Daikokuya (Kinosaki Onsen)
Located on a street lined with eateries and souvenir shops near JR Kinosaki Onsen Station, Daikokuya, founded as a udon noodle shop during the Taisho era (1912-1926), has become a popular spot frequently featured in TV programs and magazines for its signature crab sushi.
During crab season, they offer a special crab menu. Definitely worth checking out if you love crab dishes!
Tajima Beef Irori Dining Mikuni
Tajima beef, a Hyogo Prefecture-produced Kuroge Wagyu, is known for its perfect balance of lean meat and marbling (fat), and has been protected since the Edo period. "Irori Dining Mikuni" is a Tajima beef specialty restaurant located in the Kinosaki Onsen town, offering various menus featuring Tajima beef purchased directly from contracted farms.
Among the cattle they raise, 2 to 3 are chosen as champions almost every month! The fat is smoother and healthier, which gives the meat a lighter flavor. So good!
MINORI GELATO
MINORI GELATO is a popular shop serving gelato made with Shodoshima-grown ingredients out of a retro-chic kominka-style house just steps from the Kusakabe Port bus stop.
Awesome flavor! I really love the peaceful vibe here. Their service is great too~ 👍
Sara Soba Jinbei
Located in the castle town of Izushi, which is also known as "Tajima's Little Kyoto," the historic streetscape has been designated as an Important Traditional Building Preservation District. With a history dating back to the Edo period, Izushi is famous for its "Izushi soba" with the motto "freshly ground, freshly made, freshly boiled" and is one of the top soba destinations in Kansai, with about 40 soba restaurants.
Each person gets five small plates of noodles. You can first dip them in the sauce to taste the original flavor, then add green onions and wasabi to the sauce and try it again.
Komame Shokudo
This café sits by Nakayama Senmaida Thousand Rice Terraces, against an iconically Japanese backdrop of mountain back hills and the old rice terraces of Shodoshima. It’s loved for its ample use of locally grown Shodoshima natural ingredients, like fresh, fluffy rice from the Thousand Rice Fields, hand-pressed rice balls, soup and sides in the Tanada Onigiri Teishoku riceball set, Shodoshima Somen noodles and more.
This retro-looking diner used to be a rice mill from the early Showa era, and was later turned into a restaurant. All the food is made with natural ingredients from Shodoshima—so delicious!
Hanayama Udon Ginza Branch
Established in Meiji 27 (1894) and loved over five generations, this udon shop has locations not only in its home of Tatebayashi, Gunma, but also in Nihonbashi and Haneda Airport. The Ginza branch, located behind the Kabukiza Theatre on Matsuya Street, has an atmosphere of luxury befitting its location.
A lot of Japanese people and tourists who have tried it are blown away—it's really tasty!
Captain Kangaroo
Known affectionately as "Cap-Kan" among locals, this renowned burger joint represents the northern part of Okinawa. With an ambiance reminiscent of a stylish North American café, its glass-clad open design faces the beach across the road, and the sea is just a one-minute walk away. This prime location is undoubtedly one of its charms.
It was packed during meal time. The burger patty was juicy and thick, and the bun was delicious too.
Fuchu Art Museum
Located within Fuchu Forest Park, the museum opened its doors in October 2000. Embracing the theme "Revisiting life intertwined with art," it not only collects, preserves, and exhibits artworks but also conducts unique educational and outreach activities.
There's a public studio where you can watch professional artists paint live—it's really special!
Sefa Utaki
This is the highest sacred site of the Ryukyu Kingdom, located in the mountains of Chinen Kudeken, Nanjo City, in the southern part of Okinawa's main island. As a forest where the gods descend, important rituals and ceremonies were held, including the inauguration ceremony of the kingdom's supreme divinity, Kikoe Ogimi, called "Oaraori”.
If you get the chance to visit this sacred site, it's a great opportunity to learn more about Okinawa's unique culture.
Takimi Koji
Cobblestone pathways, tiled roofs, and lattice doors evoke the sensation of a time slip back into Japan's Showa era at this dining district located on the basement floor of the Umeda Sky Building.
This place has the vibe of an old Japanese street! The restaurant area is really unique, and you can try all kinds of Osaka specialties here.