Yokogawa town, located at the west of Hiroshima,
Yokogawa town, located at the west of Hiroshima, has a very different feel from downtown Hiroshima. It’s one of the few areas in the city that has retained its shitamachi (下町) or low town status. In fact, before the bombing, it used to be the central area of Hiroshima, not Hondori. Yokogawa Station itself may have a number of new shops surrounding it, but if you poke around in the backstreets you’ll find a wonderful mix of Showa Era shops along with alternative places that don’t fit the mainstream, conservative nature of the rest of Hiroshima.
Sandankyo Gorge, Japan’s most beautiful gorge and designated as a national special place of scenic beauty, is a large 13 km-long gorge stretching along the Shiwagi River, a branch of the Ota River.
During a trip, people tend to go to famous places. In Hiroshima case, peace park and Miyajima. But, these are not enough to know the real Hiroshima. There are so many spots like Yokogawa where we can talk about stories of peace, special sceneries and friendly nice local people in Hiroshima!
Sawara is the closest town to Narita International Airport that preserves a townscape from the Edo period which has been recognized by the Japanese government.
Ohkunoshima is an island in the Seto Inland Sea off of the coast of Tadanoumi Port. It is the only place in the world where visitors can wander freely among wild rabbits.
Watching the pirate ship pull up to the dock below our balcony at Ochi Kochi — a chic ryokan (traditional Japanese inn) in Tomonoura — we could already feel the tidal ebb and flow of the port town embracing us.
“I don’t like looking at sunsets anymore,” says Michiko Yamaoka. The story is her mother’s, but she tells it as if she were there.