The west bank of the Nishiki River, adjacent to the bridge, is thickly planted with thousands of cherry trees and about 200 plum trees. Unsurprisingly, then, this is a popular spot in spring for hanami, the wonderful Japanese custom of gathering beneath blossoming trees with family and friends and...
One of the loveliest sights in western Japan must surely be Kintaikyo bridge in the city of Iwakuni. Built in five graceful arches over the Nishiki River, the bridge seems to hang in the air like the skipping flight of a swallow. It’s a masterpiece of traditional Japanese carpentry, made without a s...
45 kilometers west of Hiroshima city, visitors to Japan will find Iwakuni city, a town of about 150,000 people at the eastern edge of Yamaguchi prefecture. The modern city center is largely nondescript, looking much like any other Japanese city of this size. Those passing through on one of JR West’s...
This video looks at both popular foods and subcultures in the Chugoku District (Hiroshima, Okayama, Yamaguchi, Shimane, and Tottori Prefectures). Popular local cuisine from the traditional to the modern are introduced in this video, along with the Daiso 100 yen shop and Maid Cafes.
Portal gui...
Iwaukuni’s most famous local dish goes by a number of names. Called Iwakuni-zushi, oshizushi, and even tonosamazushi (lord's sushi), the dish is well worth seeking out if you visit Kintaikyo. According to locals, Kikkawa Hiroie, builder of the original Iwakuni castle, is said to have ordered his m...
Sankin-kotai was a curious but effective government policy enforced through most of the Edo period. It was both a form of military service and a way to curb possible aggression on the part of the hundreds of local daimyo, or feudal lords, who served the Tokugawa shogunate in the capital of Edo, pr...
Another popular attraction in the Kintaikyo area is ukai, or cormorant fishing. A cormorant, for the uninitiated, is a large diving bird. As early as the 8th century, river fishermen in Japan began training the birds to help catch small freshwater fish. Though the practice has largely died out, it i...
For 1,300 years, both locals and visitors have enjoyed the Iwai Hot Springs, located on Tottori's Gamo River. Among onsen aficionados, Iwai is known both for its special bathing song and for the custom called "yukamuri," in which hot water is ladled up and poured over the bather's towel-covered hea...
Just north of the quaint city of Kurayoshi, visitors will find Lake Togo, with Hawai Onsen on the western shore and Togo Onsen on the east. At Hawai, the hot water gushes from the floor of the lake, and some of the hotels are built to look as though they rise straight from the water. At Togo, orch...
Only twelve of Japan's feudal era castles have survived intact to the present day, and in Matsue you can see the largest of these. Matsue Castle was completed in 1611 for the use of the local lord Horio Yoshiharu. The castle is also called the Plover Castle for its color and proximity to water.
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In addition to being Tottori's leading port city, Sakaiminato is the birthplace of Mizuki Shigeru, one of Japan's best-loved manga artists. Born left-handed, Mizuki lost his left arm in New Guinea during the Second World War, teaching himself to write and draw with his right hand after his return. ...
Opened in 1999, Tottori Hanakairo Park, or simply Flower Park, is an immense flower garden spreading across 50 hectares within view of Mt. Daisen. Flowers are in bloom all year round, including lilies, orchids, hibiscus and a rose garden. Near the center of the park, you can stroll through the mai...
Far and away the most famous sight in Tottori are its sand dunes, stretching across 16 kilometers east to west at the prefecture's easternmost end. Reaching as high as 90 meters, the dunes are an instantly recognizable symbol of Tottori for Japanese visitors, who arrive in droves to disappear among...
The city of Kurayoshi is located in central Tottori prefecture, and must be one of the most charming spots in Japan. The old Edo period grid of streets is lined with picturesque buildings, including many with the handsome whitewash "soil-lacquered" walls and rich red roof tiles that are an emblem o...
Rising from the Japan Sea coast, Daisen is both the Chugoku region's highest mountain and, from ancient times, a vital part of the area's spiritual culture. The Izumo Kokudo Fudoki, an early 8th century document chronicling features of the Izumo area, referred to the volcano as Ōkami-take, the Moun...
