Moopon

After crossing the beautifully arched Kintai-kyo Bridge in Iwakuni city, Yamaguchi Prefecture, visitors can see the statue of Kikkawa Hiroyoshi.  Kikkawa, the 3rd lord of Iwakuni, was heavily involved in the construction of the bridge after the original bridge was washed away.

Behind Kikkawa’s statue is Kikko Park, a beautiful, spacious area blessed with nature. During the Edo Periods, the residences of the Kikkawa family were located here, in Kikko Park with relatives living nearby.  As a result, in addition to the fountains and spectacular natural surroundings, Kikko Park contains ruminants of former samurai residences and museums displaying historic artifacts of this part of Japan.
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Mekata Residence
Hours: 9:30 to 16:30
Closed: Mondays (following day if Monday is a national holiday)
Admission: Free
The Mekata Residences belonged to the Mekata family, who were mid-level samurai. Visitors are not permitted to actually enter the residence, but can walk around the property to observe the residences from a short distance away.

The Uchiko History Museum (内子町歴史民俗資料館, Uchikocho Rekishi Minzoku Shiryōkan), also known as the Museum of Commercial and Domestic Life, is located along the main street, outside of the Yokaichi Old Town district. The museum is compact, but enjoyable, with life-sized, automated figures arranged to show how residents of the town lived in the 19th and 20th centuries.

The displays are visually informative, making up for the lack of English translations in the written material.

The museum reproduced the state of the business and livelihood of around 1921 using old tools (1921).

 On the second floor, beautiful tatami rooms with sliding doors and painted screens show how the more stylish town houses of local merchant families looked like.
 

Hours: 9:00 to 16:30
Closed: December 29 to January 2
Admission: 200 yen 

Access info.
The Uchiko History Museum a ten minute walk from JR Uchiko Station. It can also be reached in a short ride on the Chagamaru Retro Bus.

Located in Matsuyama City, Ehime Prefecture, the world famous Dogo Onsen (Hot Springs) symbol is the Dogo Onsen Honkan (道後温泉本館). This charming bath house is filled with activity as staff members lead guests up and down the wooden staircases, along the old-fashioned wooden hallways to their rooms and various.  It is said Studio Ghibli’s “Spirited Away” is modeled after the Dogo Onsen Honkan.

The Honkan has two different baths for visitors to enjoy.  Kami no Yu (the Bath of the Gods) is located on the first floor and Tama no Yu (the Bath of the Spirits) is on the second floor.  Both baths are a separate male and female bathing section separated by a wall.  The baths are made of stone. Kami no Yu is larger but Tama no Yu is more elegant.
Visitors will find communal tatami mat rooms on the second floor.  Often these large tatami rooms are used to relax after a long bath.  There are smaller, individual rooms on the third floor to rest and perhaps have a light snack. There are four different admission packages of visitors as to the extent of facilities available to them during their visit.

Visitors may wish to view Yushinden, a special section in the Honkan which was constructed for the Imperial Family’s visit in 1899.  Visitors will be taken on a short guided tour to see the facilities reserved for visiting emperors.  The facilities shown include a lavishly decorated room as well as the emperor’s exclusive bath and toilet.  Please note, since 1952, no emperor has used the Yushinden.

Access Information:
By Tram…From JR Matsuyama Station, board tram line 5. The journey will take 20 minutes with a cost of 160 yen. Likewise, visitors can board tram line 3 from Matsuyama-shi station. The journey will take 15 minutes with a cost of 160 yen.  From the Dogo Onsen Tram Station, a 4 minute walk will lead you to the Dogo Onsen Honkan.

At its peak, Iwami Ginzan was one of the top producing silver mines in the world. Its yearly output of 38 tons of silver made up approximately a third of the world's production.



Silver from the mine, known as "Soma Silver," was of very high quality, and control of the mine was fiercely contested by local clans until it was acquired by the Tokugawa Shogunate in the early 1600s. Since then it was directly controlled by the Tokugawa government, and several castles, guard stations, and fences were erected to maintain control of the region.



