Tsunoshima
2008-03-15 04:17:00 ??Viewers of Japanese TV may recognize this bridge as it is the setting for a car commercial that is currently being shown. It is the 1780m long Tsunoshima Bridge, and when it was built in 2000 it was the longest toll-free bridge in Japan. Since then a longer bridge has been built in Okinawa.Tsunoshima is just off the coast of north eastern Yamaguchi Prefecture. A little over 4 square kilometers in size, and with a coastline of 17 kilometers, less than 1000 people live there, but the bridge cost a staggering 15,000,000,000 yen, which works out at about 150,000 USD per inhabitant.Tsunoshima means "Horn Island" and refers to the shape of island like a pair of cow horns. Cattle have been raised here since the eighth century.There is a fine beach on the island that attracts swimmers and even surfers.The first modern lighthouse on the Japan Sea coast is here, it was the last of 26 lighthouses built in Japan in 1876 by the "Father of Japanese Lighthouses", Briton Richard Henry Burton (184...
Fukutoku Inari Jinja
2008-02-16 02:06:00 ??????Sitting on the hillside on the western edge of Honshu, Fukutoku Inari, also known as Inunaki no Oinari, commands fine views over the ocean in the direction of China (where Inari most probably originated).We were fortunate to be there not long after dawn as the sun rose above the mountain behind the shrine and treated us to a fiery display.Built in 1971, the buildings are in virtually pristine condition, with the obligatory vermillion dominating. Like most Inari shrines there is a "tunnel" of?vermillion Torii, though unusually this tunnel does not lead to the shrine, rather from the shrine to a bluff overlooking the sea.The shrine is located just off Route 191 in Yamaguchi Prefecture, a little north of Shimonoseki, in the village of Toyoura.Yahoo Japan Auction ServiceBook a hotel in Japan with BookingsTokyo Serviced ApartmentsBudget accommodation in JapanHappi CoatsJapanese For Busy PeopleTagsJapan Shimonoseki Yamaguchi Shrine torii
Karato Fish Market
2008-01-03 14:38:00 ????The Karato Fish Market is on the waterfront in Shimonoseki right next to the Kaikyo-kan aquarium (Tel: 0832 28 1100).In the early hours of the day it is a busy wholesale market, and as the day progresses it turns into a retail market heavily visited by tourists. All kinds of seafood delicacies can be bought and eaten there, and it specializes in fugu (Puffer Fish) as Shimonoseki is the undisputed capital of fugu with 80% of all fugu in Japan passing through here.Images of Fugu are everywhere, even adorning the manhole covers.The market has been here since 1933, but the new 8,000 square meter building was built in 2001. The roof of the market is unusual in that it is covered in grass.Entrance is free and there is a large car park. There are buses from outside Shimonoseki Station with the first one leaving at 5.55am on weekdays.Karato Market5-50 KaratoShimonosekiTel: 0832 31 0001Yahoo Japan Auction ServiceBook a hotel in Japan with BookingsTokyo Serviced ApartmentsBudget accommoda...
Kaikyo Yume Tower
2007-12-31 06:54:00 ??????????At 153 metres, the Kaikyo Yume Tower, built in 1996 in Shimonoseki, is the tallest tower in Western Honshu.The observation deck is reached by elevators travelling at 2 metres a second and offers stunning 360 degree views over Shimonoseki and across the Kanmon Straits to Kyushu.Open daily, year round, entrance is 600 yen for adults, 300 yen for kids.The Kaikyo Yume Tower is a 5 min walk from Shimonoseki JR station.Kaikyo Yume Tower3-3-1 Buzenda-cho, Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi, 750-0018Tel: 0832 31 5600Yahoo Japan Auction ServiceBook a hotel in Japan with BookingsTokyo Serviced ApartmentsBudget accommodation in JapanHappi CoatsTagsJapan Yamaguchi Shimonoseki skyscraper
Akama Shrine Shimonoseki
2007-12-28 08:42:00 ????Akama Shrine is the foremost shrine in the Shimonoseki area and enshrines the Emperor Antoku, the 8-year-old Emperor who drowned at the Battle of Dannoura on March 21st, 1185.This famous naval battle was decisive in concluding the Genpei War with the Minamoto (Genji) clan led by Yoshitsune, defeating the Heike (Taira) clan. The battle was fought in the straits directly in front of where the shrine is now.Until the early days of the Meiji Era (1868) and the almost complete make-over of the Japanese religious landscape, Akama Shrine was in fact a Buddhist Temple called Amida-ji, and the architecture reflects this. Most impressive is the entrance gate Suitenmon (Water Heaven Gate). The front area of the inner shrine (honden) is also unusual in that it is a shallow pool.The shrine looks and feels almost new because it is! The shrine was rebuilt only 50 years ago.Another legend associated with Akama is that of Hoichi the Earless, a ghostly tale known by many through its inclusion in...
Chofu Shimonoseki
2007-12-21 08:46:00 ?????Chofu is a small castle town of the Mori Clan just east of central Shimonoseki in Yamaguchi Prefecture.It's not large and can be pleasantly explored on foot by following the free guide map available at the tourist office in the centre of town on Route 9.There are many Edo-period buildings behind the high earthen walls that line the streets and along the picturesque small river that is populated by many ducks and carp.Some of the samurai residences are open to the public as is the Chofu Mori residence, the mansion of the last Lord of the Chofu Domain. Not completed until 1903, but it has two nice gardens.Kazan-ji Temple (Tel: 0832 45 0258) was built in 1321, though much restoration was carried out in the 17th Century. The main building, the Butsu-den, is original and is designated a National Treasure.In the centre of the town is Iminomiya Shrine. August 7th to 13th is the best time to visit the shrine, during the Suhouteisai Festival. During the day the area in front of the shr... |
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