanō Jigorō was a Japanese judoka, educator, politician, and the founder of judo. Judo was one of the first Japanese martial arts to gain widespread international recognition, and the first to become an official Olympic Games, Olympic sport. Pedagogical ...

, founder of the martial art Judo * Jun, musician, singer-songwriter and guitarist of

Phantasmagoria Phantasmagoria (), alternatively fantasmagorie and/or fantasmagoria, was a form of horror theatre that (among other techniques) used one or more magic lanterns to project frightening images – such as skeletons, demons, and ghosts – typicall ...

is from

Shinji Kagawa Shinji Kagawa (, ''Kagawa Shinji'' ; born 17 March 1989) is a Japanese professional footballer and football manager who plays as a midfielder. He is widely regarded as one of the best Japanese players of all time. Kagawa became the first midfie ...

, footballer from

Tomoya Kanki , better known mononymously as Tomoya, is a Japanese musician and drummer of the band One Ok Rock. Life and career Tomoya is the eldest member of ONE OK ROCK. In junior high school, he belonged to the percussion group in a brass band club, p ...

, drummer of One Ok Rock *

Takumi Kawanishi is a Japanese singer and actor. He debuted as a member of the Japanese boy band JO1 in 2020, after placing third in the first season of ''Produce 101 Japan''. He played Sōma Shiki in the live action adaptation of '' Play It Cool, Guys'' ...

(J-pop idol singer and dancer, member of

JO1 is a Japanese boy band formed through the first season of '' Produce 101 Japan'' by Lapone Entertainment. The group is composed of eleven members: Issei Mamehara, Ren Kawashiri, Takumi Kawanishi, Shosei Ohira, Shion Tsurubo, Ruki Shiroiwa, ...

) * Tomomi Ogawa, bassist of

Scandal A scandal can be broadly defined as the strong social reactions of outrage, anger, or surprise, when accusations or rumours circulate or appear for some reason, regarding a person or persons who are perceived to have transgressed in some way a ...

Itzuki Yamazaki is a retired Japanese professional wrestler who is best known as one half of the tag team Jumping Bomb Angels with Noriyo Tateno. Debuting in 1981, she worked with All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling, the World Wrestling Federation, World Championsh ...

, professional wrestler from Ieshima *

Kaoru Kaoru is a Japanese given name for males and females. Name Meanings The name's meaning varies depending on its written form: *薫/郁 — "fragrance", common for both males and females *馨/香 — "fragrance", more common for females *� ...

, guitarist of

Dir En Grey Dir En Grey (stylized as DIR EN GREY and previously as Dir en grey) is a Japanese Heavy metal music, heavy metal band formed in February 1997 and currently signed to Firewall Div., a sub-division of Free-Will. With a consistent lineup of guitari ...

Ayaka Kimura , born October 30, 1981 and known professionally as , is a Japanese actress and former singer. From 1998 to 2008, Nagate was part of Hello! Project as a member of the Japan-based girl group Coconuts Musume. History Nagate joined Hello! Proje ...

, actress, former singer of

Coconuts Musume was a Japanese idol girl group formed by Up-Front Promotion in 1999 and associated with Hello! Project. It was promoted as the "girls from Hawaii". After nine years, the group officially disbanded when Ayaka Kimura graduated from Hello! Project ...

is from Kobe *

Keiko Kitagawa is a Japanese actress. She was an exclusive model for the Japanese '' Seventeen'' magazine from late 2003 to mid-2006, and quit modeling when she left the magazine. Her first acting role was Sailor Mars in the Sailor Moon live action show '' Pret ...

, actress from Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon and Buzzer Beat was born in Kobe *

Miho Komatsu is a former Japanese singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Kobe, Japan, Komatsu began her career as a songwriter, writing "Kono Machi de Kimi to Kurashitai" for Field of View. In May 1997, she released her debut single "Nazo (song), Nazo", w ...

, singer and songwriter from

Yūji Kuroiwa is a Japanese politician and the governor of Kanagawa Prefecture located in Kantō region of Japan.Kobe Kobe ( ; , ), officially , is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. With a population of around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's List of Japanese cities by population, seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Port of Toky ...

, current governor of

Kanagawa Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Kanagawa Prefecture is the List of Japanese prefectures by population, second-most populous prefecture of Japan at 9,221,129 (1 April 2022) and third-dens ...

Kamui Kobayashi is a Japanese racing driver and motorsport executive, who competes in the FIA World Endurance Championship for Toyota Gazoo Racing Europe, Toyota and in Super Formula for KC Motorgroup, KCMG. Kobayashi competed in Formula One from to . In end ...

