Japan (Lonely Planet, 11th Edition) - Chris Rowthorn [292]
Nishimuraya Honkan (; 32-2211; honkan@nishimuraya.ne.jp; r per person with 2 meals from ¥37,950; ) This is a classic and the ultimate of inns here. If you would like to try the high-class ryokan experience, this is a good place. The two onsen baths here are exquisite and most of the rooms look out over private gardens. The excellent food is the final touch. There is LAN cable internet access.
Eating
Crab from the Sea of Japan is a speciality in Kinosaki during the winter months. It’s called kani and the way to enjoy it is in kani-suki, cooked in broth with vegetables right at your table.
Daikō Shōten (; 32-3684; 10am-9pm, to 11pm in summer, closed irregularly) This seafood shop/izakaya is a great place to try freshly caught local seafood in a casual atmosphere. From November until mid-April (the busy tourist season for Kinosaki), the restaurant section is upstairs, while the downstairs is given over to selling vast quantities of crabs and other delights. For the rest of the year, the restaurant is on the ground floor. Teishoku (set meals) are available from ¥1380, but you’ll never go wrong by just asking for the master’s osusume (recommendations). It’s diagonally across from Mikuniya (left).
Heihachirō (32-0086; 11.30am-2pm & 6-11pm, closed Wed) This is a great place to try kani-suki (¥4500) in winter. It also serves the usual izakaya fare, along with beer and sake. It’s a little past Gosho-no-yu, on the opposite side of the street; look for a stone wall and a small English sign that reads ‘Dining Bar Heihachiro’.
Oritsuru (32-2203; sushi dinner average ¥3000; lunch & dinner, closed Tue) For decent sushi and crab dishes, try this popular local sushi restaurant on the main street. You can get a jō-nigiri (superior sushi set; ¥3700) or try their crab dishes in the winter. It’s between Ichi-no-yu and Gosho-no-yu, on the opposite side of the street. There is a small English sign about the door.
For simpler meals, try Yamayoshi (), a simple shokudō outside the station on the 2nd floor (look for the pictures and food models out the front). It serves the usual set meals as well as some local specialities like crab.
Note that most restaurants in Kinosaki shut down very early. This is because most people opt for the two-meal option at their accommodation. You should consider doing the same.
Getting There & Away
Kinosaki is on the JR San-in line and there are a few daily tokkyū from Kyoto (¥4510, two hours 22 minutes) and Osaka (¥5250, two hours 42 minutes).
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TANGO-HANTŌ
Tango-hantō is a peninsula that juts up into the Sea of Japan on the north coast of Kansai. The inside of the peninsula is covered with thick forest, idyllic mountain villages and babbling streams, while the serrated coast alternates between good sand beaches and rocky points.
The private Kita-kinki Tango Tetsudō rail line runs between Toyooka and Nishi-Maizuru, cutting across the southern base of the peninsula and stopping en route at Amanohashidate (below). Thus, if you want to check out the rest of the peninsula you’ll have to go by road. A bus runs around the peninsula, passing a small number of scenic fishing ports (Tango Ōkoku Romance gō; Tankai Bus 0772-42-0321; from ¥4400). A large car park and restaurant mark the start of the 40-minute round-trip walk (about 3km) to the Kyōga-misaki Lighthouse ().
The village of Ine (), on a perfect little bay on the eastern side of the Tango-hantō, is particularly interesting. There are funaya houses that are built right out over the water, under which boats are drawn in, as if in a carport. The best way to check it out is by boat, and Ine-wan Meguri (0772-42-0321) tour boats putter around the bay (¥660, 30 minutes) from March to December. Buses (¥910) reach Ine in half an hour from Amanohashidate.