Shrines, museums, parks, and the spots in between, with the access details worked out.
The floating shrine of Miyajima, built out over a tidal cove, with its great vermilion torii standing in the sea off the sacred island.
Hatsukaichi · HiroshimaA clifftop shrine on the Nagato coast where 123 red torii run down to the Sea of Japan, with an offering box perched high on the entrance gate.
Nagato · YamaguchiThe park honors victims of the 1945 atomic bombing and preserves the Atomic Bomb Dome, the sole standing building near ground zero, alongside monuments and a museum.
HiroshimaMuseum honoring the poet Nakahara Chūya with permanent and rotating exhibitions exploring different aspects of his literary legacy.
YamaguchiA 16th-century castle destroyed in the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in 1945, reconstructed in 1958 and now serving as a museum documenting the city's history.
HiroshimaOne of Japan's three most beautiful gardens, featuring a central pond with islands and bridges, tea house, and abundant cherry blossoms in spring.
OkayamaMountain castle built in 1240 and rebuilt in 1331 on its current location, retaining its tenshu, Nijū yagura, and section of defensive walls.
Takahashi · OkayamaOriginal wooden fortress built 1607-1611, one of Japan's few surviving castles and one of the Three Great Lake Castles in its architectural category.
Matsue · ShimaneShinto shrine honoring Antoku, an emperor who died during the Battle of Dan-no-ura in 1185, with a gate designed after the legendary underwater palace of the Dragon God.
Shimonoseki · YamaguchiSaijo Inari is a 1,200-year-old Buddhist temple and one of Japan's three great Inari sites, preserving a rare form of Shinto-Buddhist syncretic worship.
OkayamaBitchukoku Soja Shrine consolidated deities of 324 provincial shrines into a single site dedicated to the deity of nation-building and good fortune.
Soja · OkayamaMajor Okayama shrine dedicated to Kibitsuhiko-no-Mikoto, a legendary prince credited with defeating an ogre and bringing peace to the region, foundations of the Momotaro folktale.
OkayamaBuddhist temple founded in the Kenei era and relocated in 1557, built on former Ouchi clan lands and maintained as a museum to their history.
YamaguchiSacred mountain shrine in Okayama with more than two thousand years of history, blending Shinto and Buddhist practices as a centre of pilgrimage.
Kurashiki · OkayamaTamatsukuri Onsen has served visitors since the eighth century with mineral-rich sulfate waters said to heal rheumatism and improve skin health.
Matsue · ShimaneThe Mizuki Shigeru Museum showcases the manga artist's original works and illustrations, with workshops and annual birthday celebration events.
Sakaiminato · TottoriThis private museum specializes in Japanese and Chinese pottery and ceramics from the Heian and Kamakura periods, featuring a beautiful Japanese garden.
OkayamaA Buddhist temple in Yamaguchi featuring two national treasure halls from the Kamakura period, including one built in 1320.
Shimonoseki · Yamaguchi
