Available Write Up: 152
2018.3.28
Setouchi – A History and Culture Worthy of its World Heritage Site Status
The Setouchi region, replete with places of great historical and cultural value, contains no less than four UNESCO World Heritage sites, and a wealth of equally fascinating yet lesser-known spots nearby. In the three day journey we have mapped out here, you’ll encounter a magnificent castle, an iconic shrine, a timeless memorial for peace, and one of the most significant birthplaces of modern Japan. The historical and cultural richness of these sites will stimulate and inspire, but the journey itself holds just as many unplanned delights and discoveries that will have you wanting to dig even further into this fascinating part of Japan.
2018.3.28
Road Trip to Setouchi’s Cultural Treasures
Settling into a car seat allows a completely different type of travel experience, one perfectly suited to the Setouchi region with its treasure trove of rich history and culture far removed from the hustle and bustle of large cities. Regardless of your destination, world-class roads, bridges and ferries make traveling by car safe, easy, and relaxing. Having the freedom of a vehicle allows you to tailor your own course, at your own pace, through scenic countryside steeped in history and alive with culture. It’s an ideal way to see and experience the very best of the Setouchi region. The road trip assembled here covers four prefectures in the Setouchi area, highlighting a wealth of designated cultural treasures, as well as some magnificent scenery. Whether you take to the road by yourself, or share the journey with those near and dear, the amazing array of opportunities for cultural appreciation, education and gorgeous scenery, will provide memories to treasure for a lifetime.
Irori Sanzoku – Yamaguchi’s Perpetual Food Festival
It appears like a mirage out of the darkness. A mass of lantern lights illuminate the Japanese tower and other traditional buildings on the roadside. Enormous decorative koi carps flutter in the breeze. On the other side of the road, hundreds of glowing lanterns form the Japanese character for ‘festival’. This is the famous Irori Sanzoku in Yamaguchi Prefecture - a restaurant complex where the beat of festival drums sounds all year long.
guntû – Setouchi’s Own Luxury Floating Ryokan
There’s nothing quite like a luxury stay at a traditional Japanese inn. Exceptional service, exquisitely prepared food of the highest order, long soaks in healing hot water, and all the other touches make each stay in these establishments, known in Japan as “ryokan,” a hotel experience unparalleled anywhere in the world. It couldn’t get any better right?
2018.3.27 Hiroshima
Onomichi City – Where Temples, Cats, and Bicycles Collide (in a Good Way!)
What do you get when you combine hills, temples, cats, and bicycles?
Hope Amidst the Ruins – a Visit to Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park
“I don’t like looking at sunsets anymore,” says Michiko Yamaoka. The story is her mother’s, but she tells it as if she were there.
2018.3.26
A Scenic Road Trip Amongst Setouchi’s Amazing Nature
The Setouchi region hosts some of the most spectacular scenery in all of Japan. From mountain tops to the seaside, the diversity and richness of nature will tantalize your eyes, ears, and tastebuds. Even with just a few days to spare, it's possible to experience the breadth and depth of this unique and beautiful part of Japan. Here we introduce our best selection for a three day trip.
Auberge de Oishi – A Mediterranean Hideaway in Setouchi
In French, auberge means inn. “In France people will travel to distant, famous restaurants to enjoy their cuisine. And French lunches will often last three or four hours, so people tend to stay overnight.” The maître d explains when I ask, “People stay in auberge?”
Akashi Kaikyo Bridge – Climbing the Tallest and Longest Suspension Bridge in the World
The elevator motor whirs into life. Inside, small lights track our ascent to the top. As we approach 297m, the compact elevator comes to a halt with a clunk. We have arrived. After walking through the heavily reinforced steel structure, an automated ceiling hatch slowly begins to slide open. I was about to experience the highlight of the Bridge World tour on Akashi Kaikyo Bridge – the longest and tallest suspension bridge in the world.
Happy Raft – Riding Japan’s World Class Rapids
Magnificent rock formations and tree-covered mountains line the gorge. A gentle current carries us down river. It is a picture of paradise. But perched on the side of the two-man inflatable, my heart is racing like a juggernaut.
Ryokan Kurashiki – Modern Comfort, Vintage Style
Sipping tea at an antique table in the vintage lounge room of Ryokan Kurashiki, it’s hard for me to imagine a place more ideally situated.
Awaji Hamarikyu – Sun, Sea, Sand and Sakura Trout
The Hotel New Awaji Awaji Hamarikyu – or Hamarikyu for short – sits on Awaji Island that connects Osaka and Kobe to Shikoku. With its prime location looking out over the Seto Inland Sea and fronting a beautiful sandy beach, the hotel offers guests a chance to enjoy some of the best views in the region while relaxing in pure luxury.
Kobe Art Style – Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art and Yokoo Tadanori Museum of Contemporary Art
Catching a taxi to the Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art from downtown costs just 1,300 yen. Time-permitting, you could enjoy sea breezes while walking along the waterfront to the museum. I did the reverse, ending my visit with a twilight, weaving through joggers and strolling past the fishermen, as I followed the water back to the city center.
The Kobe Sake Masters – Kiku-Masamune and Hakutsuru
Hyogo prefecture produces 30 percent of all nihonshu, a.k.a. sake, in Japan. Famed for its pure, delicious water — a crucial ingredient in quality sake — the region continues to generate some of Japan’s most celebrated sakes. And with companies like Kiku-Masamune and Hakutsuru in the region, it’s no wonder.
Kosan-ji Temple – A Smorgasbord of Temples in Honor of Mother
Crossing the Seto Inland Sea by road, my friend proposed we break our trip in Ikuchijima island and visit the Kosan-ji temple complex. After a few minutes scrolling through my phone I was intrigued.
