The area around and encompassed by the triangle of Osaka, Kobe and Kyoto. Kansai has many rock-climbing areas and a few gyms, but remains relatively unknown due to the lack of good guidebooks in either Japanese or English, and some rather secretive habits on the part of local clubs. Like the majority of Japan the climbing is aimed firmly at sport-climbing, with nearly all routes fully bolted and within an easy half-pitch rope length; however, there is plenty of variety to be found if you know where to look. Most areas are also not far from public transport, which is a real plus.
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