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The Kansai region, located roughly in the center of Japan, is made from a collection of popular and unique sightseeing areas. It includes the deeply traditional Kyoto and Nara, the long-established industrial and economic capital of Osaka, the port town of Kobe, and more. Plan for your trip by reading up on all the basic info on Kansai and get to know this amazing region of Japan!
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There are numerous luxury options to spend the night in Kansai. This includes 5-star hotels in central Osaka, those serving up Kobe beef alongside breathtaking night views, high-class ryokan in Hyogo Prefecture’s Kinosaki Onsen, renovated Kyoto townhouses, inns with open-air hot springs and temple pagoda views, hotels with traditional Buddhist and kaiseki cuisine, and more. If you’re still figuring out where to stay, let us introduce you to some of the most exceptional hotels, villas, and inns in the Kansai region.
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Combine culture with adventure by following the World Heritage Site of Kumano Kodo, experience sea kayaking at Awajishima Island in the Seto Inland Sea, ride a horse in Kyotamba amongst quaint Japanese village scenery, bungee jump at a sacred spot in Nara – we’ll show you some exciting ideas for an adventure within the Kansai region!
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Kansai is home to three national parks: Yoshino Kumano National Park, which boasts one of the sole trails registered as a World Heritage Site along with the 30,000 cherry blossom trees of Mt. Yoshino; San'inkaigan National Park, with diverse coastal terrain and the famous Tottori Sand Dunes; and Setonaikai National Park, full of breathtaking island scenery. Here we’ll showcase how best to enjoy each of these parks and their must-see highlights.
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The Kansai-ben dialect has words and phrases totally different from standard Japanese, along with distinctive intonation and inflection. Here we outline some tips on how to get along with people from Kansai and some handy Kansai vocab to use during your trip. Study up before visiting for smooth communication with the Kansai locals!
We have many more fantastic articles about Kansai. Feel free to take a look!
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