Welcome to “Nishinomiya Intersections,” the section that might make you think, “Wait, could I actually become a Nishinomiya city guide?” after reading it.
For our second featured intersection, we’re introducing “Kawaragi” in the Koshienguchi area, where National Route 2 and the Nakatsuhama Line meet.
(Thanks to Hikaru-san for the tip!)
If you’re thinking, “Huh, haven’t I seen this before?” you’re right. It’s not déjà vu. Something major happened around here recently, so we’re re-uploading this article!
The reason comes midway through.
Here it is on the map↓
目次
East of Kawaragi
East side of the “Kawaragi” intersection↓
To the east, you’ll find a Jaguar car dealership, a self-service Shell gas station, and even a rare Ministop, one of only four in Nishinomiya.
If you keep going straight, you can get all the way to Umeda in Osaka. Around Umeda, it changes into Route 1.
Address-wise, the right side of the road is “Kamikoshien,” and the left side is “Koshienguchi.” People who live around here probably find it slightly annoying that whenever they tell someone their address for the first time, they’re almost guaranteed to hear, “Oh, so it’s near Koshien Stadium?” and then have to explain, “Well, it’s kind of close, but not exactly within walking distance.”
West of Kawaragi
West side of the “Kawaragi” intersection↓
If you keep going west, you can reach Kobe. You can even get to Okayama. It’s an impressive road that goes all the way to Yamaguchi: National Route 2. Yes, this is the Kawaragi intersection.
On the corner, there’s “Yeraishan,” known for champon and sara udon, along with “Lawson Store 100,” “The Meshiya,” and more. There are also lots of car dealerships, including “Audi” and “Toyota Netz Terrace.” We even made it into a quiz.
Among them, Royal Home Center, a home improvement store that this area didn’t have before, opened in December 2017, and many people must find it incredibly useful.
A little farther along is Hanshin-Kokudo Station, which is actually on the Hankyu Railway, even though its name says “Hanshin National Highway.” (Hanshin Kokudo is a common name for National Route 2.For some reason, Wikipedia goes into detail about how to pronounce it and where the accent falls, which is oddly interesting.)
South of Kawaragi
South side of the “Kawaragi” intersection↓
This is the south side. The north-south road here is the Nakatsuhama Line.
To the south is Kawarabayashi Park, the largest park in this area. It’s famous for its roses.
There’s also Kamikoshien Junior High School, famous for its marching band. Recently, they also donated protective suits, so Kamikoshien Junior High is one to keep an eye on.
Harukaze Elementary School is also scheduled to get a new school building next January, complete with a rooftop pool and plenty of features that kids in this school district will probably envy. So you could say there’s a lot going on south of Kawaragi.
North of Kawaragi
North side of the “Kawaragi” intersection↓
The tower that looks like a five-story pagoda on the left to the north is an NTT radio tower.
You can probably see this radio tower from both JR and Hankyu trains(Hanshin too?). If you spot it, just think, “Ah, I must be near the Kawaragi intersection.”
There’s also Asahi Beer nearby, and if you go past the elevated tracks, you’ll reach the Oyamacho intersection, where there’s a McDonald’s with a drive-thru on the corner. (Gardens is close from there too!)
Keep heading north and you’ll find a Hankyu train depot and Hanshin Racecourse. It’s another impressive road: the Nakatsuhama Line. Yes, that’s Kawaragi intersection quality.
One Photo from Kawaragi Intersection: “Yeraishan”
Apparently, the restaurant has been at the Kawaragi intersection for 30 years.
More than the restaurant’s name, the words “champon” and “sara udon” are what jump out at you at “夜来香.” And it’s hard to read. 夜来香 is read “Yeraishan.”
They also offer takeout, and we’ve covered them in a Nishitsuu article as well as on Nishitsuu Takeout. The portions are huge, so if you want a hearty meal, definitely give it a try.
(Added 10/10)
As we reported the other day, “夜来香” will close after 30 years in business. “Yeraishan by the Kawaragi intersection on Route 2 will close on October 25”
If you know the place, please go. If you don’t, they’re doing takeout too, so please go. You’ll absolutely regret it if you don’t. I’m going to buy sara udon for takeout too. The menu is posted here. Lots of people get hooked on the champon too. They don’t offer it for takeout, though, so please try it in the restaurant.
Finally
So, what did you think of Kawaragi in “Nishinomiya Intersections”? You might now be so familiar with it that you could say, “Ask me anything about Kawaragi.” (Not really.)
There’s the NTT radio tower, which you could almost call Nishinomiya’s five-story pagoda, and from this intersection you can head north toward Gardens (slightly off, though) or south toward Koshien Stadium (also slightly off). It feels like a pretty important point in Nishinomiya.
With that said, if there’s an intersection you’d like us to feature, we’re waiting for your tips! Tips via LINE are welcome too!
