...will be based at:

Pension Canadian Oiso, Sanda Athletic, Hyogo.

Scenery	Accommodation	Swim!
Stage	Amphitheatre	Prison?

[Click on any of the images to see a full-size version! (40~60 Kb)]

Chugoku Expressway Kobe/Sanda exit –> Sanda Athletic		[13Kb]	A scaled monochrome line map of the recommended route showing road numbers, junctions, place names and accumulated distance in English. A copy will be included in the data pack.
Chugoku Expressway Kobe/Sanda exit –> Sanda Athletic		[17Kb]	The same map as above but in 16-bit colour. Now aren't you glad you traded in that old black and white printer?
Chugoku Expressway Kobe/Sanda exit –> Sanda Athletic		[136K]	A copy of a regular Japanese map with the recommended route highlighted in colour and showing major place names in English. A copy may be included in the data pack. (Colour photocopying - nuf sed?)
Chugoku Expressway Kobe/Sanda exit –> Sidehara		[180K]	Detail from the above map enlarged to show the tricky initial junctions.
From Osaka/Kobe –> Sanda Athletic by train & bus		[25K]	A stylised block diagram in (fuzzy) Japanese showing route, transfer points and approximate times by train/bus or car.

And yes, I know some of the files are fat and heavy bastards. Well, the first couple I put up I purposely kept light for all you 14.4 b/s dinosaurs, only to get complaints "they're too fuzzy, we can't read the Kanji". So the intermediate ones are clearer. But a lot heavier.
(Hey, you don't have to download them but they're for your benefit - I already know how to get there!)

Latest efforts are scanned tracings of maps in monochrome and colour versions showing just the route. Depending on the kit at your disposal, you can choose whichever you like to download and/or print.

First things first, might be useful to know exactly where you are trying to get to. The full address is:

Leave the Chugoku Expressway at the Kobe/Sanda interchange. This will involve navigating your usual 'two-major-expressways-meeting' plate of spaghetti for the first 2 Km; basically, follow the signs for 'Shin-Sanda' and/or 'Route 95'. If traveling from the west, expect to turn in a gentle 'U' while passing from the Chugoku Expressway, through the start of the Rokko-Kita Expressway, and back to the reality of roads you don't have to pay to use. Those coming from the east will do a nice, tight circle to the left before the 'U'. (If you're sat to the right of a drinker, could be a good idea to cover yourself before they spew.) At the T-junction with Route 95, turn right. If you can, zero your milometer here, or at least note the value, as I'll be giving accumulative distances from here on. (Might also be worth stopping at a handy bog/lampost/nearby vertical surface at this point to let those piss-heads who've been sucking ale all the way take a leak before they fill the car up. You've another ~30 minutes to go yet.)
You should now be heading roughly north-east towards the delightfully named 'Flower Town'. Just after 1 Km, fork left to join road 720. (Not the one at 0.3 Km, patience, patience!) Get this right 'cos if you stay on R95 you won't be allowed to turn left up ahead where you need to, but be forced to head into central Sanda. Trust me, you don't want to tangle with that at lunchtime on Friday or any time on a Saturday. At 1.2 Km the 720 turns sharp left. Follow it as it runs parallel with the Kobe Dentetsu Koentoshi railway line. Don't take the left fork at 1.3Km, stay on the 720.
At the 3 Km mark, again fork left, signposted 'Shin Sanda'. (Used up all your 'forking' jokes yet?) You must leave the 720 at this point unless you have a great desire to go to Technopark. (Hint: They don't have 60 cases of beer; we do.) Should you see a station on your right with a disgustingly yellow roof (Slimie likes it - that's how bad it is), CB, you missed the turn-off!
At 3.2 Km you should arrive at a cross-roads junction with signals. Turn right onto the... Sorry, we've looked and looked, but this poor road has neither name nor number. Should be signposted 'Shin Sanda station' and almost immediately pass under the 720 you just left. If you don't go under a road after the lights, again CB, you missed the turn-off! Just for reference, if you are On-On trail you should cross route 176 at 5.2 Km. Keep straight and the road becomes the 570. (Hey, I didn't design this scheme, I'm just giving directions, ok?)
At 8.5 Km turn left onto road 37, signposted 'Kozuki'. (The road straight on is the 68. Don't take that unless you want to visit the future mayor of Takarazuka. He might actually have 60 cases of beer, but there again, so do we, and we're much better looking.) At 9.4 Km, road 37 crosses a major road at an angle. Go straight and try to stay on the 37...
At 12.6 Km it's funny junction time again. Road 37 turns sharply left (I mean major right-angle here); you, however, should go straight onto road 323. This road climbs until about the 14.5 Km mark at 'Osaka Pass'. After cresting the ridge, you should see pretty thatched cottages either side of the road. At the next minor cross-roads (at 15.8 Km), take a left, sign-posted 'Hazukawaguchi'. Yer close, very close, but no cigar quite yet. The next part is subject to change as there is minor construction in progress. I'll try to keep up with things...
At 16.7 Km, turn left and cross a temporary bridge. If you get a sudden sinking feeling then they've moved the bloody bridge again. Sorry, confused us a bit the first time, too. Follow this road around to the right and at 17.1 Km you should see the Hazukawa bus-stop on your right. Be sure to offer any desperate-looking hashers there a lift up to the camp. I lied below where I said 600 metres, it's more like 1.5 Km, but don't tell 'em that or they'll shit. At least take their kit - swap it for a warm beer. Give them the bird? Nasty, nasty, it has been a long journey, hasn't it?
At 18.4 Km you should see the 'Sanda Athletic' signs. Car park is on the right, we're on the left, slightly further on. Come and join us for a cold one...

