We visited Iwakuni as a day trip from Miyajima, just a ferry + local train + local bus ride there, and in reverse on the way back. Iwakuni is the home of the famous and spectacular kinto-kyo bridge, a five-arched wooden construction, overlooked by Iwakuni Castle on top of 200m high hill Shiroyama. The trip was straight-forward, the right bus easy to find, and enough information in English to tell us the right stop after about 20 minutes.
Ultra modern local train which took us to Iwakuni.
Iwakuni and the area near the bridge were very quiet. Ice-cream vendors looked quite forlorn. The few visitors were all Japanese - we were the only foreigners in town.
Shop in Kikko Park hoping for customers.
The Kintai bridge crosses the Nishiki River and was first built in 1673, was washed away within a year, rebuilt (with better foundations and the intention to be never washed away again) then survived until 1950 when it was destroyed during a typhoon. It was then rebuilt using traditional techniques. We noted nearby an experimental bridge where different timbers could be trialled.
The famous wooden Kintaikyo Bridge spanning the Nishigawa River.
Some of the precautions taken to prevent the bridge being washed away are evident here.
It's good fun to walk over this unique pedestrian bridge which joins one suburb of Iwakuni to another, Yokoyama. All visitors took selfies, including ourselves. We wonder whether locals pay to walk the bridge, or maybe they just use a road bridge nearby?
Young family walking across the bridge.
Detaling on the Kintaikyo Bridge.
The rocky bottom of the Nishiki River has been heavily reinforced with large flat stones and there are very wide almost flat embankments to accommodate flooding which, for other times, seem to be permanently marked up as a massive car and bus parking lot, virtually empty on the day of our visit.
On the far side of the bridge is Iwakuni Castle (1608). The castle certainly looked impressive from bridge level, and we had discussed whether to pay extra to visit the castle including the cable-car ride up the hill. The question proved to be moot - both are closed for most of January for maintenance.
The Iwakuni Castle overlooking the great five arched bridge.
The original castle only lasted seven years before it was compulsorily dismantled under a "one province one castle" edict in 1615, and wasn't reconstructed until 1962. The river way below was an effective moat for the castle because it wraps around the three of the four sides of the hill.
When rebuilt, the Iwakuni Castle was moved closer to the edge so it would look better.
It was just as well we didn't visit the castle because we used the time instead to have a good look around Kikko Park on the flat below the castle. The park was the home of the Kikkawa clan which ruled the area during the 250+ years of the Edo period up to the Meiji Restoration (a revolution in 1868 which led to the modernising of Japan).
Hiroyoshi Kikkawa was the third lord of the castle. He now has pride of place at the entrance to Kikko Park.
Very early cherry blossom as seen in Kikko Park.
Restored and preserved samurai house in Kikko Park.
Charcoal burning car exhibit at the Iwakuni Art Museum.
The park has a huge fountain which must be popular with children in summer. It's also a sanctuary for white snakes, which are found only in Iwakuni (but we didn't see any), are regarded as lucky, have been designated as special national treasures and are the symbol of the goddess of wealth.
Lanterns at the Kikko Shrine.
New Year's wishes on a shrine tree.
In Kikko Park, we bumped into a local volunteer guide who proved to be a retired IHI engineer who worked on No5 Blast Furnace at Port Kembla! Delighted to have some customers and practice his English, he showed us around a restored samurai house.
Wishful thinking by the cat, but the fish are keeping away anyway.
Bust of composer Hozumi Tanaka.
We ate a picnic lunch near a statue of Hozumi Tanaka whose statue (and birthplace?) is in Kikko Park. A sensor switched on an amplified rendition of what was presumably his music, as we passed nearby.
The boss at Iwakuni Espresso had possibly the best English we have head so far.
This is how smokers are managed in Japan.
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