Start at the Ashiya River As You Enjoy Architecture and Dining: Ashiya City Course
Area：Ashiya
The city of Ashiya is surrounded by Uozaki-go and Nishinomiya-go. There, the rapid Ashiya River flows from south to north, fed by sources from Mt. Rokko. Its waterpower was once an essential part of the city, milling large volumes of sake rice. Use this river as your hub as you walk around Ashiya, viewing Western architecture that displays the progressive spirit of sake brewers while tasting food and drink loved by locals.
START
Ashiyagawa Station, Hankyu RailwayWalk 10 mins.
Tekisui Museum of Art
Walk 15 mins.
Yodoko Guest House (the former Yamamura residence)
Walk 8 mins.
Honey Bunny
Taxi 10 mins.
Ota Sake Brewery, Chiyoda Brewery
Taxi 5 mins.
Yuzu Syouten
GOAL
START
Walk 10 mins.
Tekisui Museum of Art
A private museum where you can even enjoy Showa period modernist architecture
The residence of Kichirobe Yamaguchi, active in the Osaka business community until the early Showa period, this building was designed by leading Showa modernist architect Takeo Yasui. Out of his desire for many people to view Mr. Kichirobe's roughly 2,500-piece ancient art collection that he built in his later years, his wife carried out his wishes and remodeled the residence, opening it as an art museum in 1964. Pottery classes are held in an adjacent building, and you can get a hand-formed pottery experience if you reserve in advance.
| URL | http://tekisui-museum.biz-web.jp/ |
|---|---|
| TEL | 0797-22-2228 |
| Address | 13-3 Yamaashiya-cho, Ashiya, Hyogo Prefecture |
Walk 15 mins.
Yodoko Guest House (the former Yamamura residence)
The villa of a Nada sake brewer designed by a world-renowned master
Built in 1924 as the villa of Tazaemon Yamamura VIII, a Nada sake brewer known for Sakura-Masamune, and owned by Yodogawa Steel Works since 1947. It was designated by Japan as an Important Cultural Property in 1974, and as a Japan Heritage Cultural Property in 2020. Designed by modern architecture master Frank Lloyd Wright, it sees an endless stream of visitors from both inside and outside Japan. Its elevated location also provides a beautiful view of the town and sea from the terrace.
| URL | https://www.yodoko-geihinkan.jp/en/ |
|---|---|
| TEL | 0797-38-1720 |
| Address | 3-10 Yamate-cho, Ashiya, Hyogo Prefecture |
Walk 8 mins.
Honey Bunny
Flaky and flawless American pies
This store opened in 2020 near Ashiyagawa Station. It's a wonderful cafe designed to look like the kind of diner you'd see in an American film. It's known for its handmade baked goods and American pies with careful attention paid to the ingredients used. There are five to six types of pies available at any one time, including limited-time items that use seasonal fruits. Its single-plate food menu is popular as well, with dishes like chicken over rice and pulled pork rice.
| URL | https://www.honey-bunny-ashiya.jp |
|---|---|
| TEL | 0797-26-8684 |
| Address | 10-17-101 Matsunouchi-cho, Ashiya, Hyogo Prefecture |
Taxi 10 mins.
Ota Sake Brewery, Chiyoda Brewery
Get a tour of both sake brewing and architecture by Vories
This is the Nada brewery of Ota Sake Brewery, which makes the sake Dokan in Shiga Prefecture. It uses rice and water from Hyogo as ingredients, but like Dokan, its toji (master brewer) is from Noto and brews easy-to-drink sake that goes well with food. You can reserve factory tours until a day in advance, as well as tours of the Western residence on the grounds built by W. M. Vories. This residence, a blend of Japanese and Western styles, is often used as a location in films and dramas as well.
| URL | https://ohta-shuzou.co.jp/en/ |
|---|---|
| TEL | 078-411-9456 |
| Address | 2-1-7 Fukae Minamimachi, Higashinada-ku, Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture |
Taxi 5 mins.
Yuzu Syouten
Delicious dishes that go well with sake, as well as delicious home cooking
This izakaya located in a residential area about a ten minute walk from Ashiya Station has around ten kinds of sake from the Chiyoda Brewery at any one time, allowing you to try a flight. The store's proprietor is a sake lover as well, overseeing dishes that pair well with sake, such as salted seared bonito sent directly from Kochi and cream cheese topped with fermented fish. They also serve home cooking such as karaage and onigiri, making it a shop you can enjoy even if you aren't a drinker.
| URL | https://r.goope.jp/yuzusyouten/ |
|---|---|
| TEL | 070-5431-6608 |
| Address | 2-2 Takezono-cho, Ashiya, Hyogo Prefecture |