, former

Sauber Sauber Motorsport AG, currently competing in Formula One as Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber, and also known simply as Kick Sauber or Sauber, is a Swiss motorsport engineering company. It was founded in 1970 (as PP Sauber AG) by Peter Sauber, who pro ...

and

Toyota Racing Toyota Racing may refer to: * Toyota Gazoo Racing * Toyota Motorsport GmbH * Toyota Racing (Formula One team) * Toyota Racing Development * Toyota Racing Series See also

* Toyota Supra in motorsport * Toyota in motorsport {{disambiguation ...

driver from

* Chisa Maekawa, singer of

Girl Next Door The girl next door is a young female stock character who is often used in Romance novel, romantic stories. She is named so because she often lives next door to the protagonist or is a childhood friend. They start out with a friendship that late ...

Kiyomatsu Matsubara was a Japanese people, Japanese marine biologist, ichthyologist, and herpetologist. Born Kiyomatsu Sakamoto in Hyogo Prefecture, Kiyomatsu Matsubara was the first professor of the Department of Fisheries of the University of Kyoto and is consider ...

, ichthyologist, herpetologist and marine biologist *

Hitoshi Matsumoto is a Japanese comedian and filmmaker. He was born in Amagasaki, Hyōgo Prefecture. He is one half of the comedy duo Downtown (owarai), Downtown, alongside Masatoshi Hamada, and is one of the most popular comedians in Japan. Matsumoto has directe ...

, comedian, from Amagasaki *

Aya Matsuura is a former Japanese pop singer and actress, from Himeji, Hyogo, Japan. Career 2000–2009: Hello! Project Aya auditioned in 2000 for the fourth Morning Musume & Heike Michiyo Protegee Audition and was selected along with Sheki-Dol to become ...

, singer is from

Ryuto Kazuhara is a Japanese singer and dancer. He is a vocalist of the Japanese all-male dance and music group Generations from Exile Tribe. Ryuto is represented with LDH. Biography To achieve his dream of becoming a singer, Ryuto dropped out of high scho ...

, vocalist of

Generations from Exile Tribe Generations from Exile Tribe (Japanese: ジェネレーションズ・フロム・エグザイル・トライブ, stylized as GENERATIONS from EXILE TRIBE and formerly known as Generations) is a six-member Japanese dance and vocal group formed ...

is from

* Mina Myoui – American-born Japanese singer of South Korean group

Twice Twice (; Japanese language, Japanese: トゥワイス, Hepburn romanization, Hepburn: ''Tuwaisu''; commonly stylized in all caps) is a South Korean girl group formed by JYP Entertainment. The group is composed of nine members: Nayeon, Jeongyeon ...

. Raised in

Hiro Matsushita , also known by , is a Japanese businessman and former racing driver. He is the grandson of Kōnosuke Matsushita, the founder of Panasonic. In 1989, Matsushita won the Toyota Atlantic Championship (Pacific), becoming the first and only Japanese ...

– Businessman, former driver in

Champ Car Champ Car World Series (CCWS) was the series sanctioned by Open-Wheel Racing Series Inc., a Governing body, sanctioning body for American open-wheel car racing that operated from 2004 to 2008. It was the successor to Championship Auto Racing T ...

series. Chairman of

Swift Engineering Swift Engineering is an American engineering firm that builds Autonomous robot, autonomous systems, helicopters, submarines, spacecraft, ground vehicles, robotics, and composite parts. The chairman and CEO is Hiro Matsushita, a former racecar dr ...

& Swift Xi *

Miyavi , better known by his stage name MIYAVI (雅, ''Miyabi'', stylized in all caps), is a Japanese guitarist, singer-songwriter, record producer, and actor known for his finger- slapping style of playing a guitar. He has been active since 1999, f ...

, musician, although born in

Konohana-ku, Osaka is one of 24 wards of Japan, wards of Osaka city, Japan. It stands at the mouth of the Yodo River. It is home to the popular western-style theme park of Universal Studios Japan. It will be the site of Expo 2025, a World's Fair to be held in 2025 ...

grew up in Kawanishi *

Minako Nishiyama is a Japanese contemporary artist whose works have dealt with cultures, customs, and the representations of young females in Japanese media and popular culture. Her work is identified with an initial stage of the artistic transformation of post-m ...

, contemporary artist *

Rena Nōnen , known professionally as , is a Japanese actress, fashion model and singer from Kamikawa, Hyōgo Prefecture. She is best known for her lead roles on the NHK drama series '' Amachan'' (2013). In July 2016, it was announced that she changed her s ...

known professionally as , actress, singer, fashion model from Kamikawa *

Masamune Shirow , better known by his pen name , is a Japanese manga artist. Shirow is best known for the manga ''Ghost in the Shell'', which has since been turned into three theatrical anime films, two anime television series, an anime television film, an ani ...

manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...

artist was born in Kobe *

So Taguchi is a Japanese former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Orix BlueWave / Buffaloes, and in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies, and Chicago Cubs. ...

