Following the Kansai government's new "Highway to History" road map brings the ancestry of central Nara, Kyoto, Osake and Kobe to life.

In the travel trade, the recommended route to first-time tourists is called The Golden Route. This type of itinerary usually offers scenic beauty, local culture, remnants of history, a variety of regional cuisines, noteworthy architecture, opportunities for shopping and a well developed infrastructure of transportation and lodging. Similar to compilations such as a musical "Greatest Hits" or "History: 101" survey courses, it is often the route families choose to take when introducing children to a foreign country.

Traditionally, Japan's Golden Route begins in the capital of Tokyo, stops at the rural Hakone to view Mt. Fuji and experience the culture of Japanese onsen (natural mineral baths); and continues to bustling Kyoto for its rich collection of Zen Buddhism shrines and a look at a geisha girl.

Highway vs. Backroads

To encourage visitors to stay longer, dig deeper, and experience the essence of local culture, a group of more than 200 private and governmental organizations, supported by the Kansai Economic Federation and the Japan National Tourist Organization, has developed the Rekishi Kaido, or Highway of History.

Conceptually, this was a way to unify and promote the assets of Kansai, the country's second largest economic zone with a population of 24 million, and the repository of half of its historic and cultural monuments. Practically, the Rekishi Kaido Project enables travelers to appreciate the major attractions of Kyoto, Nara, Osaka, and Kobe while putting them into a historic and cultural context.

Did You Know? The Rekishi Kaido project was initiated by the Matsushita Electric Company, known to the West as Panasonic. Mr. Konosuke Matsushita, founder of the company, took a strong interest in Japan's heritage and was a leader in the preservation movement.

Rekishi Kaido has accomplished this feat by producing comprehensive literature in Japanese and English, colorful tourist brochures, and a set of 21 postcards - each highlighting a monument along the route. These magnificent "teasers" are contemporary versions of the classic Ukiyo-e woodblock prints, created by artist Okamoto Tatuharu using the latest computer rendering techniques. Using the colorful style of Japanese anime and the viewpoint of a typical "photo op," each image invites the visitor to find the artist's vantage point and see it for himself. For children especially, these CG Ukiyo-e y provide a fascinating hand-held window onto Japanese daily life that few tourists take the time to see.

 

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