Oakhouse is proud of our Social Residence series of houses, and in October 2019, we are opening one in Amagasaki city in Hyogo prefecture!
It's close to Osaka, but what kind of place is Amagasaki itself? Oak Explorers are here to show you!

Amagasaki isa city in the south-east of Hyogo prefecture with a population of 450,000 people, bordering Osaka.

Three train lines cross through the city: the Hankyu in the north, the JR in the middle, and the Hanshin in the south.

From Amagasaki you can easily get to Kobe or Osaka.

First, many famous people have come from Amagasaki.
It is a lively town with many unique people, and here you can get a taste of both Amagasaki itself as well as Osaka.

When you ask people from Amagasaki where they're from, they'll usually just respond with "Ama"!

You can take trains toward Osaka Umeda station, or Sannomiya station.

From Hanshin Amagasaki station you can use the Hanshin Namba line, giving you access to Osaka Namba and Nara.

There is a shopping center inside the station building, with many shops always lively day or night.

This shopping street extends for 2 kilometers outside the station, and has around 600 lively shops.

You will see local pride for the Hanshin Tigers baseball team everywhere. This is the perfect Kansai atmosphere.

Restored and opened to the public in spring 2019, Amagasaki castle is a symbol of the city.

For just 500 yen you can enter the castle and learn about history and culture, with help from VR technology which digitally recreates the downtown feeling. On the 3rd floor, you can transform into a daimyo lord, lady, or ninja!

This is a fun spot for adults and children alike.

Access
5-minute walk from Hanshin Amagasaki station
Hyogo, Amagasaki-shi, Kitajonai 27

One particular sight along the Hanshin line is the Hanshin Koshien baseball stadium near Koshien station.

Japanese professional team the Hanshin Tigers plays here, and this is also the field where the summer high school baseball tournament Koshien is played. There is also a Koshien historical museum. If you're a baseball fan, don't miss out on this!

Access
Hanshin Koshien baseball stadium, 3-minute walk from Koshien station on Hanshin line
Hyogo, Nishinomiya-shi, Koshiencho 1-82

At the Nishinomiya Ebisu shinto shrine in Nishinomiya city, next to Amagasaki, there is a festival where a large crowd of men line up at the closed gates. When the gates open, they run as fast as they can to the main worship hall.

The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd people to arrive are deemed as "Lucky Men".

This shrine is one of 3,500 shinto shrines in Japan dedicated to Ebisu. Most locals call it "Ebessan of Nishinomiya".

They also hold many other events throughout the year.

Accès
Nishinomiya shrine - 5-minute walk from Nishinomiya station on the Hanshin line

So, what did you think of our exploration of some Hanshin line stops?

This is just a fraction of the places you can discover, if you move in!

Next time, the Oak Explorers will take a look at the house of Social Residence Academia Osaka Amagasaki, the nearby station, and the neighboring area.

You can move in starting from Sunday, September 29th, 2019, and we are already accepting reservations to take a tour of the house.
There is also a special deal going on, so don't miss out!

Stay tuned for our next report!