- DESTINATION
- THINGS TO DO
ALL
- ALL
- Tokyo
- Hokkaido
- Tohoku
- Kanto
- Chubu
- Kansai
- Shikoku / chugoku
- Kyushu
- Okinawa
ALL
- ALL
- Food
- Shopping
- Accommodation
- Culture
- Entertainment
- Tour
-
The Eshima Ohashi Bridge: Behind The ScenesPreviously we’ve posted this article about the Eshima Ohashi Bridge.,There were a few comments on our post asking how the pictures were taken.
Well, the answer is simple, but we thought we will put this together into an article just to make it easy for you.,There were a few comments on our post asking how the pictures were taken.
Well, the answer is simple, but we thought we would pull it all together into an article just to make it easy for you.,First of all, the biggest spoiler, the bridge in-fact is not steep at all like any rollercoaster.,We had a shot from a different angle in the post, but this will show better on exactly how steep/or not this bridge is.
This closer looks will also give you a better idea of what I’m talking about.,If you see this, you can tell how exactly far away we took the photo from.,Of course if you have a better camera that would be your option to go!
But this works just as well as you can see in the photo.
What we’ve done was take a photo with a 200mm lens and zoomed into the picture, then cropped it out.
We will show you on this map.,This distance takes about 6~8 min by car and about an hour to walk. (Don’t forget you need to get back afterwards!)
This is also why we recommend you rent a car before you make your way there.
,Would you be keen on trying it out for yourself?
Things we needed for this photo shoot:
Camera: Nicon D750
Lens: AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8E FL ED VR
a car
and a snickers bar.#shikoku / chugoku#tour#eshima ohashi bridge2019.06.06
0
2
Tsunoshima Ohashi Bridge: The Most Beautiful Bridge in JapanTsunoshima Ohashi Bridge (角島大橋) is a 1,780 meter (5,840 ft) bridge that connects Tsunoshima Island to mainland Shimonoseki, in Yamaguchi Prefecture. Just reading a description might make this bridge sound rather mundane, but the slender bridge running over beautiful white sand is such a beautiful sight that it was featured in a 2013 Japanese best-selling book called Places To Go Before You Die. If you're spending any time in Yamaguchi, you'll definitely want to take a look at this beautiful bridge.,Aside from all the appreciation it has received thanks to being featured in a best-selling book, Tsunoshima Ohashi Bridge was also voted "Most Beautiful Bridge in Japan" on the popular travel site Trip Adviser. It's popular among locals and international travelers.
Unlike many parts of Japan, the beach under the bridge has bright white sand, giving the water a vibrant green-blue gleam.
Tsunoshima Ohashi Bridge (角島大橋)
Tsunoshima, Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi,Japan loves to feature local sightseeing spots in its dramas, and the Tsunoshima Ohashi Bridge hasn't been left out! Keep an eye out for it the next time the characters in your favorite Japanese drama take a trip to Yamaguchi Prefecture.
If you decide you need to see the bridge in person, make sure you enjoy all the rest of what Yamaguchi has to offer, as well. Shimonoseki is famous for puffer fish, which is carefully prepared so that it's quite safe to eat. Plus, Motonosumi Inari Shrine, one of CNN's 31 Most Beautiful Places in Japan, is right nearby. Rent a car and drive right over!
⇩ Get a better view of the bridge in our video below! ⇩
,Be sure to look out for more exciting articles every day at JAPANKURU! 🐶
Or add us on Instagram and Facebook to share your pictures of Japan. 💖🗾#shikoku / chugoku#tour#tsunoshima 2019.05.2370
Motonosumi Inari Shrine: A Must-See Shrine, as Designated by CNN!Thanks to the 2005 film Memoirs of a Geisha, plenty of visitors to Japan have seen an Inari shrine long before arriving in the country. The most famous of these, and the one in the movie, is the Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto, where there are paths lined with beautiful red shrine gates, or torii (鳥居). But most travelers have no idea that Kyoto is not the only place to see this cool sight!
Today we're talking about the Motonosumi Inari Shrine (元乃隅稲成神社) far in south-western Japan, which has its own claim to fame with a beautiful seaside path, lined with 123 red torii. It's so beautiful, in fact, that CNN has chosen it as one of the most beautiful sightseeing spots in Japan. (High praise in a country packed with amazing views!),They say that if you make a wish as you walk down the path, making your way all the way down to the cliff below, your wish will come true! There's no way to know if this is true, but you might say that getting to see such a beautiful view is a dream come true in and of itself.,A local fisherman established this particular shrine in 1955, after seeing a white fox in a dream. Foxes are a symbol of Inari, the god worshipped at this shrine, so to the fisherman it was a clear sign.
