Q.What’s Akashi city like?
Akashi is called “Tokainaka (Tokai (city) + Inaka (countryside))”, because it is close to Osaka and Kobe, which are big cities.
Akashi is a regional hub city being prosperous as a commuter town of Osaka and Kobe, and has been increasing its population these years.
You can enjoy its attractions both as a city and a countryside at a good balance. You can see big buildings in front of the Akashi station. But if you enter a bit deeper into streets, you will be able to see the daily life of Japanese, which has not changed since the old time.
The whole area of Akashi is facing the straits, so you will be able to get good view of the sea everywhere in the city. Akashi strait, which is between Akashi and Awajishima island, has become an important transportation artery having a lot of ships coming cross.
Akashi receives plenty of blessings from the sea in terms of many aspects such as food, scenery, and culture, being a town of the strait with scenic beauty, including the Okura-kaigan beach, from where you can have a panoramic view of “Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge”, the longest suspension bridge in the world.
It is more than1,300 years ago when Akashi appeared as a place name in the history. It was recorded in “Nihon shoki”, which is Japan’s oldest history book written in 720 AD, and in “The Tale of Genji”, which is a love story written around 1000 AD. Many people have been living here in Akashi since more than 1,300 years ago.
As a stage of romance, a town of delicious foods, a town of the tea ceremony, and a town of fostering Samurai, people have been loving their families, loving the Gods, respecting the cultures, enjoying the entertainments, and praising the life!