Nishinomiya

Nishinomiya is a residential city between Osaka and Kobe in Hyogo Prefecture, part of the comfortable Hanshin corridor along Osaka Bay. Most days it is commuter country; on its biggest occasions it hosts two of Kansai's great rituals, one sacred and one sporting.

Each January, Nishinomiya Shrine opens its gates at dawn for the lucky man race, a sprint down the shrine path for the year's first blessing. In summer, Koshien Stadium fills for Japan's beloved high school baseball tournament, a national obsession, and the Hanshin Tigers pack it the rest of the season.

The city's sake breweries belong to the famous Nada brewing district, fed by prized local spring water, and several open tasting rooms. Trains on three competing lines make Nishinomiya an effortless stop between Osaka and Kobe. Time January or August if you want the rituals at full volume.