Maybe you'll get lucky and see a fox during your trip! Or maybe you'll only get a little bit lucky, and be stuck enjoying the beautiful view of vibrant red torii against a blue ocean background.
Motonosumi Inari Shrine (元乃隅稲成神社)
498 Yuyatsuo, Nagato, Yamaguchi,Unlike most shrines, this one has a donation box high set high above everyone's heads. At the top of a shrine gate, it's good luck if you can even get your coins in to donate!
So, what do you think? Have you had enough of the crowded Fushimi Inari Shrine, and are you ready to hang out with some torii and take some gorgeous pictures that aren't full of strangers? For anyone heading to Yamaguchi, or any traveler looking for a more unique shrine experience, try out Motonosumi Inari Shrine!
⇩ Get an even better look in our video below. ⇩,
Be sure to look out for more exciting articles every day at JAPANKURU! 🐶
Or add us on Instagram and Facebook to share your pictures of Japan. 💖🗾#shikoku / chugoku#tour#motonosumi inari shrine 2019.05.2380
Akiyoshidai (秋吉台) & Akiyoshido (秋芳洞): Amazing Geological Formations in JapanLooking out onto the sea, it can be hard to imagine it looking any other way. The ocean will always be the ocean... right?
Well, the Akiyoshidai Plateau and Akiyoshido Cavern are beautiful and amazing reminders that the earth shifts in all kinds of interesting ways! If you're planning a trip out to south-western Japan, then this area of Yamaguchi Prefecture comes highly recommended. (Maybe you're making your way to Yamaguchi to see the gleaming red gates of the Motonosumi Inari Shrine, or the vibrant blue ocean surrounding the Tsunoshima Ohashi Bridge?) Head on over and find a geological area like none other in Japan.,The Akiyoshidai Plateau is what's called a karst formation. The area was once a coral reef in the ocean, with millions of small creatures living and dying under the water. After 300 million years of slow change, however, the coral turned to limestone, and the soluble limestone wore away in a variety of ways, as it is wont to do. Now we're left with a fascinating collection of underground limestone caves, and solid chunks of rock dotting the aboveground landscape (...a karst plateau!) In an effort to protect the beautiful scenery, the area has become a quasi-national park. The way the grass changes from green to orangey brown throughout the year makes it worth a visit during any season.,Some visitors mistake this area for a mountain range, because of its high elevation, but in truth it's a plateau. After the coral on the sea floor turned the limestone, shifts in the Earth's crust raised the whole system high above the surrounding area. Not bad for 300 million years!
Now there are roads throughout the landscape that are perfect for a relaxing drive, for those who like road trips. The best way to explore the quasi-national park is probably via rental car.
Akiyoshidai Plateau
Akiyoshidai Quasi-National Park
Official Website,The plateau is covered in these flat grasslands, and you can look for miles in any direction without seeing a tree! Visit in February for an interesting sight: every year large fields of grass are burned, and flames fly across the dead grass. The air is filled with smoke, and it's all very dramatic. After the fields are burned, though, the new shoots of spring grass poke through the ashes, and the fields are soon green and grassy once again!,As we mentioned before, the coral limestone left rocks scattered aboveground, and a network of caves scattered below. Some of these are huge, and they range all over the area. The most famous is Akiyoshido, Japan's largest and longest limestone cavern.,The caves are full of stalactites, stalagmites, and other amazing rock formations. There's even a history of mining in the area, which you can learn more about while you're underground.
See the water flowing through some of the caves, still at work carving out interesting shapes. It took 300 million years to get to this point, but soon enough the landscape will turn into something new and completely different.
Akiyoshido Cave
3449-1 Akiyoshidai, Shuhocho, Mine, Yamaguchi
Official Website,This huge cave stays at 63°Ｆ all year 'round, making it an interesting visit during both the summer and the winter months. Maybe you can escape the summer sun this year and spend some time admiring Japan's natural beauty from a unique perspective.
This might not be what most people imagine when they think of Japan, but the country is really full of different landscapes. If unusual view like the Akiyoshidai Plateau and Akiyoshido Cavern appeal to you, maybe you'll also like the sand dunes of Japan's little desert in Tottori Prefecture?
