In this prefecture, anyway. Had a healthy breakfast, then took a streetcartrainbus to Iwakuni.
It’s just a regular town, but has a nice little park/castle area.
The town itself was established by exiled samurai. They were like “we’ll build our own castle!” The emporer let them finish, then came and tore it down lol. After the war, the US moved in and built a base. Now the castle has been rebuilt of course, and there’s lots to see in the area.
That took most of the day, and it was lovely.
When I got back, it was still light, so I walked around the town here. The village is called Jigozen. The schoolchildren thought I was hilarious, taking pictures of random stuff.
Here’s todays pictures…
You have to buy a ticket, which was funny, because there’s a perfectly good free bridge to walk across.This is the most recent incarnation. The last one was washed away in a flood very recently
There’s lots of old guys fishing down thereDon’t forget this was mostly samurai families for hundreds of years
Found a free museum where they displayed relics from the area’s past. also, you could watch a video of them rebuilding the bridge. it was neatThe brown box had a motion detection system and would automatically play some song, it really* sounded Russian?
One of several iris gardensI felt much safer inside
Yay! A cable car!
Since this basically private residence had NO original artifacts, there was a display of ancient weaponry
A map of all the castles you could visit in Japan
One a three area parksSome original content, so to speak
Found the favorite daughter!
If you remove the telephone lines, this picture could have been taken 300 years ago
Another parkThe family shrineYou cant see it, but some Shinto had tied protection on this great old oakAt the bridge again, back to the bus stop!
This next bit is just some shots from the neighborhood.
I seem to be obsessed with cemeteriesWhat a great place to be dead for eternity. What a view!Another neat old pine treeUnmistakable in any language
There’s one outside every shrine
There’s an oyster farm here
My hostelJigozen shrine, one of a dozen within a mile. it’s across the street from the hostel Youll notice that the misbehaving child is the one having fun