Hyogo Living Guide

Hyogo Prefecture is located in the western part of the Kinki region in Honshu. The prefectural capital is Kobe-shi. On the north region, it faces the Sea of Japan and the south region faces Seto Inland Sea (setonaikai). It is bordered by Kyoto, Osaka, Tottori, and Okayama prefectures.

Because of the Chugoku Mountains in the center of the prefecture, the climate in the northern and southern regions differs. The northern having harsh winters and heavy snowfall. The southern part of the prefecture has a milder climate, with less snowfall in winter and more than twice as many sunshine hours as the northern part, while the area receives a lot of rain in summer.

Agriculture, livestock production, and fishing are all flourishing. A number of major industrial companies have their headquarters in Hyogo as well. It is also a popular tourist destination, such as Himeji Castle and the Ijinkan, as well as hot spring resorts and ski resorts.