Fall off the Shinkansen at Shin-Osaka. Or if you're on a 2,000 Yen day-ticket (don't knock it, I did Chiba Nash-Hash like that in '94), continue one more stop and follow directions from Osaka. Change platforms to the JR Kobe line, heading for Osaka. (Try not to go to Kyoto - unless of course you have time and need a 'temple' fix...) Take a local or express, it's only one stop! At Osaka, get off the train but DON'T exit the station.
At Osaka station go to platforms 1+2, the Fukuchiyama line heading for Sanda/Fukuchiyama. [If you're real early - like between 6:20 and 8:30 - it may be quicker (or necessary!) to take the Kobe line (platforms 5+6) to Amagasaki (two local stops or one express - about 5 minutes) and change to the Fukuchiyama line there. That can also be done from Shin-Osaka.] There are various expresses to Sanda that take about 35 or 40 minutes. Local trains run to 50 minutes and above, so if you're really thirsty maybe check the times in advance. Get off the train and exit the station at Sanda. Congratulations, you're almost there...
The Sanda bus station is right in front of the South exit of the train station. Take Shinki bus service number 22 or 23 heading for Hazukawa. Get off at Hazukawa (yep, we're at the end of the ride...) - takes 29 minutes. Beer Near!!!
Head up (it had to be, didn't it?) the hill about 600 metres, we're the noisy buggers on the left. Pop a cold one, you deserve it after all that.
Note: The 'From Osaka/Kobe by train & bus' link above illustrates all this in a pretty (but fuzzy) picture.
We will try to have cars at the bus-stop to meet hashers arriving on at least the 12:29 bus, but they may be tied up doing other stuff.

Take a bus to JR Kawanishi-Ikeda station. DON'T GET OFF AT HANKYU KAWANISHI-NOSEGUCHI STATION unless you fancy lumping your baggage 500 metres to the JR station. At JR Kawanishi-Ikeda, take the next train heading for Sanda/Fukuchiyama. Get off and exit the station at Sanda.
From here follow the bus directions from Sanda under 'By rail'.

Rich git. Uuh, I mean 'Welcome to Japan'. Take the 'Limousine' bus to Osaka. It stops at various locations in the city (mainly the fancier hotels), the stop you want is the rail station 'JR Osaka'. [Not Hankyu or Hanshin Umeda stations, but only 100 metres away from either if you do screw up.] Enter the station and go to the Fukuchiyama line (platform 1+2) heading for Sanda/Fukuchiyama. From here follow the train/bus directions from Osaka under 'By rail'.

You have got to be kidding. I don't know, swim back to where you sailed from and buy a fucking airplane ticket. (Ok if you insist, e-mail me and I'll find out. But as soon as you've finished chucking you're getting a Down-Down, ok?)

Hmmn, can't get an extra day off for Hash? You perhaps want to stop and consider your hectic life-style for a moment? What? "Stuff your advice where the sun don't shine and just tell me how to get to the #$%*&!+ event"? Woooh, touchy-touchy, you really should take some time off and relax for a while, y'know? Ok ok, I heard the first time, directions...
If you think you can get there before 9:30, head for Sanda Athletic as described above. We're out miles away all day from then on, so don't be showing up expecting a ride at 9:33! Instead, check our schedule for what we'll be doing when and where, and plan to meet us at an intermediate point. How? Read on:
Follow the directions towards JR Sanda, but stay awake because you've got to get off the train BEFORE it gets there! And stay off the expresses too, 'cos they don't stop at the one-dog (too small to have horses) villages we're taking you to. The train will stop at Namaze, Takedao and Dojo. Listen up for when you get to those stations, and check your arrival time against our schedule. Missed the start of the activity? Stay on the train to the next venue... Try to make the BBQ at Dojo before we leave at 20:00, eh? Think you could use a beer or ten, and it's a long walk back to the camp site...

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© Chiisai neko productions

Sorry about the noise below, gotta pay the rent somehow!