11 Days in Chūgoku & Kyushu – Day 08 – Hiroshima – Hiroshima Castle – Atomic Bomb Dome

Unlike some of the other castles in Japan which are built on hills, the Hiroshima Castle is built fairly close to ground level. The castle was originally constructed in the 1590s, got destroyed by the atomic bomb blast on 6

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11 Days in Chūgoku & Kyushu – Day 08 – Hiroshima – Shukkeien Garden

Among the significant changes I made to the itinerary upon arrival in Japan was to also compact my exploration of Hiroshima to an afternoon on Day 08, move the visit to Shukkeien Garden to Day 09 – and free up

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11 Days in Chūgoku & Kyushu – Day 07 – Kurashiki – Bikan Historical Quarter @ Sunset

As pretty as the Bikan Historical Quarter is, the scenery transforms into jaw dropping scenery from evening onward. I stayed on in Kurashiki that day specifically to take pictures of Kurashiki River at sunset, and the results didn’t disappoint. Most

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11 Days in Chūgoku & Kyushu – Day 07 – Kurashiki – Bikan Historical Quarter – Ohashi House

The boat ride done at about 3:30pm, I still had several hours to kill before the attempting the sunset shoot of Kurashiki River.  My planned itinerary included a visit to the Ohashi House, a quick five minute walk from the

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11 Days in Chūgoku & Kyushu – Day 07 – Kurashiki – Bikan Historical Quarter – Traditional Boat Ride

You shouldn’t leave Kurashiki until you’ve tried the traditional boat tour. That is, unless if you’re already also going to do the same thing on a larger scale at Yanagawa too. I would indeed be as part of my planned

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11 Days in Chūgoku & Kyushu – Day 07 – Kurashiki – Bikan Historical Quarter

Then most important spot in Kurashiki is the Bikan Historical Quarter, which surrounds the first stretch of the Kurashiki river. The district was once an important location for the transportation of goods, and today is a popular place for visitors

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11 Days in Chūgoku & Kyushu – Day 07 – Kurashiki – Shinkei-en

Kurashiki is located in Okayama prefecture, and a short 11 minute train ride away from Okayama Station. The center price of Kurashiki is the canal area that dates back to the Edo Period of the 16th century when Okayama served

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11 Days in Chūgoku & Kyushu – Day 07 – Okayama – Okayama Castle

Besides the Korakuen, the other of the two most popular places to visit when in the city is Okayama Cstle. The two places were very near each other as they sit on opposite sides of Asahi River, and you can

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11 Days in Chūgoku & Kyushu – Day 07 – Okayama – Korakuen

My planned itinerary before actual departure was to spend one day in Okayama, and another in Kurashiki. For the former, the places I’d be checking out would include the Korakuen Garden, Okayama Castle, Yumeji Art Museum, Ishizekicho, and Tenmaya Mall.

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11 Days in Chūgoku & Kyushu – Day 06 – Itsukushima

It was well that I placed the Mt. Misen ascent and descent as the first activity of my trip to Itsukushima. It started drizzling from noon time, and though it wasn’t full-blown rain, it would have made the trail that

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11 Days in Chūgoku & Kyushu – Day 06 – Itsukushima – Daishoin Trail

This is my first experience in mountain trekking, with an easy mountain to boot. And I’m only descending! There are three trails that go up and down Mt. Misen, each with different lengths and things to see along the way.

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11 Days in Chūgoku & Kyushu – Day 06 – Itsukushima – Mt. Misen Summit

The Ropeway to go up Mt. Misen on Miyajima Island actually consists of two lines: Momijidani Line that’s a Gondola lift system and with a ten minute ride up. The connecting line is Shishiiwa Line that uses an Aerial tramway

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