Today the majority of the buildings in the mining area are in ruins but a few attractions remain. The main one is the Ryugenji Mabu Mine Shaft, a 273 meter long tunnel and the only shaft of over 600 that is open to the public. Also in the area are the Shimizudani Refinery Ruins and various temples and shrines.



Near the Ryugenji Mabu Mine Shaft are two trails that lead to castle ruins and nearby port towns. The trail leading to Yunotsu and Okidomari is approximately 12 kilometers long, and the trail to Tomogaura is approximately 7 kilometers.

The mining area isn’t accessible by bus, but can only be reached on foot. The two kilometer walk from the closest bus stop, Omori bus stop, to the Ryugenji Mabu Mine Shaft takes about 30-45 minutes one way along an easy and pleasant walking trail.

Hours: 9:00 to 17:00 (until 16:00 from late November to late March)
Closed: No closing days
Admission: 410 yen

Part of the Iwami Ginzan World Heritage Site, to the west of the mining area lies the pleasantly old-fashioned onsen town of Yunotsu (温泉津).

Already known as an area of relaxation during the Edo Period, today the town offers a couple of public baths, several ryokan and an attractive setting for an evening or morning walk through a townscape reminiscent of past decades.

Motoyu Public Bath
 

Hours: 5:30 to 21:00 (entry until 20:20) 

Closed: Some national holidays 

Admission: 370 yen

Located on the opposite side of the road not far from the Yakushiyu, the Motoyu is even smaller and provides an authentic, old-fashioned public bath house atmosphere.

The gender segregated bath house features two small pools with hot and very hot water for each gender and virtually no amenities.

It offers a setting where visitors can communicate with friendly locals while taking a nice hot dip.





 

Part of a larger tourist facility that includes a hotel,

shops and restaurants, the Magma Onsen has hot spring baths that are open to day trippers.


It should be noted that the baths have large windows and you can look out across water to Kagoshima City. 

 

Hours: 10:00 to 22:00 

Every Wednesday open from 13:00-for cleaning)

Admission: 300 yen 

Closed: No closing days

A hand towel is available for 200yen.
 

About Sakurajima

Sakurajima, one of Japan's most active volcanoes and is the symbol of Kagoshima.

The volcano emits smoke constantly, and minor eruptions often occur many times per day.
 

Located in the middle of Kagoshima Bay, Sakurajima is the area's most splendid geographic feature as it is located in the middle of Kagoshima Bay.

It has an elevation of 1117 meters and a circumference of about 50 kilometers.
 

A Powerful eruption happened and burned everything in 1914, however, grasses and plants are growing these days.
 

Access information
 

In Sakurajima

Travelers visiting Sakurajima can find many attractions just around the Ferry Terminal,
 

including an onsen, foot baths, short hiking trails and an information center.

Those who would like to further explore the volcano should travel by rental car, which can be taken across the water from Kagoshima by the ferries.

Sightseeing buses, regular buses and rental bicycles are other possible methods of travel.
 

The way up to Sakurajima

Kagoshima and Sakurajima are connected around the clock by frequent ferries.

The one way ride takes 15 minute and costs 160 yen.

The ferry terminal is a ten minute walk from JR Kagoshima Station or a five minute walk from the Suizokukan-guchi tram stop,

and is also served by the City View Buses.


There are also regular city buses that run infrequently from the ferry terminal along the northern coast (departures every 1-3 hours)

and along the southern coast (departures every 40-90 minutes)

of Sakurajima.


 

On the mountainside overlooking the western side of Shodoshima Island,

located in the Seto Inland Sea along the coast of Kagawa Prefecture,

is the 50 meter tall Shodoshima Great Kannon (Shodoshima Daikannon).  



This large white statue is for the Buddhist goddess of mercy, Kannon.

 

Within Kannon’s chest lies the temple’s most prized treasure,

a tooth of the historical Buddha donated by a temple in Sri Lanka.



