Japan Guide
Kansai
In a country so devoid of flat land, the great rice-growing plains of KANSAI, the district around Ōsaka and Kyoto, are imbued with an almost mystical significance. This was where the nation first began to take root, in the region known as Yamato, and where a distinct Japanese civilization evolved from the strong cultural influences of China and Korea. Kansai people are tremendously proud of their pivotal role in Japanese history and tend to look down on Tokyo, which they regard as an uncivilized upstart. Today, its diverse legacy of temples, shrines and castles, combined with an increasing array of exciting modern architecture, makes Kansai one of Japan's top tourist destinations.
The opening in the early 1990s of the spectacular Kansai International Airport – on a man-made island – created a new gateway into Japan, but the downturn in the economy, extremely high landing fees and concerns that the airport is sinking have meant it has not been the success originally envisaged. Nonetheless, it has given a significant tourism impetus to Osaka, the country's second largest metropolis. Although Osaka has been much maligned as an "ugly" and "chaotic" city, it is not short of attractions and easily makes up for its aesthetic shortcomings with an excess of commercial spirit – the source of its long-established wealth – and an unqualified love of eating, drinking and general bonhomie.
South of Ōsaka, the temples of Kōya-san provide a glimpse into contemporary religious practice in Japan. This mountain-top retreat – the headquarters of the Shingon school of Buddhism – has been an active centre of pilgrimage since the ninth century.
With so many major Buddhist foundations in the Kansai area, it's sometimes hard to remember that Shinto is Japan's native religion. But the balance is redressed over on the far east side of the district at Ise-jingū, one of the country's most important Shinto monuments. The Grand Shrine of Ise, as it's known, is dedicated to Amaterasu, the Sun Goddess, from whom all Japan's emperors are descended.
Highlights
1 Ōsaka Aquarium The country's best aquarium, housed in an unusual, butterfly-shaped building.
2 Takarazuka See the popular all-female revue troupe gender-bend their way through classic musicals.
3 Kōya-san Spend an atmospheric night in temple lodgings atop one of the most holy mountains in Japan.
4 Ise-Jingu The ancient forest of the Grand Shrine at Ise, Japan‘s spiritual heartland.
5 Kōbe Enjoy a meal of tender Kōbe beef in one of this harbourside city's elegant eateries.
6 Himeji-jo Japan's most impressive castle, dating from the seventeeth century and dominated by a towering six-storey central donjon.
7 Amanohashidate View the famous pine-covered sand split known as the "Bridge to Heaven", then climb up the hill to view it in the traditional manner: with your head between your legs.
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