Kawanishi

Kawanishi, city, southeastern Hyōgo ken (prefecture), west-central Honshu, Japan. It lies on the west bank of the Ina River and is bordered by Ikeda (southeast), Itami (south), and Takarazuka (west).

Factories in the city use the river water to produce dyed cloth and bleached and tanned leather. Fruit, flowers, and garden plants are cultivated on the river terrace to the south. The railway to Ōsaka and Kōbe reached Kawanishi in 1910. Since then the city has become a suburb of the Ōsaka-Kōbe metropolitan area. The nearby prefectural nature park attracts many tourists. Pop. (2010) 156,423; (2015) 156,375.