The Chugoku region

Author: Edutraveller
Date written: 04/18/2003 07:55:06 PM
Last edited: 2003/05/04 12:44:10
Keywords: Japan travel guide, Regional guide, Chugoku, Western Japan, Japan guide

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Chugoku

The Chugoku region. Perhaps the most rural area of Japan, Chugoku includes Hiroshima, one of the nicest cities in Japan.

Chugoku literally means "middle country" and is written in the same characters as China. Chugoku is considered very rural by Japanese, but this means that you have more of a chance to get into the countryside of Japan and see some of the traditional regional character.

Japan's culture has been hugely influenced by Chinese and Korean culture over the centuries, and much of this arrived through the Chugoku region. There are a number of interesting sites throughout the area including one of the best gardens in Japan (Koraku-en, Okayama). You can also easily get to the islands between Shikoku and Honshu by ferry or to Shikoku itself - all worthwhile trips to make.

The area is sparsely populated, and what there is is largely concentrated along the southern coast in the cities of Hiroshima, Okayama, Yamaguchi and so on. The main Shinkansen line from Nagoya and Osaka runs along the south coast as far as Kyushu, and stops at Hiroshima. The north coast is less developed and has less to see, but includes some of the finest museums and artworks in the country, and also the home of pottery in Hagi - numbered as the second-best pottery in Japan after Kyoto. If you have time, it is well worth slowly working your way along the northern coastline either on your way up to northern Japan or when heading down to Kyushu or on to Korea by boat.

Getting there

Ferries in the Chugoku region. Click for larger image.

Chugoku is the farthest west part of the main HOnshu island. The nearest main international airports are in Osaka and Nagoya, or Fukuoka in Kyushu for those coming from Asia. Either is convenient. Trains tend to run along the coast, so it sometimes takes a little longer to cut across from north to south.

Roads are fairly good, and you should have little trouble getting around. Ferries connect the south coast of Chugoku with Shikoku and Kyushu from dozens of places, and from Shimonoseki in the far west you can catch ferries to Korea (Pusan).

Weather

Average temperatures in the Chugoku region. Click for larger image.

Average sunshine in the Chugoku region. Click for larger image.

Temperature, rainfall and sunshine hours in Chugoku vary from the north to the south. The north coast has much more rain and snow than the south (data only shown for Hiroshima on the south coast), and temperatures are a few degrees lower. Sunshine hours are fairly consistent throughout the year in both parts of the region, perhaps slightly lower on the north coast.

Average rainfall in the Chugoku region. Click for larger image.

Rainfall is heaviest in June and July, as the typhoon season reaches this area early in the year. At other times, rainfall is limited and should not be a major problem for travellers.

Things to see

Some of the main things to see in the Chugoku area

Hiroshima-ken

Hiroshima-shi (A-Bomb Dome; Peace Memorial Park; Hiroshima Castle; Hiroshima Museum of Contemporary Art; Hiroshima Prefectural Art Museum)
Itsukushima (Itsukushima-jinja and floating Torii, Senjou Kaku)
Tomo no Ura (Empuku-ji; Taigashima Castle; Nunakuma Jinja; Housen-ji and Sasayaki Bridge; Museum of History)
Onomichi (Temple walk)
Oomi Shima (Ooyamatsumi-jinja armoury)
Shoudo Shima (Olive groves,;Kanka Kei Cable Car)

Okayama-ken

Okayama-shi (Koraku en Garden; Okayama Castle; Touko-en Garden; Sougen-ji)
Kurashiki (Oohara Museum of Art; Kurashiki Museum of Folkcraft; Japan Rural Toy Museum; Ivy Square)
Takahashi (Bitchuu-Matsuyama Castle; Raikyuu-ji Temple)

Shimane-ken

Tsuwano (Tsuwano Castle; Taikodani-Inari Jinja)
Izumo (Izumo Taisha - oldest Shinto Shrine in Japan)
Matsue (Matsue Castle; Lafcadio Hearn Residence and Memorial Museum; Shimane Prefectural Art Museum)
Yasugi (Kiyomizudera temple; Adachi Art Museum)
Fuudoki no Oka (Archaeological Museum, Okadayama Burial Mounds)

Tottori-ken

Tottori-shi (Sand Dunes; Prefectural Museum)

Yamaguchi-ken

Iwakuni (Kintai Kyou five-arched bridge; Iwakuni Historical Museum; Kouzan Koen)
Tawarayama (Tawarayama Onsen)
Hagi (Hagi-jou Kiln for Hagi pottery; Hagi Castle and Museum; Sekichou Koen and sculpture park; Shouin-jinja; Joukamachi samurai areas)

HIROSHIMA

Symbol of Hiroshima Prefecture.

Hiroshima, like Nagasaki, has the mixed blessing of being one of the most famous cities in Japan - for all the wrong reasons. Similar to Nagasaki, Hiroshima was the site of one of the only two atomic bombings in history. The discussion about the bombing still raise fierce passions on all sides. Whatever each individual's position on the matter, most are agreed that such an event should never be allowed to happen again.

The Peace Park in Hiroshima is excellent, and the museum also provides a lot of information about the events at the close of the Second World War.

But it is important to remember that Hiroshima is a living city, and one of the most colourful and friendly in Japan. Hiroshima has a long history, and is home to okonomiyaki, sometimes called the "Japanese pizza" or "Japanese pancake" - it's probably somewhere in between, but whatever it is, it's delicious and they make them best in Hiroshima. Try one of the many thousands of okonomiyaki restaurants in the city.

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