Chugoku
Tottori Prefecture
Yonago City
Rare in the whole country, Sanin one of the best name hot water gushing from the sea.
Kurayoshi City
Kurayoshi shirakabe white wall store houses: Elegant Townscape of White Walls with Red Tiles.
Hokuei Town
Hokuei Town is located in the central part of Tottori Prefecture, has an area of 56.94 square kilometers, a city with a population of approximately 15,000 people.
A wind farm was completed in November 2005 in this town. In order to prevent global warming, there are 9 windmills of 1,500 kW constructed mainly to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
It is one of the largest facilities of Japan in municipal management. In Unit 5 in the middle, an enlightenment bulletin board is installed, and you can visit at any time.
Shimane Prefecture
Matsue City
Completed in 1611 and one of only 12 remaining original castles nationwide, Matsue Castle was built over a five-year period by Horio Yoshiharu, feudal lord and founder of Matsue. It was designated as a national treasure in 2015.
Iinan Town
The Ohshimenawa Sousakukan is must-see! The museum was established to pass on Iinan’s tradition of shimenawa creation. These sacred straw ropes are an essential feature in every Shinto shrine.
When visiting the birthplace of Japan’s largest shimenawa, you can even make your own with weaving lessons starting from ￥880.
Okayama Prefecture
Kurashiki City
Kurashiki Bikan Historical Area: In the Edo period, Kurashiki became a “tenryo’’ land under the shogunate’s direct control, and was an important transportation hub for many years. The Kurashiki River, a branch of the Takahashi River, was used as a canal. Many merchants established businesses and built storehouses in the river port. The Kurashiki riverside prospered as a commercial center for goods and commodities gathered in the Takahashi River Basin. In 1979 the whole area was designated as one of the nation’s “Important Preservation Districts for Groups of Traditional Buildings’’. The beautiful traditional Japanese townscape continues to move visitors even today. The namako-kabe (walls with square tiles and raised plaster) of white-walled storehouses: rows of merchant houses with lattice windows and willow trees; and rows of traditional buildings built in the Edo period and Meiji era; all convey the liveliness of past times.
Maniwa City
Kanba Falls: At 110m tall, it ranks as one of Japan's Top 100 waterfalls.
With carefully maintained paths, one can get close to its plunge pool.
Kanba, Maniwa, Okayama Prefecture
Contact: Katsuyama Branch office, 0867-44-2607 http://cms.top-page.jp/p/maniwa/3/3/17/
Hiroshima Prefecture
Hiroshima City
On August 6, 1945, the building was severely damaged and burnt by the first atomic bomb ever used in warfare. The Atomic Bomb Dome symbolizes the pledge to convey the horror of the atomic bombing and the call for the abolition of nuclear weapons and eternal world peace. In 1996, the dome was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Takehara City
Preservation District of Important Historical Buildings: Takehara has a 350-year history, spanning a period when the its merchants were leading makers of salt and sake in Japan. Today you can see their old houses as well as the many public buildings erected with the town’s wealth, including old shrines and temples. Take a relaxing stroll through Takehara and enjoy a walk through time.
Onomichi City
The view from Fudouiwa (Rock) at Mt. Jodoji. You can see the boat come and go, and look over the Onomichi Suido (Channel).
Fukuyama City
Tomonoura, located approximately at the center of the Seto Inland Sea, is a port town that has flourished as a safe haven for seamen waiting for favorable tides since olden times. The scenic beauty women from a calm sea and islands and old town buildings dating back to Edo ...
Miyoshi City
The Cormorant Fishing (Ukai) of Miyoshi (June 1 to September 10) As an Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Hiroshima Prefecture, the cormorant fishing enjoys a history of around 450 years where the fishermen control the cormorants with a 6.75 meters long leash which is said to be the longest in Japan. One skilled fisherman is able to control eight cormorants at once.
Yamaguchi Prefecture
Yamaguchi City
Rurikoji Temple and Five-Storied Pagoda (National Treasures): This Five-Storied Pagoda is the 10th oldest pagoda in Japan, and it is also counted as the 3rd most beautiful pagoda in Japan. It depicts the beauty of Ouchi culture with the Cherry Blossoms and Maple Trees Mountain in the background. In addition, few hours after sunset it is illuminated, so the nighttime is also a popular time to visit.
Hagi City
This was the private school headed by Yoshida Shōin, a military strategist of the Hagi (Chōshū) clan. In 1854, at the of 25, Yoshida boarded an American vessel in Izu Shimoda, attempting to go overseas. He was imprisoned and later confined in the quarters of his relatives, the Sugi family (the Site of Yoshida Shōin's Imprisonment is a national historic site).
He began training pupils from 1856 and moved, in 1857, to the schoolhouse that remains today.
Yoshida's students included Takasugi Shinsaku, Itō Hirobumi (who would later become one of the Chōshū Five), and other exceptionally talented individuals who played a pivotal role in the modernization and industrialization of Japan.
Nagato City
Motonosumi lnari Shrine was constructed in 1955 following a divine message that was received from a white fox. The impressive sight of the long series of 123 shrine gates with a panoramic view of the Sea of Japan in the background was selected by the U.S. broadcaster CNN as one of the "31 Most Beautiful Places in Japan" in 2015. It is said that persons who successfully throw money into the offering box placed at the top of the large shrine gate on top of the hill will have their wish granted.