Reptile enthusiasts, or those with kids in tow, might want to pop into this small viewing facility, where several of the bizarre albino snakes unique to the area are on display. Some people even come to pray to these symbols of luck and wealth.
White Snake Viewing Facility
Western Honshū
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
21.99 MILES
Hugged by rivers on both sides, Peace Memorial Park is a large, leafy space crisscrossed by walkways and dotted with memorials and tranquil spaces for…
11.93 MILES
With origins as far back as the late 6th century, Itsukushima-jinja gives Miyajima its real name. The shrine's unique and attractive pier-like…
22.21 MILES
Perhaps the starkest reminder of the destruction visited upon Hiroshima in WWII is the Atomic Bomb Dome. Built by a Czech architect in 1915, it was the…
Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum
21.95 MILES
The main building of Hiroshima's premier museum houses a collection of items salvaged from the aftermath of the atomic bomb. The displays are confronting…
11.93 MILES
This 16m-tall vermilion torii (shrine gate) is a symbol of Miyajima and the watery entrance to World Heritage shrine Itsukushima-jinja. At high tide, it…
11.68 MILES
Just south of town at the foot of Misen, Daishō-in is a worthwhile stopping point on the way up or down the mountain. This Shingon temple is crowded with…
11.7 MILES
Covered with primeval forest, the sacred, peaceful Misen is Miyajima's highest mountain (530m), and its ascent is the island's finest walk – especially in…
0.29 MILES
Iwakuni's chief claim to fame is this graceful bridge, built in 1673 during the rule of feudal lord Kikkawa Hiroyoshi. It has been restored several times…
Nearby Western Honshū attractions
0.03 MILES
Located in Kikkō-kōen is this former home of a middle-ranking samurai family from the mid-Edo period. You cannot enter the buildings, but you can walk…
0.13 MILES
What remains of the old samurai quarter in Iwakuni now forms pleasant Kikkō-kōen, accessed via Kintai-kyō bridge. Within the park are old residences, a…
0.29 MILES
Iwakuni's chief claim to fame is this graceful bridge, built in 1673 during the rule of feudal lord Kikkawa Hiroyoshi. It has been restored several times…
0.31 MILES
The original Iwakuni-jō was built by Hiroie, the first of the Kikkawa lords, between 1603 and 1608. Just seven years later, the Tokugawa shogunate passed…
0.38 MILES
Both a tourist information office and a cultural experience, inside a traditional Japanese house dating from 1850 near the bridge entrance. The elegant…
11.68 MILES
Just south of town at the foot of Misen, Daishō-in is a worthwhile stopping point on the way up or down the mountain. This Shingon temple is crowded with…
11.7 MILES
Covered with primeval forest, the sacred, peaceful Misen is Miyajima's highest mountain (530m), and its ascent is the island's finest walk – especially in…
11.72 MILES
South of Itsukushima-jinja, stone steps (before you reach Miyajima History & Folklore Museum) lead up from the road to this picturesque pagoda. There's a…