Yamatoya Honten – Dogo’s Legendary Ryokan
“This room is very popular,” says Masato Mizuno, hotel manager at the renowned Yamatoya Honten in Dogo Onsen as he opens the screen doors to room 715. “You won’t see anything like this anywhere else.”
Choraku – A Gold and Silver Bathing Treat in Arima Onsen
Alright, I’ll admit it — I’m an Onsen addict. I just love long soaks in mineral rich water, the heat of the water working its way down into bones, the feeling replenishment like a sponge squeezed dry — it gives me a feeling of lightness and purification. A seductive mix that has me constantly searching for opportunities to indulge.
Ochi Kochi Ryokan – A Window to One of Japan’s Most Celebrated Seascapes
Watching the pirate ship pull up to the dock below our balcony at Ochi Kochi — a chic ryokan (traditional Japanese inn) in Tomonoura — we could already feel the tidal ebb and flow of the port town embracing us.
Akiyoshidai Karst Plain and Akiyoshido Cave – 350 million years of Geological History
Having got lost more times than I care to recount, arriving at the Akiyoshidai Karst plain in Yamaguchi Prefecture’s Mine City was more challenging than I’d expected, but then again, navigation isn’t really more forte. Still I managed to locate the plain and decided to park at the bottom for an energetic releasing walk up the hill as a release from being car bound for hours. After bit of a hike I was welcomed by the sight of rolling hills, peppered with white limestone.
Joei-ji Sesshu-tei Garden – Artwork You Can Walk Through
Standing in the parking lot outside Joei-ji, the temple compound appears majestic — a stark contrast to the color and organic shapes and curves of the natural landscape surrounding it. With Yamaguchi City behind me, it feels as though I’m about to embark on a forest adventure into the hills, the temple acting as a gateway to the green beyond.
Motonosumi Inari Shrine – A Gateway Fit for a God
Driving through the early morning darkness along a coastal highway, the road and surrounding woods seem alive with wildlife. Following a slow, sharp turn on the narrow road, I was suddenly confronted by a huge wild boar standing center stage and dazed by my headlights. All the while, strong winds whistle through the branches beside the road as the hog and I stare at each other. The darkness hides everything but the animal before me, and I feel like I’m deep in the wilderness. In reality though, I am just moments away from the famous red gates of the Motonosumi Inari Shrine in Nagato, Yamaguchi Prefecture.
Karato Market – Shimonoseki’s Finest Fish on the Waterfront
Karato Market is Shimonoseki’s user-friendly version of Tokyo’s huge Tsukiji wholesale fish market. However, in my opinion Shimonoseki wins hands down, by merit of both its location, and its openness to all buyers.
Art Base Momoshima – A Hidden Treasure Trove of Modern Art
If you’re looking for the hidden gems of Japan’s art scene, you’ll want to put Art Base Momoshima high on your list. Headquartered on the island of Momoshima, just a short ferry ride from Onomichi in Hiroshima Prefecture, Art Base grew from the ideas of internationally acclaimed artist Yukinori Yanagi, also known for his work on Inujima, another art island off the coast of neighboring Okayama Prefecture.
Hanajyukai – Takamatsu’s Urban Ryokan
As our cab climbs the mountainside to Hanajyukai, my partner and I watch the beautiful seaside town of Takamatsu vanish behind a screen of trees. It will make a reappearance, of course — and quite a dramatic one — as Hanajyukai is famous, among other things, for its breathtaking bird’s-eye view.
RELAXING STAY The Sheraton Grand Hiroshima Hotel – Off the Train and into Luxury
A stone’s throw from Hiroshima Station and the Shinkansen ticket gates, the Sheraton is the perfect place for visitors looking for both convenience and luxury during their stay in Hiroshima.
Island Ryokan Mari – A Meaningful Luxury Experience
Reminiscing with your partner, or doing the rounds of travel stories with friends, more often than not you will be reaching first to those places, and experiences that have etched themselves deepest in your memory banks. A stay at Shodoshima Island Ryokan Mari will be one of those places, a memory relayed time and time again. It is just that good!
Kankakei Gorge – An artwork 13 million years in the making
Kankakei Gorge, located in the center of Shodoshima Island, possesses the sort of evocative beauty that any master artist would gladly claim as their own. The stark cliffs and expressive rock formations provide a unique canvas that brings out the best of the stunning vegetation of the island.
Nakabuan – Getting to Know Summer’s Perfect Noodle
I must confess, I’m a bit of a noodle freak. See a line forming at a ramen shop, I will jump on it, sure to be a winner. The same goes for udon and soba, which between them account for half my diet I imagine. Still, when summer rolls around, there is only one noodle I simply must have close at hand — soumen, the string-thin noodle, served chilled with a refreshing dipping sauce. Satisfying, like a cool sea breeze for the stomach.
Hagi – An Open-Air Museum of Japan’s Entry Into the Modern World
No matter what way you cut it, Japan’s rise from a feudal society into its hyper-modern form has been an amazing transformation. Like many people, I was familiar with the basics of Japan’s journey to becoming a modern country – samurai rebellions, sending bright men to learn from advanced countries, and so forth – but I hadn’t really been to many of the historical sites where the nuts and bolts of this epic change took place.
Shimonoseki Marine Science Museum “Kaikyokan” – A glimpse into the Wonderland Below the Waves
A short walk from Shimonoseki’s famous Karato Market along the Straits of Kanmon, is the Shimonoseki Marine Science Museum Kaikyokan (Sea Aquarium). From the wonders of high-speed penguins — and there are oh so many penguins — to the re-creation of the natural habitat thriving below in the straits, to the performing sea lion and dolphins, this aquarium has something fun and educational for all ages.