中 国 地 方 (C H Ū G O K U)
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The region of Chugoku is often missed when focussing on Kanto and Kansai. This is a mistake. Beside Hiroshima and Miyajima there are some places that are really worth a visit and some are a must-visit; maybe not on the first trip to Japan, but definately for the second or third.
[I’m a fan of japan-guide.com. This pic is a URL-Link to the website.]
The Chugoku region consists of 5 prefectures: Yamaguchi, Shimane, Tottori, Hiroshima and Okayama. In the last two are the cities of Hiroshima, Miyajima, Okayama and Kurashiki. Chubu begins somewhere half way between Himeji and Okayama. Sum up (Rule: SHOULD is MUST if CAN):
- MUST VISIT: Hiroshima, Miyajima, Himeji
- SHOULD: Kurashiki, Onomichi, Okayama
- can: Iwakuni, Kosanji, Bitchu-Takahashi
広島 : Hiroshima — MUST VISIT, 1 day
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Hiroshima has the Atom Bomb Dome, the Peace Memorial Park and the Museum. The historical importance of this is reason enough to make it a must visit place. Half way between train station and the T-bridge is the old castle ground, there is a very nice japanese garden and the castle. I recommend to book a hotel at Miyajima island and make Hiroshima a day trip.
TIP: 宮島 : Miyajima/Itsukushima — MUST VISIT, 2 days
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The island of Miyajima is approx. 20 minutes by train away from Hiroshima. Book a hotel on the island and make Hiroshima a day trip. Thank me later. The shrine at night is something awesome. Don’t spoil it by looking to the watch and trying to catch the last ferry back to Hiroshima. I can easily spend a whole week on this island: the famous shrine, a temple with a big hall and a pagoda, hiking at the coast line or up mount Misen. The small town is optimized to day tourist. There are only a few bars open later at night.
岩国 : Iwakuni — can, 2-3 hours
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Iwakuni is a small town, that is in travel distance to Hiroshima and close to Miyajima. The only interesting spots is the famous bridge over the river and a small castle on the mountain. There is also a temple ground. The bridge is 1.2 km away from the train station and is famous because it has 5 arches and is contructed completly out of wood. The castle is small but nice. Everything looks rural, even just around the corner/behind the castle mountain are the Sanyo expressway and the shinkansen tracks.
倉敷 : Kurashiki — SHOULD, 1/2 day
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Maybe it is also a must visit. At the moment I just hold back on this label a use it carefully. 1km south of the train station is an area with ancient houses; white walls, black roof tiles. The central street is located on both sides of a river. It is the place of 2004 where I had this „holiday“ feeling. There are a lot of small museums and craftmen shops. There is also a shrine but that you can skip if you want.
姫路 : Himeji — MUST VISIT (castle), 1/2 day
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Himeji castle is a perfect stop on the way from Oosaka to Hiroshima. I visited the Castle twice: once in 2004 during Taifun 19 and again in 2014, when half of the castle was closed due to reconstruction. The castle is a must visit. It is the castle of castles, shown in every travel guide. But be aware of all the tourists. There is also a temple area on mount Shosha. Also worth a visit, but it takes some time to get there and back. If you only in Himeji for a brief stop, like I suggested, it might be not possible to visit the temple mountain.
尾道 : Onomichi — SHOULD, 1 Tag
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Onomichi is a small town, not pretty and interesting at first view. There are 25 temples in this city. The temples themself are not that special. But combine that with the narrow back streets and stairs of the town, you have a nice scavenger hunt. I recommend to by a sketch book. Every temple has a stamp. The collection makes a nice souvenir.
岡山 : Okayama — SHOULD, 1/2 Tag
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Okayama is an ideal stop on way from Oosaka or Kobe to Hiroshima. 2km north of the train station is a park Korakuen. The park is a beautiful combination of japanese and european styles. Right next to the garden, on the other side of the river, is Okayama castle, the crow castle. The castle is open to visitors. There are some more spots to visit, but the fall under the category „if there is some time left“.
Kosanji auf Ikuchijima — SHOULD, 1/2 Tag
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The temple is located on an island between Chuubu and Shikoku. There are ferry connections from Onomichi and Mihara. The temple is something special. Colourful and full of many tiny details. It was founded by a business man in 1936. You can say he went a little bit overboard. The temple is worth a visit. The highlight is a replica of the Yomeimon in Nikko.
高梁 : Bitchu-Takahashi — can, 1/2 Tag
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There is a small castle called Matsuyama in this place. The castle is located on a small mountain. The city itself has a small temple and a small samurai house that can be visited. That is more or less it. Because the place is a little bit away from the usual travel routes, I only gave it a can-visit.
To sum it up: I really good covered the south side auf this area. But I never was at the northern coast within 7 times beeing in Japan.
| am Shinkansen | Hauptlinien | Nebenlinien | abseits (Bus) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hiroshima ** | Miyajima *** | Bitchu-Takahashi * | Inujima Island * |
| Kurashiki * | Matsue * | Yamaguchi | Tomonoura * |
| Onomichi * | Izumo * | Tsuwano | Akiyoshidai * |
| Iwakuni * | Hagi * | Mt. Daisen | |
| Okayama | Tottori | Iwami Ginzan |
Listed in the map but no sightseeing spots. There are places to change train or bus lines)
- Shimonoseki
- Fukuyama
- Tottori Airport, Yonaga Airport, Izumo Airport, Hagi Iwami
- Ube-Yamaguchi Airport, Hiroshima Airport, Okayama Airport