Hyogo

A specialty of Akashi, called tamagoyaki by locals. Soft batter made with lots of egg is cooked into balls with octopus inside, fluffier and more melting than takoyaki. They are served lined up on a red board and dipped in warm dashi broth. Some people add sauce before dipping in the broth. Many shops line the area around Akashi Station and the Uonotana shopping street. Eat them hot, fresh off the griddle.

Typical price

¥600–1,000

Where

Akashi

A local dish born in Nagata Ward, Kobe: chopped yakisoba noodles and rice stir-fried together with sauce on a griddle. It is said to have started when a customer at an okonomiyaki shop brought cold rice and asked for it to be fried with yakisoba. Enjoy the toasty sauce and the textures of both noodles and rice in this filling dish. You can try it at okonomiyaki shops in Nagata. Locals love it as a taste of Kobe's working-class neighborhoods.

Typical price

¥700–1,000

Where

Nagata Ward, Kobe

A local dish of Kakogawa: a beef cutlet on rice, topped with a demi-glace-like sauce and served with boiled cabbage. It is said to have been created so people could casually eat Western-style food with chopsticks. Some shops use pork cutlets instead of beef. Serving it on a plate and eating with chopsticks is the Kakogawa way. Many Western-style restaurants and diners in the city serve it, and it even appears in school lunches. The rice and sauce go together perfectly.

Typical price

¥800–1,300

Where

Kakogawa

Himeji's local oden, eaten with ginger soy sauce poured over or used for dipping. Whether the broth is strong or light depends on the shop, but everywhere it is eaten with ginger soy sauce. The fresh aroma and kick of ginger make the oden taste light. In Himeji, this way of eating oden has long been widely loved. Try it at shops around the station along with a visit to Himeji Castle. Enjoy it piping hot.

Typical price

¥100–300 per item

Where

Himeji

A specialty of Nagata Ward, Kobe: beef tendon and konnyaku simmered sweet and savory with soy sauce and sugar. The name is said to come from bukkakeru, to pour over, as it is poured over rice or udon. The flavor of the meltingly tender tendon soaks into the konnyaku. It is eaten as bokkake udon, or added to okonomiyaki and yakisoba. Try it at okonomiyaki shops in Nagata, a taste of Kobe's working-class neighborhoods. The rich beef flavor is irresistible.

Typical price

¥700–1,200

Where

Nagata Ward, Kobe

Local burgers made with ingredients from Awaji Island. They use Awaji onions, known for their sweetness and tenderness, and Awaji beef. Thick fried onion slices and juicy, flavorful patties are among the creative burgers each shop offers. You can try them at roadside stations on the island, perfect for a stop on a drive. Enjoy the island's bounty while looking out at the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge. They are generous in size and very filling.

Typical price

¥800–1,500

Where

Awaji Island (Awaji, Sumoto and around)

Steak of Kobe beef, a brand known around the world. Only Tajima cattle from Hyogo that meet strict standards may be called Kobe beef. It features fine marbling, melt-in-your-mouth tenderness and fat with an elegant sweetness. Many restaurants grill it on an iron plate right in front of you, and watching the chef is part of the fun. There are many steakhouses around Sannomiya and Kitano in Kobe. Choose it for a special meal on your trip.

Typical price

¥10,000–30,000

Where

Kobe (Sannomiya, Kitano and around)

A specialty of Tamba-Sasayama: a miso-based hot pot of wild boar meat. The name is said to come from thin slices of boar arranged on a plate like a peony flower, botan. Boar becomes more tender the longer it cooks, and the sweetness and flavor of its fat melt into the miso broth. It is enjoyed with Chinese cabbage, burdock, mushrooms and tofu. Its season is winter, and many restaurants and inns in the castle town of Sasayama serve it. Boar is also known as a warming food.

Typical price

¥4,000–8,000

Where

Tamba-Sasayama

Young sand lance caught in the Seto Inland Sea in early spring, simmered sweet and savory with soy sauce, sugar and ginger. The name is said to come from how the cooked fish look like bent old nails, kugi. In Kobe and Akashi, many families make kugini when spring arrives and send it to relatives and friends. The ginger aroma and sweet-savory flavor make it perfect with rice. In recent years the catch has declined, making it a precious taste of spring.

Typical price

¥800–2,000

Where

Kobe, Akashi and around

Soba from the castle town of Izushi, served in small portions on many little plates that pile up as you eat. It is said to have started in the Edo period when a lord who moved to Izushi from Shinshu brought soba makers with him. A standard serving is five plates, and you change the flavor by adding grated yam, egg and green onion to the dipping sauce. Trying to see how many plates you can eat is part of the fun, and some shops give a certificate for big eaters.

Typical price

¥900–1,200 per person

Where

Izushi, Toyooka

A specialty of Arima Onsen: thin crackers said to be made with carbonated spring water from the hot spring area. They feature a light, crisp texture and a faint, gentle sweetness. Made from simple ingredients, they have a homey flavor. Shops selling them line the hot spring town, and some sell them freshly baked. They are perfect as a snack between baths or as a souvenir of your hot spring trip. Their simple taste makes them easy to keep eating.

Typical price

¥500–1,500

Where

Arima Onsen, Kobe

A pudding souvenir representing Kobe, a stylish city known for Western sweets. Enjoy its smooth, melting texture and the slight bitterness of the caramel sauce. The cute packaging with a Kobe feel is part of its popularity. Besides custard, there are seasonal flavors. It is sold at Kobe's stations, the airport and department stores. Choose it as a memento of strolling through Kobe's cosmopolitan streets. It is best eaten chilled.

Typical price

¥1,000–2,000

Where

Kobe

A sweet from a long-established Kobe confectioner: cream sandwiched between thin, round wafers. Its large round shape, about 15 cm across, is distinctive, and you can enjoy the light, crisp texture with vanilla, strawberry or chocolate cream. It comes in a tin and has long been popular as a gift. It is one of the sweets that represent Kobe's Western confectionery culture. It is sold at the main store, department stores and stations in Kobe. Eating the thin wafer without breaking it is a challenge.

Typical price

¥1,000–3,000

Where

Kobe

Imagawayaki-style filled cakes made by a company headquartered in Himeji. Its shops are seen across Kansai, especially Hyogo, and locals are so fond of them that the product name Gozasoro is used as the name for this kind of cake. There are two kinds, red bean and white bean, with fluffy baked batter and plenty of filling. Buying them freshly made at the counter is the appeal. At Himeji Station and elsewhere, watching them being made is fun. Eat them hot.

Typical price

¥100–150 each

Where

Himeji and around