Chugoku

Travel guides and hidden gems in the Chugoku region of Japan

Western Honshu · Inland Sea

Chugoku — Tottori dunes, Hiroshima peace, and an inland sea most foreign visitors skip.

Five prefectures from Hiroshima to Tottori, including the photography pilgrimage at Shōji Ueda Museum.

Chugoku covers Hiroshima, Yamaguchi, Okayama, Shimane, and Tottori. The Seto Inland Sea lines the southern coast. Hiroshima Peace Memorial is the obvious draw; the quieter prefectures are where HJG works — Tottori sand dunes, Izumo Grand Shrine, Iwami Ginzan silver mine.

When to visit

Late October for Inland Sea cruising in calm autumn weather. April for cherry blossom at Tsuyama Castle. August 6 for the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony. November for Iwami Ginzan’s autumn colors.

How to get there

The San’yo Shinkansen runs Shin-Osaka→Hakata via Hiroshima. The JR West Kansai–Hiroshima Area Pass covers the San’yo corridor as far as Hiroshima. Tottori city is reached by the Super Hakuto express from Osaka/Kyoto — the Yakumo serves Yonago and Matsue — or a flight from Haneda.

Plan a trip to Chugoku

RailJR Pass for Hiroshima7-day pass covers Tokyo→Hiroshima return via Shinkansen.StayHiroshima & Tottori hotelsHiroshima business hotels and Tottori onsen.DriveRental car for ShimaneIwami Ginzan, Adachi Museum, and the Izumo coast need a car.OnsenTamatsukuri onsenOne of Japan’s oldest onsen towns — Shimane.

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Okuizumo Tatara & Sword Museum: How to Visit (Shimane)

A Japanese katana sword in an ornate black-and-gold lacquered mounting, the kind of blade made from tatara-smelted tamahagane steel

Okuizumo in Shimane is the home of tatara, the iron-making that produces tamahagane, the steel of Japanese swords. A guide to the Okuizumo Tatara and Sword Museum: fees (530 yen; 1,270 on demo days), the monthly sword-forging demonstrations, the iron-sand landscape, and access via Izumo-Yokota Station.

Field notes, weekly

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