Jeoiji Temple is well known for it’s beautiful garden, Shessutei. It was named after a famous monk who is a painter and garden designer, Shessu. The garden is also an inspiration to one of Shessu’s art masterpieces.
How to get there?
Joeiji Temple stands outside of the city center, about six kilometers north of Yamaguchi Station.
Facts about Mount Misen you should know about:
Mount Misen (弥山, Misen?) is the holy mountain on the holy island Itsukushima in Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima, Japan.
Mount Misen is within the World Heritage Area of Itsukushima Shrine.
Mount Misen, around the island (Seto Inland Sea) and all of the island are within Setonaikai National Park.
There is the primeval forest in the foothills on the north side of the mountain.
There are many buildings and gates of the temple of Daishō-in in the foothills on the north side of the mountain.
There is Momijidani-Kōen (紅葉谷公園, Maple Valley Park?) behind Itsukushima Shrine.
Mount Misen is famous for the place that was visited by Kūkai in the year 806, the 1st year of the Daidō era.
From the ancient times, a lot of people visit this mountain because of their religious piety.
View from the top of Mount Misen:
Useful links on Mount Misen
Japan Guide
Miyajima Ropeway
Setonaikai National Park
Ruins can still be seen since the atomic bomb landed and killed hundreds of thousands. This is a park that every human being’s responsibility to visit so that something this vile and terrible will never happen again.
Shukkeien Garden is Hiroshima’s largest garden and it is also incredibly beautiful. This Japanese style garden has a long standing history that dates back to the 1600’s. It was originally constructed as a villa for local feudal lord. Shukkeien literally translates to shrink scenery garden and it displays a hint of Chinese design miniaturized in forms of ponds, bridges and various plants.
Definitely worth a visit if you are in Hiroshima visiting it’s Peace Garden. A little nature walk might take the heaviness off your chest.
How to get there?
Shukkeien is a 15 minute walk from Hiroshima Station, located just next to the Hiroshima Prefectural Art Museum. Streetcar number 9 stops just in front of the garden at “Shukkeien-mae”. From Hiroshima Station, take streetcar line 1, 2 or 6 to Hacchobori where transferring to streetcar line 9.
I am done with the Chugoku region of Japan for now.
The land of Chugoku houses the historical site of Hiroshima where a monumental garden was erected to commemorate the deaths caused by the atom bomb that dropped, during the WW2.
There are places around Chugoku that I have covered as well that is worth visiting and traveling for. If I were you, I would rent a car and take roadtrips around Chugoku because it’s a very historical region with many samurai districts and old temples.
Check out Chugoku Region here…
Hagi (萩市, Hagi-shi?) is a city located in Yamaguchi, Japan and was incorporated as a city on July 1, 1932. Formerly part of Abu District.On March 6, 2005, the former city of Hagi merged with Asahi, Fukue, Kawakami, Mutsumi, Susa and Tamagawa to form the new city of Hagi. This city was formerly known as a castle town as well.
In the medieval period, Hagi was dominated by the Yoshimi clan, who built a branch castle in Hagi. The Mōri clan became daimyo of Chōshū Domain at the beginning of the Edo period and built Hagi Castle at the foot of Mt. Shizuki in 1608. They transferred the capital of the domain from Hiroshima to Hagi at the same time. Since then, Hagi developed as the political center of Chōshū for over 250 years.
When the Meiji Restoration came about in the 1860s, as the result of efforts by samurai from Chōshū and a number of other domains, this small city gained great historical significance. Many Japanese statesmen and Prime Ministers were born and brought up in this city.
You can take a stroll at the beautifully preserved castle town and see the old buildings that still dwells there. You will also get to see the samurai district between the walls of the preserved castle town. You should also drop by the temple that buried most of the Mori Lords during that period. Hagi is truly a historical site. It seems like there are many of these historical sites around Japan. I guess apart from it’s concrete buildings, Japan also has a its culture and history integrated beautifully in all of its technological advancements.
How to get to Hagi?
Check out this link.
Yamaguchi Prefecture (山口県, Yamaguchi-ken?) is located in the Chūgoku region on Honshū island, Japan. The capital is the city of Yamaguchi located in the center of the Prefecture: The largest city, by contrast, is Shimonoseki. Yamaguchi is also known as the Kyoto of the West due to its significance history. It’s a very beautiful and pleasant city with scenic landscapes. The place really reminds me of a highland residential area where things are just picturesque and always beautiful.
The pagoda, at Rurikoji temple, is a must visit in Yamaguchi, it’s beautifully stunning with luscious foliages of trees where it stands.
Izumo Taisha (出雲大社; also Izumo no Ōyashiro) is one of the most ancient and important of the Shinto shrines in Japan. Its name means “The Grand Shrine of Izumo.” No record gives the date of establishment. Located in Taisha, Shimane Prefecture, it is home to two major festivals. It is dedicated to the god Ōkuninushi-no-mikoto.
A style of architecture, Taisha-zukuri, takes its name from the main hall of Izumo Taisha. That hall, and the attached buildings, are National Treasures of Japan. According to tradition, the hall was previously much taller than it presently is. The recent discovery of the remains of enormous pillars has lent credence to this.
Several other buildings in the shrine compound are on the list of Important Cultural Assets of Japan.
The shrine as you can see is a traditional Japanese architecture. You can’t get anything more original than that.
How to get to Izumo Taisha?
Click on this link to find out more…
There are many Japanese castles in Japan. All of them are historically bounded and carries a story of their own. These castles are always a sight to behold, be it their architecture or its historical face value. Matsue is no different. Matsue (松江市 Matsue-shi) is the capital city of Shimane Prefecture in the Chūgoku region of Japan. It is a former castle town, although Matsue Castle still stands today.
Matsue is the “water city,” sitting on beautiful Lake Shinji, the seventh largest lake in Japan. Nearby Izumo Taisha is considered to be the oldest and most important Shinto shrine in Japan. Although some might beg to differ that it is the second most important Shinto Shrine after Ise Jingu.
You can also visit the Hearn Residence in Matsue. Lafcadio Hearn is the author who introduced Japan to the western world. Some would call him a pioneer in introducing western cultures to Japan. His residence now stands open for public viewing next to he museum filled with his previous works. Right next to it is a Samurai district where former samurai mansions have been restored as well.
How to get to Matsue?
The best way is to start from Tokyo but check this link out for more information.
Kurashiki (倉敷市; -shi) is a historic city located to the west of Okayama, Japan, sitting on the Takahashi River, on the coast of the Inland Sea. During the Edo period, Kurashiki was a place of storage for rice that was harvested from the neighbouring region. This place was like a rice port. If you can imagine how in the olden days, how the rice farmers would carry each sack of rice harvested with their own sweat and blooding, coming to Kurashiki for storage, it would actually tug some heartstrings and admiration for them.
The storehouses still stands today, picturesquely along the stream lined with willow trees along the historical canal area. There is even a merchant’s house open for public viewing called the Ohashi House. You can definitely see the structure of history within these confines.
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