Setouchi and San’in

Setouchi and San’in Tour

8

days

¥398,000

starting price

8

People max.

Matsuyama

starting place

Overview

This tour visits the major sights of Ehime, Yamaguchi, Okayama, Shimane, and Hiroshima prefectures, focusing on the small historic cities of each region, and the natural wonders found in the countryside between them. You travel in a private vehicle with a guide, staying in characterful local accommodation. You experience the different atmosphere and food of the Sea of Japan and Seto Inland Sea regions, and the mountainous region that lies between them.

Who is this tour for?

This tour is for people who want to experience the little-known but beautiful historic towns and countryside of western Japan.

Price

From

  • ¥598,000 / person with 2
  • ¥498,000 / person with 3
  • ¥448,000 / person with 4
  • ¥398,000 / person with 5

Itinerary

  • You meet your guide and driver at Matsuyama Station, and drive to Ōshima on the Shimanami Kaidō. You drive up to the Mt. Kirō lookout and look down on the roiled waters of the Kurushima Strait and the elegant suspension bridge over it. You take a fast ship for a cruise into the rapid currents and whirlpools of the Kurushima Strait. Then you drive to Ōyamazumi Shrine, one of Japan’s most historically significant major Shintō places. Your next stop is Innoshima Suigun Castle, where you learn about the Murakami Kaizoku pirates who controlled the Inland Sea. You head north to Onomichi on Honshū where you stay. Dinner (not included) is at a local restaurant.

  • After breakfast, you leave your hotel and drive to Hiroshima city, visiting the Atom Bomb Dome and Peace Park. Then you take the ferry to Miyajima and visit Itsukushima Shrine with its iconic red torii gate in the sea, and its tame deer. Then you return to Hiroshima where you stay the night. Dinner (included) is at your accommodation

    Included: Breakfast, Dinner

  • After breakfast, you leave your hotel and drive to Iwakuni in Yamaguchi Prefecture and stroll over the beautiful Kintai Bridge. Then you head into Yamaguchi city to visit the Zen temple Rurikō-ji with its impressive pagoda reflected in a large pond. In the afternoon, you drive up to Akiyoshidai, an extensive karst area, and explore this limestone area above ground and below in the huge Akiyoshi Cave system. You then drive to the nostalgic spa town of Nagato Yumoto Onsen where you stay. Dinner (included) is at your accommodation.

    Included: Breakfast, Dinner

  • After breakfast, you leave your hotel and drive to Nagato where you take a boat to visit Ōmi Island with its dramatic rock formations and coastal caves. Then you drive to Hagi, a castle town whose young men played a decisive role in overthrowing the Shogunate. Shōin Shrine and its museum honouring Yoshida Shōin tell the story of one brave youth who gave his life to free Japan from feudalism. You stay in Hagi. Dinner (included) is at your accommodation.

    Included: Breakfast, Dinner

  • After breakfast, you leave your hotel and drive to Tsuwano in Shimane Prefecture, a beautiful traditional castle town overlooked by the dramatic ruins of its castle. Tonomachi Dōri recalls the town life of the samurai. Then you head into Tottori Prefecture to explore the town of Iwami, part the Sanin Kaigan National Park. You spend the night in Iwami. Dinner (included) is at your accommodation.

    Included: Breakfast, Dinner

  • After breakfast, you leave your hotel and drive to Iwami Ginzan silver mine, which once produced one third of the world’s silver. The mine shafts and museum are fascinating. Next you drive to magnificent Izumo Shrine with its great straw ropes hanging under massive eaves. The shrine is connected to Japan’s founding legends and it’s one of the nation’s foremost sacred spots. Then you drive to Tamatsukuri Onsen where you stay. Dinner (not included) is at a local restaurant

    Included: Breakfast

  • After breakfast, you leave your hotel and drive to Matsue, a town with a castle that survived from the Edo period. You take a boat around the moat, enjoying the views of the old town. Then you head into Okayama Prefecture, to Hiruzen Highland located on a plateau more than 500 meters above sea level, with views of the Mt. Daisen volcano. Your next stop is Takahashi, a riverside town with streets of old merchant houses. Then you drive to Okayama city where you stay. Dinner (not included) is at a local restaurant.

