Fukuoka to Hiroshima, Japan

Japan is a country that we had been multiple times and can never get sick of! This time round, we travelled in springtime. A three generation trip to Japan in May 2019, with my parents in their 60s and our girls, Ed 2 years old and Em 4 years old. 

  • 9 days 8 nights
  • 1 country - Japan
  • 9 cities - Fukuoka, Munakata, Hagi, Yamaguchi, Iwakuni, Hiroshima, Miyajima, Tomonoura, Onomichi
  • 4 UNESCO World Heritage Sites
    • Sacred Island of Okinoshima and Associated Sites in the Munakata Region
    • Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution: Iron and Steel, Shipbuilding and Coal Mining
    • Hiroshima Peace Memorial (Genbaku Dome)
    • Itsukushima Shrine
  • 1 timezone - GMT+9
  • 1 currency - Japanese Yen

Day 1 | Fukuoka 福岡 

  • Flight to Fukuoka 
  • Ohari Park - playground, Fukuoka castle ruin
  • Ichiran Tenjin Nishidori - ultra-rich porky soup with ramen
  • Stay @ Fukuoka (1 night)

Day 2 | Munakata 宗像 to Hagi 

  • Rent a car
  • Munakata Shrine - part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, built around the 12th century
  • Karato Market - fresh sushi and sashimi for lunch
  • Motonosumi Inari Shrine - 123 torii shrine gates, annexed in 1955 after a divine message from the white fox, a large torii gate with an offering box high above the head - if you can throw a coin inside, your wish/prayer will come true!
  • Stay @ Hagikomachi in Hagi (2 nights) - with hot-springs, onsen with spacious rooms featuring Japanese decor and full Japanese dinner for both nights. An amazing Japanese ryokan experience.

Day 3 | Hagi 萩

  • Hagi Castle Ruin - really a ruin with moats and castle walls
  • Hotoritei Cafe - beautiful setting for a meal or just to have tea (or coffee!)
  • Hagi reverberatory furnace - built in 1858 and used to melt materials to produce items such as vessel guns, part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site for Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution. There's a 7-Eleven near it and its always a good place to do a quick shopping. It's amazing what you can buy in these convenience stores!
  • Tokoji Temple - this was in our list but there was a meltdown (something expected when travelling with little ones) and we decided to forgo going in. We only managed to stand at the door outside!

Day 4 | Iwakuni 岩国

  • Drove by Yamaguchi and to Iwakuni
  • Kintaikyo Bridge in Iwakuni - the elegant wooden bridge with five arches onto massive stone pillars, crossing the Nishiki River
  • Ropeway up to Iwakuni Castle 
  • Kikko Park
  • Stay @ Hiroshima (5 nights)

Day 5 | Hiroshima広島

  • A-Bomb Dome / Hiroshima Peace Memorial - one of the few buildings to remain standing after the nuclear bomb, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
  • Hiroshima's Peace Memorial Park - what used to be the political and commercial heart of the city and targeted by the nuclear bomb, with Cenotaph for the A-Bomb Victims and the Children's Peace Memorial (with origami cranes)
  • Peace Memorial Museum - provides history of Hiroshima and the effects of the nuclear bomb, some of the personal details including photos could be upsetting for children (and adults alike)
  • Hondori Street - shopping street
  • Lunch @ Ekohiiki with oysters

Day 6 | Miyajima 宮島

  • Ferry to Miyajima - train to Miyajimaguchi Station and a short walk to the ferry pier
  • Itsukushima Shrine - the iconic "floating" torii gate, built over water, low tide when we were there, and the sea water started coming in later in the evening. Do check the timings of the tide. 
  • Lunch @ Restaurant Kaki-ya - oysters!
  • Walk around the streets and lots of things to snack on like Momiji Manju - maple-leaf shaped bun filled with red bean or matcha paste among others
  • Daisho-in Temple - row of spinning metal wheels inscribed with sutra, an important Buddhist temple
  • Ferry and train back to Hiroshima

Day 7 | Hiroshima広島

  • Mazda Museum - tour of the Mazda Museum and factory, free but reservations required
  • Shukei-en Garden - beautiful landscaped garden
  • Hiroshima Castle and a big castle ground
  • Okonomimura - a Okonomiyaki building with 25 different okonomiyaki stores

Day 8 | Okunoshima (Rabbit Island) 大久野島 > Tomonoura 鞆の浦  

  • Tadanoumi Port to take a ferry to Okunoshima (Rabbit Island) - to purchase rabbit food here
  • Okunoshima (Rabbit Island) - a tiny island full of rabbits
  • Tomonoura - an old fashion fishing village, rustic old houses with wooden facades, Joyato Lighthouse (built during the Edo Period

Day 9 | Flight Home 

  • Flight back to Singapore

Afterthoughts

  • Driving in Japan takes some getting used to, but it's definitely doable. They use a system called "mapcode" where every place has a code where you can enter into the GPS system in the car. When all else fail, use Google Maps! We realised that it brings us where we want to go as well!
  • There are convenience stores everywhere in Japan and they are a great place to grab snacks, breakfast and even dinner! They have almost everything that you would need all packed in one small store. 

 Happy travels!

~ nateniale

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