Wikipedia
Hanshin
, derived from the second kanji from and the first kanji from (but in on-reading instead of kun-reading), refers generally to the area between Osaka and Kobe in the Kansai region of Japan.
In the context of a region of Hyogo Prefecture, the term is used to refer to the 8 small municipalities ( Amagasaki, Ashiya, Inagawa, Itami, Kawanishi, Nishinomiya, Sanda and Takarazuka) located close to the northern coast of Osaka Bay between the two large cities of Kobe and Osaka. In some contexts, the eastern wards of Kobe ( Higashinada and Nada) and Nishiyodagawa Ward of Osaka are also included.
The word is used in the name of the following entities or structures in the combined metropolitan area:
- Hanshin Industrial Region
- Hanshin Department Store, a chain of stores
-
Hanshin Electric Railway, a company
- Hanshin Main Line, a railway line
- Hanshin Expressway, a network of tolled highways covering the region
- Hanshin Racecourse, a horse racetrack
- Hanshin Tigers, a professional baseball team in Nishinomiya