Cherry blossoms in Itami

What?
Itami (伊丹), famous for its airport, lies on the border of Osaka and Hyogo prefectures. Being 15 to 20 minutes away from Osaka’s Umeda Station (梅田) and 20-30 minutes away from Kobe’s Sannomiya Station (神戸三宮), it’s an ideal location for what Japanese people call “bed town” – a commuter town. This is clearly seen at the recent rise of many apartment buildings and the expansion of residential areas in the town. Nevertheless, the town is famous for being the birthplace of what is now known as sake, or more precisely, clear sake (every region in Japan calls itself the birthplace of sake, but there is consensus about the birthplace of clear sake). It’s also home to Koya-ike, a pond with 4 islands in the shape of Japan.
Where?
Itami is easily reached for either Osaka or Kobe with both JR lines (Takarazuka-line) as Hankyu Railways (get off at Tsukaguchi on the Kobe-line and change to the Itami-line). The Osaka International Airport which ironically does not serve any international flights is also known as Itami Airport, and local buses take you to Itami center in around 20 minutes.
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Itami Tourism

Getting off at either JR Itami or Hankyu Itami station, it’s hard to imagine the purpose of coming to this typical commuter town. It’s overcrowded with charmless apartment blocks, drug stores and 100 shops. However one also notices immediately the numerous places to eat and drink, a result of the pride Itami citizens seem to take in their town.
However, I have seen pictures of olden days; the town as it is now known wasn’t, instead half of Itami was spotted with numerous sake factories, most of them belonging to Konishi Brewing Company – somewhat famous for its brand Shirayuki (however recently also branding under the name Konishi). Now there is only 1 real brewery left – on the far side of JR Itami station. It’s hard not to notice the giant billboard when you enter or leave the station with the train. In fact the town has 2 sake breweries, but the picturesque Ooimatsu Brewery is in fact nothing more than a building with adjacent shop.

In any case, there is not much left of this proud brewing history. Although some spots might be worth the visit. Right between JR and Hankyu station’s is the Chojugura Brewery Village. This restaurant is housed in an old sake brewery or kura from Konishi Brewery. The lower floor also houses a craft brewery, and while not really famous, the Snow Blanche which is brewed there managed to win various highest awards in international competitions like the European Beer Star or the International Brewing Awards. On the upper floor various sake brewing articles are displayed in a small sake museum.
Not even a 5 minute walk from the Chojugura Brewery Village is the Itami Museum of Art, but more interestingly and free to enter, the old Okada Brewing Family Residence: one of the oldest brewing houses open to the public and used until the seventies. We can see some real brewing artifacts and huge fireplaces that were used for cooking rice.

Okada Brewing Family Residence

Itami Museum of Art

Chojugura Brewery Village

Sakura in full bloom.

But Itami has also a walking tour of around 4.5 kilometers around the many ponds in the town that is especially lovely when the cherry trees are in bloom, as they are planted along the whole route. The route starts at Inano Shrine, a few minutes away from Hankyu Station – or the same distance if you visited the Museum of Art. From there the path is pretty straightforward as it is the only patch of greenery in an otherwise very urbanized area. It might get confusing at 1 point, but you just need to cross the loud street and advance to the picturesque Midorigaoka Park. Its little Chinese Pagoda in one of the ponds could use some uplifting, but is a charming sight anyway. The walk continues along Zuga-ike which is the highlight if you’ve come for the cherry blossoms. You can walk around the lake and see nothing but pinkness. From Zuga-ike you can walk along a green path to Koya-ike. Koya-ike is the biggest pond of Itami and doesn’t only have quite a large park around it but also an Insect Museum. If you like butterflies don’t hesitate to enter.
The path actually stops at Koya-ike which makes it a bit a bummer for those who came by train as you’re pretty far away from any of the big or smaller stations. You can go back the way you came, but it might be interesting to opt for a walk through the urban sea of concrete along the Koya and the Gogazuka Burial Mound. Both are not extraordinary but show you some interesting spots in a crowded area and make you end up near Hankyu’s Inano Station, assuring a smooth trip back to either Osaka or Kobe.

The Aramaki Rose Garden is a picturesque spot to see some flowers in bloom but might be somewhat out of the way. It could be worthwhile though when blooming of cherry trees and roses overlap.

Completely unrelated, but if you like planes, a side trip to Itami Skypark is a must. The park right next to the airport is pretty and gives you first class seats to do some plane spotting. The easiest way to get there is to take a bus from either Itami station to the Airport and get off somewhere in between at Itami Skypark.
An even better spot might be Airfront Oasis Shimogawara. All you need to do is circle the airport.