Be sure to look out for more exciting articles every day at JAPANKURU! 🐶
Or add us on Instagram and Facebook to share your pictures of Japan. 💖🗾,
⇩ Get an even better view of the landscape in our video below. ⇩#shikoku / chugoku#tour#akiyoshidai 2019.05.2341
Sand Dunes in Japan!? Head to Tottori to Find the Tiny Desert of Western JapanToday we'd like to tell you about a fascinating spot in Japan that just isn't well known outside of the country! In fact, a lot of the Chugoku region is widely ignored by foreign visitors, and we'd like to fix that. If you're already planning to visit anywhere in Kansai, like Kyoto or Osaka, Chugoku isn't even far away. Those more popular destinations might have their own great attractions, but if you're looking for a unique experience, set your eyes on Tottori Prefecture in the Chugoku region!,Well, calling it a desert might be a bit of a stretch (but that doesn't stop many in Japan from doing so anyway!) Located right on Tottori's coast, this enormous sand dune stretches 16 km (about 10 miles) north to south, and is about 2 km (1.2 miles) wide. The Tottori Sand Dune is the largest one in Japan, and if you visit it really does feel like a trip to the desert. Look in one direction and you'll get lovely views of the beach and the coastline, but turn your head and you can pretend for a moment that you're in the Sahara.,Hike up the sand dune to the highest point, nicknamed the "Horse's Back" (Umanose, 馬の背), to get a better sense of the landscape. From up there, you get a 360-degree panoramic view of the sand and the sea, helping you to better appreciate the vast expanses of the landscape. Some visitors say they feel so small up there that they wonder if the strong winds might blow them away!
Tottori Sand Dunes
Address: 2164-661 Fukubecho Yuyama, Tottori
Phone: 0857-22-0581
Official Website,The sand dunes themselves are natural works of art, and the ways they change throughout the year only add to their artistry. Whether you want to take beautiful photos or just want the beautiful memory in your mind forever, here are some things to look out for:
Wind Ripples
When the wind blows over the sand at a speed of 5 or 6 meters a second, the sand forms rippled patterns across the dunes. The formation of these lovely ripples totally depends on the wind and surrounding season, so you'll need to have luck on your side if you want to see them!
"Suribachi" (すり鉢)
These are large dips in the sand that look like they could be craters (or, as the Japanese name suggest, a mortar and pestle), but they just form without any outside interference. Because of the shape, during some seasons rain will collect and form pools in the sand. If there has been a fair amount of rain in the area, the water will really accumulate, and this rare occurrence is sometimes called a "Tottori Sand Dune Oasis"!
Sand Curtains
Strong winds will sometimes lift sand right off the dune and into the air. This rising layer of sand looks like it could be a blowing sheet of fabric from afar, with the phenomenon looking like a curtain in front of an open window.
Sunset Light Shows
Beaches are always good places to appreciate sunsets (or rises), and the coastline of Tottori is no different. Sit on the sand dune and watch the the last colorful rays of sunlight wash over the sand. If you come in winter, you might even get to see snow, which sparkles on the dunes.,One of the more exciting activities you can engage in at the dunes is sliding or rolling down from top to bottom! The sand isn't as slippery as you might expect, so you're unlikely to build up and real speed on the way down, but that just means it's safe enough for visitors of any age. If you start all the way at the top you get a nice long slide down, which is pretty fun! Exhaust yourself running up the dune again and again, and race your friends on the way down.
Try sliding down like a playground slide, or rolling down horizontally. You could even bring something to sit on, and slide down like you're sledding on a snowy hillside. Let us know which way you find most entertaining!,Once you get to the desert, there's lots of things to do there aside from just admiring the dunes! Really get into that desert spirit and take a ride through the sand on a camel (you get to sit right between the two humps!) Or, if you're feeling adventurous but like to watch out for your safety, try out hang gliding over the desert sand. It's a good place to try out the sport when you're a beginner, since the expanse of sand provides an environment without any big obstacles to fly into. It turns out you can have a pretty full day of desert experiences in Japan, who knew?
Camel Rides
Available at Rakudaya, next to the "Rakuda" entrance of the Tottori Sand Dune.
