Prefecture capital and Core city in Chūbu, Japan
Photo: Captain76, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Kōfu (甲府市 Kōfu-shi) is the capital of Yamanashi Prefecture.
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武田神社
A shrine dedicated to Takeda Shingen, considered to be among the most powerful warlords during the Warring States Period. It was built where his own residence once stood. There is a small treasure house by the shrine's honden.
舞鶴城公園
Kofu Castle was largely demolished in the 19th century. Now it is more of a pretty park than a castle. The walls however remain impressive. Though it doesn't compare well to the great castles of Japan, it is certainly in better shape than Fukui Castle. Reconstruction works are ongoing, with parts of it being rebuilt according to traditional methods. There now exists a castle tower and a very impressive gatehouse (this being separate from the rest of the castle, north of Kofu Station). There are frequent talks of rebuilding the donjon.
山梨県立美術館
This museum has some interesting paintings including several by well known artists.
山梨中銀スタジアム
Home of the local football team, Ventforet Kofu.
A famous scenic spot, especially in autumn. Walking between Nagatorobashi (長潭橋, bus stop and free parking) and Shosenkyokageenomori Museum (昇仙峡影絵の森美術館, bus stop and free parking 500 m further) makes for a pleasant and easy two-hours walk with nice waterfalls and huge rocks. Once you are there, you might as well take the ropeway (¥1200) to see more beautiful landscapes around.
A big festival to celebrate the 16th century warlord. Usually a famous Japanese TV actor plays the part of Takeda Shingen himself.
小作
Authentic Houtou. They also serve raw horse meat and many other local dishes.
川田奥藤第二分店
Torimotsuni or tempura, with all-you-can-eat soba. First they ask you how many soba plates you want, then just ordering more plates until you are full.
A small, quiet pub.
ホップスアンドハーブズ
A microbrewery.
A bar.
A bar.
娘娘
A standing bar, commonly frequented by locals and students of local universities.
ドーミーイン甲府丸の内
A standard hotel with an onsen. They do have showers in the rooms if you prefer not to use the onsen.
ホテルクラウンヒルズ甲府
One of the city's most affordable hotels.
印伝屋
Inden is the ancient Japanese practice of applying lacquer to deer leather. It appears in one of Japan's oldest texts, the Nihon-Shoki. During the Warring States Period, the local samurai warlord Takeda Shingen had his armor made with inden. This was the beginning of Koshu inden (Koshu is an alternative name for Kai Province, the old name of Yamanashi Prefecture). In addition to his armor, he also had Inden bags made, which were known for holding heavy weapons without giving out. Modern Koshu Inden features a variety of bags, purses, belts, and wallets among other things. They use the lacquer to create fashionable patterns but they still maintain the samurai durability.
By bus
There are highway buses between Kofu and Shinjuku which on paper take two hours; this is shorter than the local train and challenges the express.
Kofu is very much a car driven city. The entire city is designed around the idea that everyone has a car with most shops being out of the city centre, by the side of dual carriageways.
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Matsumoto · Regional · MMJ
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