A small mountain town in the highlands of the town of Hidaka in northern Hyogo prefecture. Surrounded by mountains and open fields under a spacious sky that fills with stars at night, the lack of city lights make them shine bright.
In Kannabe you will find the crater of the Kansai region’s youngest, but extinct, volcano. The geological features of this volcano are used by locals such as being able to ski and snowshoe down the old volcano, soil is made of volcanic ash and is used for upland farming, and old lava tunnels are used as natural refrigerators by local farmers to store their crops.

Volcanic activity up till 25,000 years ago has given the area beautiful and scenic terrain. The magma that flowed from the volcano traveled from Kannabe to the main river, Maruyama River, creating cascading waterfalls and lava trails well worth hiking. Some of the noted spots that are also part of the San’in Kaigan UNESCO Global Geopark are Mt Kannabe (where you can hike up to the mouth of the volcano crater), Hattandaki Waterfalls, lava tunnels and more.

From the warmer months of summer to the colder winters there is a full range of activities to enjoy year round by any age group. You can go from slow relaxed hikes through the highlands or more high pace and excited activities such as paragliding. After the mountains become cloaked in snow hit the mountains for some skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, sledding and more. Kannabe has slopes perfect for first-timers as well as some for the more advanced looking for some speed.