Sanyo Area (Hiroshima & Kurashiki)

At a glance

Four hours from Tokyo (one hour forty minutes from Kyoto) by bullet train, you will reach Sanyo area.  Hiroshima, the forever remembered city as the victim of atomic bomb, lies in the center of this area.  From Hiroshima, only an hour by train and boat westbound, you will reach the beautiful Itsukushima Shrine on the island of God.  An hour train ride eastbound will take you to the willow-tree lined Kurashiki, an old town with many pottery and craft galleries.

Highlights 

Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park / A-Bomb Dome

Peace Memorial Park was created in rememberance of the lives lost in the atomic bombing on August 6, 1945, and to pass along the message that this tragedy should never be repeated.  There are numorous cenotaphs and monuments in the park with flowers and origami cranes layed by in memorial of the victims.  At the Peace Memorial Museum, you will be able to see films, pictures, belongings of the victims, and testimonies by the survivors.  The exhibits tell a powerful story and it is a must to visit.   Across the river from Peace Memorial Park, the symbol of destrution stands right where it was.  The formal Industrial Promotion Hall was bombed out at an instant, and the iron frame and some walls were the only remains.  Most of the buildings around it were blown away in an instant.  The dome was declared as UNESCO's World Heritage site and is a reminder of the tragedy forever.

  Itsukushima Shrine

When you arrive at Miyajima by boat, deer, the divine messangers of God will greet you.  Along the approach to the shrine, there are many craft shops and famous Momiji Manju (maple shaped-buns with sweet red bean filling) shops.  Itsukushima Shrine is located in Miyajima, whch is considered as the island of God, with the history of more than 1500 years.  The structure of the shrine is very unique.  Seventeen buildings are connected by a 300-metre long corridor.  They look as if they are foating on the sea when it is at high tide.  The contrast of red buildings and blue ocean create a majestic beauty.  The area is registered as UNESCO's World Heritage site.   Mt. Misen, located at 530m, is easily accessible by a ropeway.  It is famous for its colored Japanese maple leaves in Autumn.  If the weather is fine, from the top of Mt. Misen, you will enjoy a spectacular view of small islands in the Seto Inland Sea and the city of Hiroshima.  As it is a little steep even on the way to the ropeway station, please wear a good pair of sneakers.

Kurashiki

Within an hour by bullet train and local train from Hiroshima, you will reach Kurashiki, a town that boasts old buildings with the willow-lined canal.  The buildings, made of white walls and black tiles, were renovated into art galleries, shops, cafe and ryokans (Japanese traditional hotels).   The Ohara family, the owner of a local texitile company, have worked very hard to preserve historically significnt buildings in this quarter for generations.  In addition, they opened a museum with highly valuabe collections of Western paintings and Japanese arts in this area.   Because of the idealisti philosophy and hard work by the Ohara family, now, the small town boasts millions of travelers every year.   Also, you can visit some Bizen Yaki galleries in Kurashiki.  The local pottery is famous for its beauty for not being glazed and painted.  The pottery is fired with a heat of 1300 degrees celsius, and the color and gloss are different for each pottery depending on how and where the flame has touched.