Momotarō Karakuri Hakubutsukan
Western Honshū
Part gallery and part fun-house, this small museum is devoted to local legend Momotarō, with memorabilia, toys and depictions of the 'peach boy' from over…
Must-see attractions in Western Honshū
Western Honshū
This shrine is dedicated to the seven-year-old emperor Antoku, who died in 1185 in the battle of Dan-no-ura. On the left is a statue of Mimi-nashi Hōichi …
Naoshima
A work of art itself, this museum designed by Tadao Ando consists of a series of cool concrete-walled spaces sitting snugly underground. Lit by natural…
Hiroshima
Modelled after West Lake in Hangzhou, China, Shukkei-en was built in 1620 for daimyō (domain lord) Asano Nagaakira. The garden's name means 'contracted…
Yamaguchi Furusato Heritage Centre
Western Honshū
The ground floor of this 1886 sake-merchant building (Manabi-kan; まなび館) has a small display of local crafts, including some Ōuchi dolls (lacquerware…
Western Honshū
This memorial marks the spot where the decisive clash between the Minamoto and Taira clans took place in 1185. Here, Taira no Tokiko plunged into the sea…
Naoshima
The drawcard of little Inujima island is this copper refinery converted into an eco-building, displaying artist Yanagi Yukinori's surreal take on the…
Western Honshū
Both a tourist information office and a cultural experience, inside a traditional Japanese house dating from 1850 near the bridge entrance. The elegant…
Western Honshū
Present-day Ivy Square was once the site of Ōhara's Kurabō textile factories. The company moved into more modern premises a long time ago, and the ivy…
Western Honshū
This shrine, with a garden and small complex, was founded in 1890 and is dedicated to Meiji Restoration movement leader Yoshida Shōin. His former…
Western Honshū
About 5km northeast of Shimonoseki Station, this park has superb views over the Kanmon Straits from the top of 268m-high Hino-yama. To get to the lookout…
Western Honshū
A highlight on the Kibiji bicycle route, this temple has a picturesque five-storey, 34m pagoda – famed for being the last pagoda to be built in Japan. The…
Western Honshū
The 5th-century Tsukuriyama-kofun is the fourth-biggest kofun tomb (keyhole-shaped burial mound) in Japan. It's thought to mark the final resting place of…
Shimane Prefectural Art Museum
Western Honshū
With its white undulating roof and huge glass windows facing the lake, the museum building itself is an impressive sight. Inside, it displays rotating…
Western Honshū
This tunnel into the silver mine has been widened substantially from its original size, and a guide helps bring it to life. One glance at the old tunnel,…
Western Honshū
This museum is housed in a 150-year-old building that once served as the home of a shōya (village headman). Downstairs is a collection of soft-edged…
Western Honshū
This pretty garden occupying an area of around 40,000 sq metres was established privately in 1975 on Lake Nakaumi's Daikonshima Island, between Matsue and…
Western Honshū
Crowded into two small caves at Gohyakurakan, there are 500 diminutive stone statues of the Buddha's disciples, each showing a different expression – some…
Western Honshū
The first public school in Japan, Edo-era Shizutani Gakko has wood interiors with glossy lacquered floors and beautifully preserved Bizen-yaki roof tiles…
Koizumi Yakumo (Lafcadio Hearn) Memorial Museum
Western Honshū
This memorial museum has displays on the life and work of former Matsue resident Lafcadio Hearn, as well as some of the writer's personal effects –…
Western Honshū
This temple is notable for its simple, stone-dotted Zen garden, Sesshutei, designed by the painter Sesshū. From the garden, a trail leads uphill through…
Hiroshima
This hilly, tree-filled park just outside Hiroshima city centre is noted for its cherry blossoms in spring, and autumn foliage. A top spot for a stroll,…
Hiroshima
Mazda is popular for the chance to see the impressive 7km assembly line. English-language tours (90 minutes) are available at 10am weekdays, but it's best…
Western Honshū
Close to Ieura Port, an old house has been converted into exhibition spaces, with a colourful take on a traditional Japanese rock garden outside (which…
Hiroshima
Most people visit this souvenir-filled tower for 'Hiroshima Hills', its windy, open-terrace viewing platform with one-of-a-kind vistas across the adjacent…
Western Honshū
This is the thatched early home of a four-term prime minister, who was a follower of Meiji Restoration leader Yoshida Shōin, and who later drafted the…
Western Honshū
Matsue's excellent modern museum gives a broad-ranging introduction to the history of the regional clans and development of local industry and crafts…
Western Honshū
Hagi-yaki (Hagi ceramic ware) is noted for its fine glazes and delicate pastel colours, and connoisseurs of Japanese ceramics rank it as some of the best…
Western Honshū
For an oddly fascinating and unique museum experience, visit this 'heartbeat archive' on a small bay near the Karato Port area. There are tens of…
Twenty-Four Eyes Movie Village
Western Honshū
Just north of Sakate is the turn-off to the picturesque fishing village of Tanoura (田ノ浦), site of the village school that featured in the film Twenty-Four…
Western Honshū
This park celebrates the island's olive-growing activities with several whitewashed buildings, some fake Grecian ruins, a museum, and opportunities to buy…
Western Honshū
Legend (or marketing) says if you stroll this sandbar dubbed 'Angel Road' with your loved one, your heart's desire will come true. In reality it's three…
Western Honshū
The main attraction at this 17th-century temple is its beautiful garden, built around a pond. Gather your thoughts and contemplate the arrangement of…
Western Honshū
This touristy shrine is part of neighbouring Gohyakurakan, which contains 500 statues that were built to memorialise fallen silver-mine workers. Each…
Naoshima
Adding to the Benesse Art Site's suite of museums is yet another design from the irrepressible Tadao Ando. It houses works by the renowned Korean-born…
Western Honshū
Although 'academy' conjures images of Ivy League schools, this humble schoolhouse is anything but that. In the 1850s, Yoshida Shōin lectured students here…
Western Honshū
This National Treasure is the family burial temple of the local Mōri lords, and has a Zen-style hall dating from 1327, making it the oldest example of Zen…
Izumo Cultural Heritage Museum
Western Honshū
This cultural museum in the beautifully restored former home of the lords of Izumo, the Ezumi clan, is worth a visit if only to stroll around the pretty…
Naoshima
Award-winning architect Tadao Ando designed this stunning museum and hotel on the south coast of the island. Among the works here are pieces by Andy…
Western Honshū
Prominent Taishō-era artist and poet Takehisa Yumeji (1884–1934) is particularly known for his bijin-ga (images of beautiful women), and various wistfully…
