Kansai (also called Kinki) is the cultural heartland of Japan — the region that gave the country most of its history, religion, and aesthetic tradition. Kyoto was the imperial capital for over a thousand years and holds the greatest concentration of temples, shrines, and traditional architecture in Japan. Osaka is the great merchant city, louder and more direct in manner than Tokyo, famous above all for its food. Nara was the capital before Kyoto and has the largest bronze Buddha in Japan, plus the deer that wander freely through the park. Kobe has the country's most cosmopolitan port history and still feels distinctly more international than other Japanese cities. Himeji, an hour west of Osaka, has Japan's most spectacular castle — a white-walled masterpiece of military architecture that was never seriously damaged by war.
Kansai International Airport (KIX), built on an artificial island in Osaka Bay, is one of the main international gateways to Japan. Transit is efficient — most visitors clear customs and are on a train within 45 minutes of landing. The Haruka express to Kyoto takes around 75 minutes; the Nankai Limited Express to Osaka Namba takes 38 minutes.
The Kansai accent (Kansai-ben) is distinct from Tokyo Japanese and a source of regional pride. Osaka residents are known for a directness and a sense of humour that Tokyoites sometimes consider blunt. Kansai cooking — rich, sweet, and assertive — is different enough from Tokyo cuisine that it functions almost as a separate tradition.