, outfielder for the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...

Masahiro Tanaka is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher for the Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He has previously played in NPB for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles and in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees. From ...

, pitcher for the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...

Nagaru Tanigawa is a Japanese author. He is a graduate of the law school at Kwansei Gakuin University. He is best known as the creator of the ''Haruhi Suzumiya'' light novel series, which was adapted into an anime television series and film, and for which he won ...

, creator of the ''

Haruhi Suzumiya is a Japanese light novel series written by Nagaru Tanigawa and illustrated by Noizi Ito. It was first published in 2003 by Kadokawa Shoten in Japan with the novel ''The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya'', and has since been followed ...

'' series was born in

Kinki The or the lies in the southern-central region of Japan's main island Honshū. The region includes the prefectures of Nara, Wakayama, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyōgo and Shiga, often also Mie, sometimes Fukui, Tokushima and Tottori. The metropolit ...

* Tsuneko Taniuchi, contemporary performance artist *

Fumito Ueda is a Japanese video game designer, game director and visual artist. Ueda is best known as the director and lead designer of ''Ico'' (2001) and ''Shadow of the Colossus'' (2005) while leading Team Ico at Japan Studio, and ''The Last Guardian'' (20 ...

, video game creator of ''

Ico is a 2001 action-adventure game developed and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 2. It was designed and directed by Fumito Ueda, who wanted to create a minimalist game based on a "boy meets girl" concept. Originally ...

'', ''

Shadow of the Colossus ''Shadow of the Colossus'' is a 2005 action-adventure game developed and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 2. It takes place in a fantasy setting and follows Wander, a young man who enters an isolated and abandoned r ...

'', and ''

The Last Guardian ''The Last Guardian'' is a 2016 action-adventure game developed by Japan Studio and GenDesign and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment for the PlayStation 4. Players control a boy who befriends a giant legendary creature named Trico. ...

'' *

Juri Ueno is a Japanese actress. She first gained recognition in the 2005 film '' Swing Girls'' where she was a recipient of Newcomer of the Year prize at the Japanese Academy Awards. Ueno achieved mainstream success for playing the title role in the live- ...

, Japanese Academy Award-winning actress best known for her performances in ''

Swing Girls is a Japanese 2004 teen comedy film directed and co-written by Shinobu Yaguchi. The plot follows a group of inept high school girls who form a big band. The cast includes Juri Ueno, Yuta Hiraoka, Shihori Kanjiya, Yuika Motokariya and Yukari ...

'' and the live-action adaptation of ''

Nodame Cantabile is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Tomoko Ninomiya. It was serialized by Kodansha in the manga magazine ''Kiss'' from July 2001 to October 2009. A short series, ''Nodame Cantabile: Encore Opera Chapter'', was ser ...

'', is from Kakogawa *

Shota Yasuda , previously known as is a five-member Japanese boy band from Japan's Kansai region. They are managed by the multimedia talent agency Starto Entertainment (formerly Johnny & Associates) and signed to Infinity Records. The group was formed in 20 ...

, guitarist of

Kanjani Eight , previously known as is a five-member Japanese boy band from Japan's Kansai region. They are managed by the multimedia talent agency Starto Entertainment (formerly Johnny & Associates) and signed to Infinity Records. The group was formed in ...

is from Amagasaki * Ryo Utsunomiya, wildlife photographer *

Piko Piko may refer to: *PIKO, a model train manufacturer *Piko Interactive, an American game developer and publisher. *Piko (singer) (b. 1988), a Japanese pop singer *Piko (Filipino game), a Filipino children's game similar to hopscotch *Piko, renamed ...

, musician,

Vocaloid is a singing Speech synthesis, voice synthesizer software product. Its signal processing part was developed through a joint research project between Yamaha Corporation and the Music Technology Group at Pompeu Fabra University, Barcelona. The s ...

singer born in Kobe, Hyōgo

Sister regions

Hyogo entered a sister state relationship with

Washington state Washington, officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is often referred to as Washington State to distinguish it from the national capital, both named after George Washington ...

in the United States on October 22, 1963, the first such arrangement between Japan and the United States. In 1981, a sister state agreement was drawn up between Hyogo and the state of

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. To commemorate the 10th anniversary of this agreement in 1992, the Hyogo Prefectural Government Cultural Centre was established in

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

.Hyogo.com.au

Notes

Citations

General references

* Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric and Käthe Roth (2005)
''Japan Encyclopedia''
Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press. . .

External links

Official Hyōgo prefecture homepage

Hyōgo prefecture tourist guide

Hyōgo Business & Cultural Center

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hyogo Prefecture Kansai region Prefectures of Japan