Kobe
Kobe is a powerhouse of the pharmaceutical sector as well as a thriving port and sophisticated university city: as they say in Japan, “If you can’t go to Paris, go to Kobe!”
Population 1.5m
Home of famous Kobe beef
Arima Onsen hot spring resort
‘The Paris of Japan’
Yamagata
Yamagata, on the other hand, is surrounded by natural beauty, lying in the shadow of Mount Zao and famous for its spectacular snows.