I went with my family to Gongen General Park, a charming new playground located near a rest area and at the base of a mountain. The park was opened just last year, and has lots of slides for children to enjoy while being conveniently located next to family-friendly dining like a Katsudon restaurant, and most importantly connects to a pleasant and easily walkable nature trail. There are stairs for those who would like to take a short-cut, but its well worth doing the leisurely hike up to the summit.

The view from the peak is really wonderful! It seems there is a bug theme to the park, with a variety of cicada everywhere. On a holiday weekend it is a little crowded, but only enough to give a sense of liveliness rather than overcrowding. It is nice to see many families out there having fun! If you are in the area with young kids of your own and enjoy nature, you could do far worse than visit Gongen.

With its largely industrial character, and nestled between such famous destinations as Osaka, Kobe and Himeji, it is no wonder that Kakogawa gets often overlooked.

If you -were- in Kakogawa, it does have Kakurin-Ji, an old temple going back to some of Japan's oldest recorded history, and the "Akari no Kago" museum sheds light on the history of Japanese lamps, while less esoterically the Hyogo museum of Archaeology has a lot of unique information about ancient tomb culture in the region.

Really, though, if you visit Kakogawa it should be for the Katsumeshi. Similar to the more nationally well-known Katsudon, Katsumeshi is usually beef instead of pork, abd features a different sauce, usually, with a demi-glace base. Without the egg usually seen with Katsudon, the katsu cutlet stays crisper too, and the overall flavor is meatier and more reminiscent of western cuisine. It is absolutely the culinary standout of Kakogawa, and its hard to believe it hasn't become more widespread. If you are a fan of fried meat in rich sauce (and really, who isn't?) its a must try!

兵庫県加古川市

葉桜なってたので諦めて帰ろうと思ったのですが、散ってくれるのを待ち境内を1時間以上ウロウロしてると
見事に散ってくれました😌
雪のようで桜吹雪になった時は感動で嬉しさが止まりませんでした