I am a big fan of Toyooka's Mongol Culture Center, and find myself visiting there once every couple of years, even though it has not had many major updates. Imagine my surprise, then, to learn it has a collaboration with a new anime! Incredibly, the original work's author seems to be named "Tomato Soup". What a world we live in! For this new collaboration, which will run from August of this year to the next, the focus will be on notable female figures in Mongol history, especially Sorkhokthani Beki and Töregene. For fans of the anime, apparently there will be anime-related goods and content as well, so it is sure to have something for fans of either history or anime. Already the museum had a very interesting section where you could not just see but even try on various Mongolian clothes, but it sounds like they may specifically be adding some based on these Mongolian princesses. I think it is great that Toyooka maintains such an active cultural life, and I can't wait to go to my favorite museum in Hyogo again to see the new exhibit! Toyooka is a bit out of the way, but visitors are well rewarded with the famous Kinosaki Onsen, delicious crab cuisine, and lots of beautiful wildlife, including the nearby Stork Preserve. I would definitely recommend visiting!

The Mongolian Folk Museum, with its larger-than-life mounted Mongol Warrior outside, is one of the surprises of the Sea of Japan coast. Inside, visitors can go inside yurts that accurately recreate nomadic life, see a variety of historical artifacts, and even try on Mongolian folk clothing inspired costumes. It is fun to have your picture taken wearing exotic and luxurious feeling clothing, and the pictures make for good memories! Hands-on activities, such as playing nomad instruments, are also available. Children may especially enjoy crafting a toy sheep out of Mongolian wool. They look like adorable little puffs! A reading corner featuring children's books with a Mongolian setting is also available. Adults may get more enjoyment out of the displays of weapons and historical insights, but there are cute crafts available as souvenirs that anyone can enjoy. Interestingly, the museum also has a look at the region's own local history, offering insight into daily life for the average resident, as well as a broader look at the region's history as a hub of silk manufacturing and its subsequent decline. The collapse of the silk industry and the attendant emigration from the Sea of Japan coast is a seldom-told story, and finding it in a Mongolian Folk History Museum is a surprise, to be sure, but a welcome one.

Toyooka, on the Sea of Japan, is a lovely city that feels rather old fashioned. A very long history of bagmaking craftsmen can be found here, which suits the image of the city with its traditional architecture and sedated atmosphere. Since it is on the Sea of Japan, Toyooka is very cold in winter, and the Kinosaki area of Toyooka does a roaring trade with Onsen and crabs. Many people come up to brave the winter cold for the crab found here, and some look forward to it all year! More touchingly, Toyooka is the heart of Japan's stork revival. As Japan, Inc. proceeded and manufacturing altered landscapes, there were less and less homes in Japan for the Oriental White Stork, before finally being declared extinct in 1971. Even the few surviving captive storks had been rendered infertile by exposure to chemicals. Not giving up, Toyooka worked tirelessly to restore the stork population before the first live birth finally took place in 1989. After a painstaking process by which they were reintroduced to the wild and a safe habitat was made for them, today the Oriental White Stork, auspicious since ancient times, once again flies above the wilds of northern Hyogo prefecture. If you see one, it is sure to be good luck!

Toyooka City, Hyogo It was cold at Kinosaki Onsen Self

Toyooka City, Hyogo It was cold at Kinosaki Onsen Self

Snow and castle towns. Located in Toyooka City in northern Hyogo Prefecture, the town of Izushi is home to the second oldest clock tower in Japan, after the Sapporo Clock Tower, which was built in 1871. Clock Tower× Snowy Scenery... It's a very beautiful scenery. It is a landscape that I want to leave for future generations.

Kinosaki Onsen, Toyooka City, Hyogo Prefecture Kinosaki Onsen that you will want to visit again and again Recently, the number of fashionable shops has 😌 increased

Filming location of Utopia in Toyooka City, Hyogo Prefecture Kinosaki Onsen 😌♨️ in summer

Toyooka City, Hyogo Prefecture Famous Kinosaki Onsen It is my favorite place in Hyogo Prefecture, and the number of people from overseas is increasing 😌. Kinosaki Onsen in summer

Toyooka City, Hyogo Prefecture Famous Kinosaki Onsen It is my favorite place in Hyogo Prefecture, and the number of people from overseas is increasing 😌. The cherry blossom season is also recommended 😀

The Milky Way at the ruins of Izushi Castle. It was the cherry blossom season, and I visited because I could take pictures of the castle and cherry blossoms, but the streetlights were bright and I had a hard time, but the starry sky was wonderful.

Illumination of cherry blossoms at Kinosaki Onsen in Hyogo Prefecture Although it is a part, the cherry blossoms, illumination, and scenery are in full bloom, and Kinosaki Onsen is full of highlights throughout the four seasons 😌.