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Hyougo Prefecture is the westernmost prefecture of the region known as Kansai
or Kinki. This region is famous for its entertainment, and one such entertainer
that bears the region's name is
"Kinki Kids".
All you English speakers will certainly get a kick out of that name, but no
it's not a sexual meaning here. Alas, it is illegal to reproduce photos of
the Kinki Kids, so there's no picture here. One thing you should definitely see
is Himeji Castle, considered to be the best castle in Japan still remaining in
its original wood form (most castles are concrete reconstructions).
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Kobe is a very nice modern city. The modernity stems in part from that fact
that a lot of the old things were destroyed in the
Hanshin - Kobe earthquake
in 1995 that killed over 5,000 people. In the mountains above Kobe is the
Kirin Beer Factory, if you go there you can sample beer for free. My teachers
at the YWCA certainly seem to have enjoyed it.
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Kobe itself if famous as an old trading port and hence has many foreign relics.
One that Japanese enjoy is "Nanking Village", which we'd call a Chinatown. But
anyone who's been to a large Chinatown such as in San Fransisco or New York
will find this to be a clear tourist trap with nothing much. The one
interesting thing was the Chinese cutouts to the right.
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