VOLUME 28
HYOGO
Himeji Castle, Kobe Harbor & Arima Onsen
Hyogo is not Kobe. It is not the white castle at Himeji either, and it is not a slab of marbled beef on a hot stone. Those are the postcards; the prefecture underneath them is stranger and more divided. Hyogo is a stack of sub-regions glued together by administrative line, each with its own weather, dialect, and economy. Kobe and the Hanshin coast face the Inland Sea: container cranes, ijinkan with iron balconies in Kitano-cho, the sake warehouses of Nada with sugidama hung at every gate. West of that, the Banshu plain rolls flat and agricultural, somen drying in long pale curtains, the donjon at Himeji rising in five tiers above sloping stone, kilns at Tachikui still firing Tamba ware the colour of riverbed clay. Cross the Chugoku spine and the prefecture turns rural and northern: Tajima beef pasture, Izushi soba on small white dishes, Kinosaki's seven public baths along a willow canal, basalt columns at Genbudo dropping to the Sea of Japan. South across the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge lies Awaji, an onion island that ends in the whirlpools of Naruto. Forty pages here, divided by the same fault lines. Begin where you like.
“Color the prefecture from harbour bell to highland snow.”
- 40 original Hyogo Prefecture illustrations
- Single-sided pages to prevent bleed-through
- 8.5 x 8.5 inch square format
- A mix of detailed and breathable compositions
- Brief editorial introduction to Hyogo
- Anyone with an interest in Japan, its culture, and its castle and harbour towns
- Adults who use coloring for relaxation and quiet focus
- A considered gift for friends and family with a love of Japan
The Hyogo coloring book is Volume 28 of Sora Mikami's Prefectures of Japan series, a 47-volume collection that explores Japan one prefecture at a time. It gathers 40 original black-line illustrations of Hyogo. It draws on Himeji Castle, Kobe Harbor, and Arima Onsen, alongside the everyday scenes Hyogo considers its own.
You will find Himeji Castle, Kobe Harbor, and Arima Onsen, together with the landmarks, food, and quiet corners that give Hyogo its character. The compositions move between detailed, intricate pages and calmer, more breathable ones, so there is something for every mood.
Yes. The book mixes detailed illustrations with more open, breathable designs, so beginners and experienced colorists alike can settle in. The large 8.5 x 8.5 inch square pages give you plenty of room to work, and every page is printed single-sided.
Colored pencils, markers, and gel pens all work beautifully. Because every illustration is printed single-sided on white paper, you can use heavier media without bleed-through onto another design. Slip a sheet of card behind the page if you want to be sure.
It is Volume 28 of a planned 47, one book for every Japanese prefecture. The volumes can be coloured in any order, and together they sketch the whole country one place at a time. Hyogo sits in the Kansai region of Japan.