Address: 2164-806 Fukubecho Yuyama, Tottori
Hours: 9:30 ~ 16:30 (Dec. to Feb.: 10:00 ~ 16:00)
Phone: 0857-23-1735
While you're in western Japan, you shouldn't miss the chance to visit Shimane Prefecture as well! From famous shrines to little wineries, it's a pretty interesting area. On your way there you can even cross the prefectural border at the famous Rollercoaster Bridge!
⇩ Want to see what hang-gliding in the desert looks like? ⇩,
Be sure to look out for more exciting articles every day at JAPANKURU! 🐶
Or add us on Instagram and Facebook to share your pictures of Japan. 💖🗾#shikoku / chugoku#tour#tottori 2019.05.2150
Eshima Ohashi Bridge A.K.A. The Rollercoaster BridgeWhile civil infrastructure isn't what most travelers look out for when they visit a new country, sometimes a bridge can really be a sight worth seeing! The Eshima Ohashi Bridge connects the city of Matsue, Shimane Prefecture to Sakaiminato, Tottori Prefecture, and stretches over a chunk of Nakaumi Lake. It's the largest rigid-frame bridge in Japan, but what makes it really stand out is its extreme angles. If you trusted the artfully taken photos of the bridge, you might think that parts of it are so steep they're close to 45 degrees!,
The bridge does clearly angle up, as it's built to let ships pass underneath. It goes pretty high! But the truth is...
There's no crazy steep incline!
The notoriety of the bridge comes from photographs uploaded onto social media that gained a huge amount of attention. The photographer took some shots from just the right location, with the angle making it look like the bridge shot right up into the sky. It turns out it was mostly just a tricky bit of photography, though.
The actual slope of the bridge is different on each side, but the Tottori Prefecture slope is 3.44 degrees, and the Shimane Prefecture slope is 2.86 degrees. Nothing crazy!,If you take a photo from more of a side angle, you can see that the slope of the bridge is fairly normal. It's a bit steep, but certainly nothing like everyone's first impression! If you too want to take a picture that will wow all your friends, you have to think about the optical illusion that's being created using the particular geometric situation of the bridge.
Shift your angle, make sure you don't get too much of the side of the bridge, and take your perfect shot!,It might look like the bridge is shooting up into the sky, and vehicles are hurtling down like rollercoaster cars, but you know the secret now. So don't let yourself be deceived!
If you want to rent a car so you can cross the bridge, it might be a unique experience, but it won't quite live up to any amusement park ride expectations. If you are in the area for whatever reason, it might be a good idea to look for other things to do, as well! Think about heading to Tottori's sand dunes, or drive a little further to reach one of Japan's most famous scenic spots; there's plenty to do all over Japan!
Be sure to look out for more exciting articles every day at JAPANKURU! 🐶
Or add us on Instagram and Facebook to share your pictures of Japan. 💖🗾#shikoku / chugoku#tour#bridge 2019.05.1551
A Quick Guide to Hiroshima: The Best Things to See (and Eat) on Your TripBecause of its historical importance, Hiroshima attracts visitors from all over the world. But the region has all kinds of interesting spots, including one of Japan's "Top Three Scenic Views"! Plus, it's certainly known domestically for some great food specialties. While you're in the region, it's important to learn about the history that is so deeply connected to the city of Hiroshima, but to make your trip amazing, here are some other recommendations as well!,The shrine gate at Itsukushima Shrine has a long history, with the very first one being built in 1168! The current version, the 8th, is almost 150 years old. We recently wrote about how it's one of Japan's Top Three Scenic Views, which were chosen by a scholar back in the Edo Period, but are still well-known among the Japanese public. The torii gates that stand at shrine entrances are thought to separate the realm of the gods and the mundane world of humans, and Itsukushima shrine is dedicated to the gods of the sea, so having the entrance right in the water is pretty appropriate!,How to Get to Itsukushima Shrine
Miyajima Island, where the shrine is located, is about an hour away from Hiroshima Station.
Once you get to the station, located on the mainland, you have to take a ferry over to the island! It's not far away, so the ferry only takes about 10 minutes. There are ferries run by two different companies that make the trip, Miyajima Matsudai and JR West Miyajima. You can check the schedules (although they both run almost constantly), buy tickets, and board a ferry just a few minutes walk from the train station. The companies charge the same price (180 yen each way.)
