KOBE's local culture SHITAMACHI-RETRO discovering excursion

"How to enjoy traditional shopping arcades in SHITAMACHI?!"

■date : 24th, August, 2008 Sunday 10:00 a.m. 〜15:30 p.m.　
■meeting : @ Kobe Kosoku Tetsudo Line "SHINKAICHI"station west exit
■participation fee : \3,000（foods,drinks,lesson's fee all included)

SHITAMACHI is a hinterland with “traditional and human atmosphere”
an aspect, which unfortunately has been disappearing in Japan.
SHITAMACHI consists of a number of close-knit communities
with heartiness and human scale atmosphere.
In SHITAMACHI in Kobe, many heritages of good old days
still remain despite the severe earthquake hit in 1995.

We would like you to join this excursion of SHITAMACHI to discover an
alternative image of Kobe, more “human” and “popular”.
In this excursion, we eat local popular foods, enjoy shopping at small
traditional sweets’ shop, have a small cultural lesson from local
inhabitants, self-introduce during tea-time at an old style café etc…

The guides of this excursion speak English during the excursion.
So please do not hesitate to join un though you are non-Japanese
speaker ! Japanese and foreign participants walk together during the
excursion. So please enjoy not only a discovery of SHITAMACHI but also
an international communication.

<travel itinerary>

Firstly, we visit Shinkaichi area where used to be the capital of amenity
in the west part of Japan and now we can taste a little bit "hot"
atmosphere in several ways: teatime at retro popular cafe.

Then move toward Minatogawa area where we find the biggest markets
in kobe: eat local foods in markets like Japanese traditional cake
(Omanjyu), fried BBQ (Kushikatsu), sweet potato (Yakiimo), Tofu donuts,
fruits smoothie in Japanese style(so called mix-juice) etc...

Then, we visit Nagata Shrine, an old shinto shrine in Nagata ward.
And have a short lesson of camera by Mr. Ito, KOBE meister,the selected
honourable photographer of Kobe at Miyamae Photo studio.
Then we take a group photo together !

We also try there traditional iced candy, Shitamachi style flied potato,
etc…
more info and reservation : citamatiretro@yahoo.co.jp
tel(fax)078-220-4337 or please contact through our web site
http://situationniste.com/citamatiretro.html

association Crazy about SHITAMACHI-RETRO
3-5-17 Shioya-cho, Tarumi-ku, KOBE, 655-0872, Japan
tel/fax 078-220-4337