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Tag Archives: Chugoku

Okayama Castle, Okayama, Honshu, Japan

Okayama Castle, also known as “Crow Castle” (U-jo) due to its black exterior, was built in 1597 in the style of the Azuchi-Momoyama Period. It is located in the Okayama city on the Asahi River, which was used as a moat, and next to the famous Korankuen Garden. The original castle was destroyed on June...

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Korakuen Garden, Okayama, Honshu, Japan

Korakuen (Koraku-en) Garden is one of Japan’s official Three Great Gardens (along with Kanazawa’s Kenrokuen and Mito’s Kairakuen) and hence Okayama’s number one attraction. The name means “Garden of Pleasure After”, a reference to a famous Confucian quote stating that a wise ruler must attend to his subjects’ needs first and only then attend to...

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Atomic Bomb Dome and Hiroshima Peace Memorial, Hiroshima, Japan

Hiroshima is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the largest city in the Chugoku region of western Honshu, the largest island of Japan. When the first atomic bomb was dropped over Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, the city became known worldwide for this unenviable distinction. The destructive power of the bomb was tremendous and obliterated...

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Kintai-kyo (Kintai Bridge), Iwakuni, Honshu, Japan

The Kintai-kyo or “Brocade Sash Bridge”, has been Iwakuni’s most distinguished landmark and a subject of admiration for hundreds of years. The 210m long bridge spans the Nishiki river and was originally built in 1673 under daimyo Kikkawa Hiroyoshi, without using a single nail. It was swept away by floods caused by Typhoon Kezia in...

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