 Visitors can either climb or utilize an elevator to arrive at this topmost floor of the temple.  


In addition to this holy relic, this floor has observation decks for viewing breathtaking scenes over Shodoshima.

 

Hours: 8:30 to 16:30

Closed: Opened All Year Round

Admission: 500 yen

Access Information:

Via Bus:

From Tonosho Port, board Kitamawari Fukuda Line (北廻り福田線) bus bound for Fukuda Port (福田港).

Disembark at Koumagoe (小馬越) bus stop.

The journey will take about 15 minutes and the fare is 340 yen.

 There is a bus every two hours.


From the bus stop, visitors need to walk uphill for 10 minutes to arrive at the statue.
 

Via Car or Taxi


From Tonosho Port, the journey should take about 15 minutes.

 

 The taxi cost should be about 2100 yen one way.



 

Emerging from behind a curtain of mountains, to a hot springs oasis is truly Yufuin (由布院), Oita Prefecture, in Kyushu.
It is located near Beppu, another famous hot springs resort in Oita Prefecture.

Visitors may be surprised when they first enter Yufuin.  
Mount Yufu with its twin peaks can be seen from almost every location in town, watching over the town residents.
The walkways with the traditional onsen (hot springs) eateries will be encountered as well as many modern boutiques and cafes.  
Yet, there are horse (with tourists in their carriages) galloping through town. Yufuin is a combination of traditional onsen town meeting the 21st Century.
 

Visitors will find the Yufuin to be easy to explore.
There are walkways throughout the town.
Along the pathway, visitors can see art museums, boutiques and café, with beautiful Lake Kinrinko at the end of the walkway.
There are shops around Lake Kinrinko for visitors to browse as well.
There are rice fields and farm houses off the walkway showing a rural side to this town as well.
 

The lodging, hotels and ryokans (traditional inns) are not in one area, but spread out throughout the town.
Visitors may wish to walk to other ryokans to bath in the onsen (hot springs bath)
there as some ryokans allow non-guests to use their bathing facilities for a nominal fee.



 

Shoya no Yakata is a popular hot springs ryokan (inn) located in Yufuin, a famous hot springs resort in Oita Prefecture.
Shoya no Yakata is located in the northern part of Yufuin, on a hill.
Visitors can see steam clouds emerging from the hot spring sources in this part of Yufuin.
 

Shoya no Yakata is famous for its cobalt blue water.
 The baths are separated by gender.
 Shoya no Yakata has outdoor onsen (hot spring baths), as well as family baths and even a foot bath.
A family bath is a private bath where only member of that family can use the bath.
A nominal fee is charged for the privacy.

Hot Spring Bath Daytime Use Hours:  9：30 to 16:00
Daytime Admission Fee:  800 yen
Price of Overnight Stay including Two Meals:  From 26,000 yen per person



 

A popular ryokan (inn) located within Yufuin, a hot spring resort in Oita Prefecture, is Baien.
The ryokan has both Japanese style tatami rooms as well as Western bed-based guest rooms.  
 

The large, outdoors hot springs baths are quite beautiful (gender separated).
On clear days, bathers are able to view Mount Yufu while they are relaxing in Baien’s warm waters.
And the baths are not limited to Baien’s overnight guests.
Visitors not staying at Baien may experience the beautiful baths during the day for a nominal fee.
 

Baien also has a large Japanese traditional garden which may be fun to explore.
The garden is 10,000 tsubo in size (1 tsubo is 3.3 ㎡).
There are different flowers according to the season, making walking through the garden a great, beautiful exercise.
 

And the food served at the ryokan is pleasing both to the eyes and the stomach.
Food prepared at a ryokan is cut and shaped in a creative and aesthetic style.
Being in tune with the seasons, guests may find a seasonal leaf or flower (like a dandelion in the spring)
served alongside their meal.
 

Hot Spring Bath Daytime Use Hours:  11:00 to 15:00
Daytime Admission Fee:  600 yen
Price of Overnight Stay and Two Meals:  From 19,000 yen per person