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the brother of Amaterasu, the sun goddess, revered as the guardian deity of the mountains and seas. The present structure was built in 1378, but the history of the shrine goes back much further. In the courtyard is a camphor tree that is 2600 years old, reputedly planted here during the visit of Jimmu, the legendary first emperor of Japan. As the home of the country’s most important protective deity, Ōyamazumi-jinja was a popular place for warriors to come and pray before going into battle. The shrine’s treasure hall contains the most important collection of ancient weapons found anywhere in Japan. Around 80% of the armour and helmets designated as National Treasures are held here. In an adjacent building known as Kaiji Museum () there’s a boat that was used by Emperor Hirohito in his marine-science investigations, along with a natural-history exhibit.

Miyaura port () is a short walk from the shrine. There’s a tourist information counter in the roadside Shimanami no eki mishima (; 82-0002; 3260 Miyaura; 8.30am-5pm), just past the shrine, and another tourist information counter (87-3855; Tatara Shimanami Kōen; 9am-5pm) by the Tatara Bridge to Ikuchi-jima in the east of the island. Bicycle rental and help with local minshuku reservations are available at both.

Getting There & Away

Ferries link Miyaura port near the shrine with Imabari on Shikoku (¥990 to ¥1050, one to 1½ hours, five daily). There are also regular buses to Imabari (¥1140, one hour, 17 daily), where you can transfer to Matsuyama. There are no longer boats to Ōmi-shima from Honshū. The Shimanami Liner bus links Ōmi-shima with Honshū via Ikuchi-jima. Alternatively, take a ferry from Onomichi or Mihara to Setoda on Ikuchi-jima (Click here) and cross over to Ōmi-shima by rental bike.

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YAMAGUCHI-KEN

Yamaguchi, at the western end of Honshū, straddles both the southern San-yō coast and the northern San-in coast. The Kintai-kyō bridge at Iwakuni is a southern highlight; in the west, Shimonoseki acts as the gateway to Kyūshū and Korea. The northern stretch includes the historically important town of Hagi and, in the central mountains, the vast cave at Akiyoshi-dai. The section of the coast from Tottori eastwards to Wakasa-wan is included in the Kansai chapter (Click here).

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IWAKUNI

0827 / pop 151,000

The five-arched Kintai-kyō bridge is Iwakuni’s major attraction, but this relaxed city has a number of points of interest in the nearby Kikkō-kōen area. The main sights can be seen in a couple of hours.

Orientation & Information

Iwakuni is made up of three widely separated areas. To the far west is the Shin-Iwakuni shinkansen station, half an hour by bus from the rest of town. The reconstructed castle and the museums are in the old samurai area, on the western bank of the river across the Kintaikyō bridge. The mainline JR station is a 20-minute bus ride east of the river in the modern part of town, along with a few hotels and restaurants.

Tourist information (shinkansen station 46-0655; 1055-1 Mishō; 10.30am-3.30pm, closed Wed; JR station 21-6050; 1-1-1 Marifu-machi; 10am-5pm, closed Mon) is available at the train stations.

Sights

KINTAI-KYŌ

Iwakuni’s chief claim to fame is the impressive five-arched Kintai-kyō (Brocade Sash Bridge), built in 1673 during the rule of feudal lord Kikkawa Hiroyoshi. It has been restored several times since then, most recently in 2003–4. In the feudal era only members of the ruling class were allowed to use the bridge, which linked the samurai quarters on the west bank of the Nishiki-gawa with the rest of the town. Today, anyone can cross over for a ¥300 fee. The ticket office at the entrance to the bridge also sells an all-inclusive setto-ken (combination ticket; ¥930) covering the bridge, the return cable-car trip and entry to the castle – a saving of ¥170 compared to buying all the tickets separately. The combination ticket also gets you a reduction at the Art Museum and the History Museum.

SAMURAI QUARTER

What remains of the old samurai quarter now forms pleasant