Important: The license upgrade to CC by-sa 3.0 has been approved.
Please consider all contributions from this point forward to be made under that license.

From Wikitravel

Nishinomiya (西宮) is a city in Hyogo prefecture, Japan. It is located inbetween Kobe and Osaka

[edit] Understand

The city is the setting for much of the Studio Ghibli film, Grave of Fireflies [1]. There was heavy damage throughout the city from the Great Hanshin Earthquake on January 17, 1995.

[edit] Get in

[edit] By plane

Nishinomiya has access to three airports: Kansai International Airport, Kobe Airport, and Osaka International Airport. Despite its name, Osaka International Airport is a domestic airport. There is bus service to and from the airport for ¥700 to Hanshin Koshien Station and Hankyu Nishinomiya-kitaguchi Station [2]. Kansai International Airport also has bus service for ¥1700 (or ¥3000 round trip) to and from JR Nishinomiya, Hankyu Nishinomiya-kitaguchi, and Hanshin Nishinomiya stations [3].

[edit] By train

The Shinkansen is another option when traveling from other parts of Japan. Nishinomiya can be reached from either Shin-Kobe or Shin-Osaka stations. A one-way reserved ticket on the Nozomi from Tokyo to Osaka costs ¥14,050. A one-way reserved ticket on the Hikari Railstar from Hiroshima to Kobe costs ¥9740. Visitors can then take the subway or train to get to the city. To get from Shin-Kobe to Nishinomiya, take the ¥200 subway to Sannomiya and then either JR, Hanshin, or Hankyu train lines into Nishinomiya. Depending on the train stop, the ticket will only cost a couple hundred yen.

[edit] Get around

There are three main train lines running through Nishinomiya: JR, Hanshin (阪神), and Hankyu (阪急). They run parallel to each other and go from east to west, with the Hanshin and Hankyu lines connected by the small Imazu line between Hanshin Imazu station and Nishinomiya-kitaguchi (西宮北口). Hanshin and Hankyu buses also run throughout the city, though it can be difficult to travel from north to south.

[edit][add listing] See

• Nishinomiya Shrine (西宮神社). It is a Shinto Shrine located near Hanshin Nishinomiya Station. The Ebisu festival is held here every year in January.  edit

• Hirota Taisha.  edit

• Kannoji (神呪寺).  edit

• Jurinji (鷲林寺).  edit

[edit][add listing] Do

Hanshin Tigers (阪神タイガース). [4] Go to Koshien Stadium to see one of Japan's oldest baseball teams. Fans of the Tigers are known to be the most fanatical and dedicated. The stadium itself is the oldest in Japan and is famous for having a grass field, dirt infield, and being visited by Babe Ruth. The summer high school baseball tournament is held here every year.

Kidzania. [5] In this roleplaying theme park children can act out different occupations, earn money, and learn about the adult world. Located next to Lalaport.

• Hyogo Performing Arts Center, [6]. The venue offers a variety of performances such as orchestra concerts, ballets, plays, and operas. Some performances include a Japanese puppet show (tickets start at ¥2000) or a traditional Nutcracker ballet (tickets from ¥4000 - ¥12000). The center is closest to Hankyu Nishinomiya-Kitaguchi Station. It's about a 2 minute walk and is connected to the station by a walkway.  edit

• Hyogo Prefectural Kabutoyama Forest Park.  edit

[edit][add listing] Buy

ACTA Nishinomiya. Near Nishinomiya Gardens, this shopping area is made up of two buildings and is just north of the train station. The shopping center has a branch Junkudo (ジュンク堂) where you can find a good selection of English language books and Japanese learning materials.

Lalaport Koshien. [7] A small mall with stores, restaurants, arcade, and the Ito Yokado supermarket. This is a nice place to shop with the family. The mall is a short walk from Koshien Stadium.

Nishinomiya Gardens (西宮ガーデンズ). [8] This new mall at Nishinomiya-Kitaguchi Station on the Hankyu line features over 400 specialty shops, restaurants, and a movie theater.

[edit][add listing] Eat

Eden (韓国料理エデン). 3-17 Ueda-Nishimachi (３－１７上だ西町). Tel 0798-43-3876 Open 4pm-10:30. A local favorite! This is a small restaurant with a very friendly staff (speaks some English) and delicious, traditional Korean dishes. Vegetarian options available. Take Hanshin Bus from Hanshin Koshien Station bound for either Mukogawa-danchi (武庫川団地) or Naruohama (鳴尾浜) and get off at Ueda-Nishimachi (上だ西町). Walk about one block north and the restaurant is on a corner on the left. Bus fare is ¥210.

[edit][add listing] Drink

[edit][add listing] Sleep

[edit] Contact

[edit] Get out

This article is an outline and needs more content. It has a template, but there is not enough information present. Please plunge forward and help it grow!