Nishinomiya · 西宮市

Every January, hundreds of men sprint through a shrine gate at dawn, in summer high school baseball fills an entire stadium, and in between, sake ages in old breweries. A trip to Nishinomiya shows you Osaka Bay from a surprisingly varied side – set between the big cities of Osaka and Kōbe, yet with a character all its own.

Kōshien: Baseball's Sacred Ground

For many Japanese, Nishinomiya means one thing above all: Kōshien. The stadium, which opened in 1924 and is known for its ivy-covered outer walls, is home to the Hanshin Tigers, whose fans are considered the most passionate in the country. Even bigger is the fascination with the national high school tournaments in spring and August, in which teams from every prefecture compete and the losers traditionally take a handful of soil from the field home with them. A museum in the stadium tells this story. If you attend a game, don't miss the chants of the Tigers fans and the balloon release in the seventh inning.

Sights in Nishinomiya

Nishinomiya Shrine is the head shrine of Japan's Ebisu shrines, dedicated to the god of fishermen and business success. During the Tōka Ebisu festival around January 10, merchants stream in from all over the Kansai region, and in the race to be crowned the Man of Fortune, participants storm toward the main hall when the gate opens. Along the Shukugawa River, cherry trees line the banks for miles all the way to the sea – one of the region's most beautiful walks during hanami. In the hills you'll find the Kōyōen villa district and Mount Kabutoyama, with views across the bay all the way to Osaka. By the sea, the waterfront promenade runs along the Shin-Nishinomiya yacht harbor, where sailors and anglers gather on sunny days. To the north, beyond the Rokkō Mountains, the city also includes the Namaze hot spring area, and the famous hot spring town of Arima in Kōbe is not far away.

Sake from Nada

Nishinomiya is one of the brewing towns of the Nada-Gogō, Japan's most important sake region. The key is the mineral-rich Miyamizu well water, discovered here in the 19th century. Major houses such as Hakushika and Ōzeki are based in the city; the Hakushika Sake Museum displays historic wooden casks and tools, and at tasting rooms you can sample freshly pressed sake. It pairs well with the specialties of Kansai cuisine, which you'll find in the restaurants in Nishinomiya around the train stations, such as okonomiyaki, kushikatsu, or Hyōgo beef.

Culture and City Life

The Hyōgo Performing Arts Center near Nishinomiya-Kitaguchi Station is one of the region's most important concert and theater venues, and a large shopping center sits right next to it. The Kwansei Gakuin University campus, with its Spanish Mission–style buildings by the architect William Merrell Vories, is worth a detour. Anime fans know the city as the setting of the Haruhi Suzumiya series.

Getting Around Nishinomiya

Three parallel rail lines – Hankyū, Hanshin, and JR – connect the city to Osaka-Umeda and Kōbe-Sannomiya in about 15 minutes each. Itami and Kōbe airports are close by, while international arrivals via Kansai take about an hour. The best time to visit is spring and fall; July and August are hot and humid, but that's when the Kōshien tournament takes place.