Top 7 Events in Hyogo Prefecture, Kinki

A festival of light, which has been held in December every year since 1995 as a memorial and requiem of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, and to pray for recovery of the town. Geometric illuminations decorate the squares and streets, and during the festival a corridor of light called the Galleria runs through Nakamachi-dori street. In its heyday the festival attracted more than 5 million visitors but in recent years, due to energy-saving policies and a shortened festival period, it draws between 3 and 3.5 Million.

Held in Kobe Harbor, this is Hyogo Prefecture's largest fireworks show. 10,000 Fireworks-including shakudama, starmines, and special trick fireworks-are launched against Port Island's night skyline. The fireworks are set off in Kita Park from Port Island to Harborland, so there are plenty of vantage points along the park to watch that provide a wide view of the show from a variety of angles. Though a bit removed from the action, the fireworks are also visible from Hyogo Futo.

The Nada Kenka Matsuri (Open Sea Brawl Festival) is an annual grand fall festival held October 14-15 at Matsubara Hachiman Shrine in the neighborhood of Shirahama in Himeji. As the name implies, the festival is a boisterous event that mixes participants with spectators, including a Shinto ritual with 3 mikoshi (portable shrines) smashing into each other and a float battle that involves intricately decorated floats from each town mashing together. When night falls, the floats are illuminated with electric and fire lanterns, creating a bright and lively atmosphere. The festival is designated an Important Intangible Cultural Property of Gunma prefecture.

The finale to the Kakogawa Matsuri, this fireworks show features a wide variety of 5,000 fireworks, including musical fireworks and starmines. The fireworks are launched from the center of the Kako River, so spectators can have a seat anywhere in a 360-degree area around the launch site to watch the show right up close at the river's edge. The finale, featuring a terrific "Niagara Falls" display, is a can't-miss.

Held every August since 1913 in Takarazuka, Hyogo, this fireworks display is a traditional sign of summer in Takarazuka. To the delight of crowds of spectators, a themed fireworks show is put on every year, a spectacle of light synchronized to music-an overwhelming production that can't be missed. At Takarazuka Onsen's popular Muko River Dam tourism area, 2,000 colorful starmines, wide starmines, and more light up the night sky. The fireworks are launched from the center of town, allowing attendees a close-up, front-row seat to the spectacle.