Japan · Areas
Chugoku
The western tip of Honshu, divided into San-in on the Sea of Japan and San-yo on the Seto Inland Sea: Izumo Taisha, Iwami Ginzan and the Tottori Sand Dunes on one side; Hiroshima, Miyajima and the port town of Tomonoura on the other.
Prefectures · Tottori · Shimane · Okayama · Hiroshima · Yamaguchi
City guides
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Every city guide has a timeline, stories of local figures, must-see sights, festivals and local etiquette.
Places to explore
Chugoku
Itsukushima Shrine
A great torii that 'floats' on the sea at high tide: a mythical world between the tides
Adachi Museum of Art
Ranked 'Japan's number-one garden' for twenty-three years running: a living landscape scroll
Tomonoura
The harbour that inspired Hayao Miyazaki: the jōyatō lantern of an Edo-period 'tide-waiting port'
Fukiya Furusato Village
Birthplace of 'Japan Red': a copper-mining town dyed red with bengara
Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine
The silver silence of a World Heritage Site: cycling through a street of samurai residences
Miyajima Underwater Fireworks
A dreamlike display where hemispherical 'underwater fireworks' rise from the sea against the Great Torii of Itsukushima Shrine, a World Heritage…
Gassan-Toda Castle Ruins
Around Mount Gassan (Katsuhikiyama) in Hirose, Yasugi City, Shimane Prefecture; a mountain-castle ruin, a national historic site and No. 65 of J…
Yoshida-Koriyama Castle Ruins
Around Mount Koriyama in Yoshida, Akitakata City, Hiroshima Prefecture; a mountain-castle ruin, a national historic site, reached by hiking trai…
Akiyoshido Cave and Akiyoshidai Plateau
Mine City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, within Akiyoshidai Quasi-National Park; above ground is Japan's largest-class karst plateau (about 54 square ki…
Kintaikyo Bridge (Iwakuni)
Over the Nishiki River in Iwakuni City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, linking both banks of the castle town; about 193 metres long and 5 metres wide, a …
Mount Daisen (Hoki Fuji)
Daisen Town, Saihaku District, Tottori Prefecture, a solitary peak on the Sea of Japan side, 1,729 metres high (the highest peak, Kengamine, is …
Tottori Sand Dunes
On the Sea of Japan coast in Tottori City, Tottori Prefecture, a specially protected area of San'in Kaigan National Park; about 16 kilometres ea…
Hiroshima okonomiyaki
Layers of batter, cabbage, pork and noodles — after the atomic bomb, it was what kept Hiroshima fed.
Izumo Taisha
The shrine of Ōkuninushi, god of good relationships: a giant shimenawa rope and the myth of 'handing over the land'.
Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and the Atomic Bomb Dome
After 6 August 1945, the only building left standing near the hypocentre: a ruin that reminds the world of peace.