Hyogo Prefecture occupies the heart of western Honshu, stretching from the rugged Sea of Japan coast to the warm Seto Inland Sea, anchored by the cosmopolitan port city of Kobe. It shelters Japan's most photogenic castle at Himeji, the ancient hot-spring village of Arima Onsen, the world-famous Kobe beef ranches of the Tajima highlands, and the island of Awaji, birthplace of Japanese mythology.
Hyogo Prefecture is one of Japan's best-connected regions. Kobe is served by three major rail networks (JR, Hankyu, Hanshin) plus a city subway and a unique automated monorail (Portliner) to Kobe Airport. Shinkansen bullet trains stop at Shin-Kobe (for central Kobe) and Himeji, making the prefecture easily accessible from Tokyo (2.5 hrs), Osaka (15 min), and Kyoto (30 min). Within the prefecture, JR Sanyo Main Line is the workhorse connecting Kobe–Akashi–Himeji.
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