Once you arrive, aside from the beautiful shrine gate, you can also enjoy the wild (but mostly tame!) deer that roam the island. They're usually very relaxed and friendly, so you can walk up and take pictures with them if you want! Just don't give them any food, it's against the rules!,During high tide the huge gate appears to be floating on the waves, which gives it the nickname "the floating torii", but during low tide when the waters recede, you can walk right up and admire it. The enormous main pillars are made of naturally grown camphor trees, which are naturally resistant to rot, and the upper part of the gate is filled with 7 tons of stones! Even though the gate isn't buried deep in the sand, it's so heavy and built so stably, it stays upright through all the earthquakes and typhoons Japan can throw at it!,At 8:15 on the morning of August 6, 1945, a United States Army Air Forces B29 bomber dropped the first atomic bomb "Little Boy," on the city of Hiroshima. It was a day that forever changed world history, and the city itself was destroyed in more ways than one.,The Peace Memorial includes the park, the Atomic Bomb Dome, and the museum filled with history that is both fascinating and horrifying at the same time. Spend a few hours in the area to take some time to reflect on the past, and think about what we can all do to promote peace and safety for everyone in our world.,So, did you know Hiroshima was famous for lemons and oysters!? It turns out to be true, and the two ingredients even go great together! Grilled oysters with lemon juice are a local delicacy, and if you do go to Miyajima to see Itsukushima Shrine, you'll see plenty of shops and carts selling the oysters on skewers. Even if this particular dish doesn't quite suit your taste buds, there are plenty of other oyster or lemon options in the area for you to sample.,Japan's three major oyster producing areas are Hokkaido, Sendai, and Hiroshima. Unless you're in northern Japan, Hiroshima's the place to go!,Hiroshima is the #1 lemon producer in Japan! It's right on the Seto Inland Sea, which is a name associated with lemons all over Japan. To get a true sense of what those lemons are like, get yourself a big glass of the local sparkling lemonade. This lemon squash is sweet and sour and super refreshing in warmer weather, but the lemons are so tasty you'll crave it year-round.,Osaka-style okonomiyaki might be more famous, but Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki is just as, if not even more, delicious! While it mostly has the same basic ingredients and flavors as its Kansai cousin, Hiroshima's okonomiyaki is a unique dish that hold a special place in many Japanese people's hearts.,Osaka okonomiyaki has everything mixed together for cohesiveness before cooking on the griddle, but Hiroshima okonomiyaki is more of a delicious and precarious stack of ingredients! Cutting through the middle of this kind of okonomiyaki, you get a great view of all the delicious things that go into it! (Including noodles, which you definitely won't find in Kansai.),Another specialty of the area is anago eel, or conger eel, which is a saltwater eel. In Japanese restaurants overseas you're more likely to find freshwater eel, or unagi, at a sushi place, but saltwater eel is also delicious and definitely worth a try! The eel is brushed with a sweet sauce and usually eaten on top of a bed of warm rice.,Although ramen-like dan dan noodles in soup is a much more common dish in Japan, Hiroshima famously serves its dan dan noodles sans broth. These noodles are topped with the highly spiced (and slightly spicy!) ground meat sauce, along with a healthy serving of green onions. If you're feeling peckish, these noodles might just hit the spot!,Hiroshima even has a unique take on manju, little traditional Japanese cakes filled with things like red bean. These ones are shaped like "momiji" (紅葉), or maple leaves! You can get momiji manju made with a number of different fillings, and they come stamped with an image of Itsukushima Shrine's gate.
They're pretty tasty, and they make great souvenirs. Everyone will ooh and ah over these adorably shaped confections.,Hopefully we've done a good job showing you all of the unique points of interest, and delicious tastes to be had in Hiroshima. It's a city with serious historical importance, but its cultural significance hasn't waned either, so it's a great place to visit on your trip to Japan! Make your way over and you too could spend an afternoon eating oysters and admiring Itsukushima Shrine.
If that okonomiyaki looked amazing, but you can't quite make it to Hiroshima tonight, you can definitely find delicious okonomiyaki in Tokyo's Yurakucho or Shinjuku. You could even head straight to Hiroshima's main competitor, and eat some amazing Kansai okonomiyaki in Osaka's Umeda area!
Be sure to look out for more exciting articles every day at JAPANKURU! 🐶
Or add us on Instagram and Facebook to share your pictures of Japan. 💖🗾#shikoku / chugoku#tour#hiroshima 2019.05.1340
12
All Contents and pictures are
Weibo
Pinterest
Blogger
Naver
Sina
Pixnet
Vimeo