Kobe always draws me back after my first visit ten years ago. This time I visited the new „a to a“ aquarium in the harbor area, climbed up to Venus Bridge and strolled through the historic foreign house district of Kitano.
Himeji Castle is my favorite castle in Japan because it is one of the few original castles that were not lost to war and fire unlike many modern reconstructions.
Kinosaki is a walkable and well-connected onsen town in the north of Kyoto prefecture. The appeal of Kinosaki is the possibility to enjoy many different baths in a day, even for day visitors. In most onsen towns I visited so far, the onsen are within the ryokan one stays at and there is maybe one public bath for day visitors.