- Historical Sites
- Nature Spots
- Hands-on Experiences
This a tour of Hannan is all about making things. We visit Shiogo, traditional purveyor of murasame bean cakes, a Senshu specialty; sample delicious tsukigesho cakes; and eat lunch in a café housed in a converted rail carriage. We also make our very own piece of stained glass artwork! Since these places are all indoors, you won’t need to worry about the weather.
Allow 7 hours
For today’s tour, it’s worth getting to Ozaki Station nice and early. The retro feel of the streetscape when you exit the station creates a sense of anticipation. The tour takes in a cake factory and handicraft session, and who knows… you might find yourself wandering down an interesting side street or two!
A key part of the retro streetscape is the Kyoshigoe Kaido. This road is said to be like another Kishu Kaido, as opposed to the main road over the Onoyama Toge mountain pass. And here, sitting unobtrusively on the Kyoshigoe Kaido, is a shop that has been making Izumi murasame bean cakes for the last 160 years, using the same traditional techniques as long ago. Tsujihachi Cakes sells murasame variants with fillings such as matcha green tea and chestnut paste, which you can’t find elsewhere in Senshu. All products are hand-made daily and are 100% free of preservatives, artificial colors and other additives. They have a delicious chewy texture. The excellent Yukishigure variant with white bean paste is not available every day, so check first to avoid disappointment.
| Address | 大阪府阪南市尾崎町2丁目20-16 |
|---|---|
| Tel: | 072-472-0219 |
| Tourist information | http://osakamon-meihin.com/introduce/20150107_115400.html |
(Please call for further details)
Bode-Ebi no Hama coastline
The ocean is a little way north of the Kyoshigoe Kaido. Though it’s not suitable for swimming here, it’s worth a visit for the wonderfully calming sound of the waves lapping the shore. This is where the Bode Oyster Bar operates during the winter months.
Bode Oyster Bar
Many Japanese people will remember tsukigesho milk buns from the popular television commercial. These milk buns are famed throughout the Kansai region, and the factory that makes them is right here in Hannan. What’s more, they’re open for tours, and when the tour finishes you get to eat a freshly made tsukigesho straight out of the oven! The familiar sweet milk taste is so much better eaten fresh with melt-in-your-mouth butter. Try and keep the smile off your face!
The factory offers plenty of great photo opportunities and also has things to keep the kids amused, so it’s a great place to visit with family or friends.
| Address | 大阪府阪南市黒田453-15鳥取中学校前 |
|---|---|
| Tel: | 072-470-2525 |
| Official Website | https://tsukigesho.com/factory/ |
(Please call for further details)
The adjoining café has cakes and pastries made with seasonal fruit (when available) as well as lunchtime offerings such as curry rice made to the Chairman’s own recipe. In the summer months through to the end of August, enjoy a fabulous melon-flavored soft serve ice-cream made using an entire half-melon. All Aoki Shofuan products use only the finest ingredients and are definitely worth a try.
Field of kochia
Head north on the narrow road from behind the tsukigesho factory to find a small field of kochia bushes. The kochia plant turns a brilliant shade of green during the hot months of summer before gradually transitioning to red during the autumn. It’s quite a sight!
First Train is a great place to stop for a bite to eat, so consider having an early lunch today. That way you’ll avoid the lunch crowd at this popular local eatery, and you’ll be ready for the big afternoon ahead! First Train does a daily lunch special as well as a delicious omuraisu (fried rice wrapped in an omelet), and there’s also a wide variety of hot and cold beverages to choose from including mixed juice, an Osaka favorite. Look for the rail crossing sign out the front.
| Address | 大阪府阪南市石田283-1 |
|---|---|
| Tel: | 072-472-3555 |
| Tourist information | https://welcome-to-senshu.jp/spot/4955 |
(Please call for further details)
Taisho Boseki Cotton Farm
Taisho Boseki Cotton Farm
In autumn, it’s well worth making a detour to Taisho Boseki Cotton Farm on your way over to Daiganji Temple. The farm, located a short distance northwest of First Train café, was set up by cotton merchants Taisho Boseki in 1918 and has about 260 m2 of cotton fields.
From First Train, you can either head straight back to Izumi-Tottori Station or you can take the slightly longer scenic route via Daiganji Temple. This temple, aligned with the Pure Land Buddhist sect, houses a number of important cultural artifacts listed by the City of Hannan including a Shaka triad of Buddhist portraits and stone tablets bearing the core tenets of the sect. The temple grounds are also the final resting place of Naoyuki Ishibashi, who produced the first comprehensive topographical study of the Senshu region, called Senshushi.
| Address | 大阪府阪南市下出755 |
|---|---|
| Tel: | 072-472-0491 |
| Tourist information | https://www.city.hannan.lg.jp/kakuka/syogai/syogai_s/bunkazai_shokai/nobukagakaido.html |
(Please call for further details)
From the Shitade bus stop just near Daiganji Temple, take the bus back to the Izumi-Tottori depot then walk over to JR Izumi-Tottori Station. From there it’s just a three-minute trip to Yamanakadani Station. Tsubame Seisakujo is right in front of the station next to the restaurant. Go up the external staircase to find a room packed with beautifully colored stained glass retro pieces. It's like stepping into another world!
Tsubame Seisakujo stained glass purchases are eligible for the Furusato Nozei tax deduction scheme, and the pieces are often featured on TV. Tsubame Seisakujo offers a selection of three-hour workshop sessions of varying difficulty levels, where you can make your own trinket box or bedside light. Learning how to tape up the glass pieces and solder them together might seem daunting at first, but the kindly instructor is endlessly patient and helpful. So take up the challenge to make your very own stained glass masterpiece!
| Address | 大阪府阪南市山中渓131-8 2F 3F |
|---|---|
| Tel: | 090-4292-1016Inquire for session times and other details. |
| tubame.seisakusyo@gmail.com | |
| Official Website | https://swallowmfgstainedglassandfusingcrafts.business.site/ |
(Please call for further details)
Decide what you want to make and select the glass pieces
Lay out the glass pieces ready for assembly
Tape up the glass edges
Add solder at key points
Admire your finished handiwork!
Decide what you want to make and select the glass pieces
Lay out the glass pieces ready for assembly
Tape up the glass edges
Add solder at key points
Admire your finished handiwork!
| Address | 大阪府阪南市山中渓131-8 2F 3F |
|---|---|
| Tel: | 090-4292-1016Inquire for session times and other details. |
| tubame.seisakusyo@gmail.com | |
| Official Website | https://swallowmfgstainedglassandfusingcrafts.business.site/ |
(Please call for further details)
This is officially the last stop on our one-day itinerary. But while you’re in Yamanakadani, you might want to take a stroll along the cobbled Kishu Kaido, or climb up to Jifukuji Temple and admire the view, or stop in at one of the delightful cafes before making your way home.