    Included: Breakfast

  • After breakfast, you leave your hotel and drive to Kurashiki, a perfectly preserved Edo period town beside an idyllic canal. The many shops and museums offer a wealth of options. Then you drive to Kōrakuen Garden with its spacious lawns and rock features, and its views of Okayama Castle. The tour ends at Okayama Station.

    Included: Breakfast

Highlights

Ōshima Island

Ōshima Island

The fiirst major island on the Ehime side of the Shimanami Kaidō with scenes of rice paddy, shrines, temples, and cherry blossom.

Shimanami Kaidō

Shimanami Kaidō

The Shimanami Kaidō is a chain of islands across the Seto Inland Sea, joined by a series of bridges which carry an expressway and cycle paths.

Kurushima Straits Bridge

Kurushima Straits Bridge

A bridge on the Shimanami Kaido connecting the island of Oshima to Shikoku. It’s the world's longest suspension bridge structure.

Ōyamazumi Shrine

Ōyamazumi Shrine

One of the most historically significant shrines in Japan. Located on Ōmishima Island along the Shimanami Kaidō.

Innoshima Island

Innoshima Island

Innoshima Island is an island on the Shimanami Kaido. It has a fine beach and a Suigun castle.

Innoshima Suigun Castle

Innoshima Suigun Castle

Castle built in 1983 as a museum to house historic artefacts from the local maritime clans period.

Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park

Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park

The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park is a sprawling memorial site located in Hiroshima, Japan, dedicated to commemorating the victims of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.

Atom Bomb Dome

Atom Bomb Dome

The A-Bomb Dome is the ruin of the former Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall, built in 1915.

Itsukushima Shrine

Itsukushima Shrine

Itsukushima Shrine is an ancient Shintō shrine on Miyajima with an iconic torii in the sea.

Miyajima

Miyajima

Miyajima is a beautiful sacred island near Hiroshima with an iconic torii in the sea.

Iwakuni

Iwakuni

Iwakuni still retains its atmosphere as an Edo period castle town, while its location makes it highly representative of the western Setouchi region.

Yamaguchi City

Yamaguchi City

Yamaguchi was the home of the powerful Ōuchi and Mōri clans who influenced national policy for centuries. The city once rivalled Kyōto for the sophistication of its culture.

Akiyoshi Plateau and Caves

Akiyoshi Plateau and Caves

Akiyoshidai is a huge karst system in the middle of Yamaguchi Prefecture. The plateau consists of uplifted reef limestones formed in the Palaeozoic age.

Nagato Yumoto Onsen

Nagato Yumoto Onsen

Nagata Yumoto Onsen is a hot spring resort near the Japan Sea coast with a history going back over 600 years. Today it's enjoying a little renaissance.

Ōmi Island

Ōmi Island

A scenic island in the Sea of Japan with dramatic rock formations and a history of coastal whaling.

Shimonoseki

Shimonoseki

Due to its highly strategic location as the Asian gateway to the Seto Inland Sea, Shimonoseki was the site of some of Japan's most consequential historical events.

Hagi

Hagi

Despite its relatively isolated location, Hagi had a remarkable impact on Japanese history at the end of the feudal period and the early modern period.

Hagi Castle

Hagi Castle

The ruins of Hagi Castle are located at the seashore of Hagi city on the Sea of Japan at the delta of the Abu River. The castle was built on a low mountain, Mt. Shigetsu, at the edge of the delta.

Tsuwano

Tsuwano

Tsuwano is a small town in Shimane, in a valley with impressive castle ruins and well-preserved samurai district.

Uradome Coast

Uradome Coast

The ruggedly scenic Uradome Coast stretches along the Sea of Japan and is one of the most beautiful shorelines in the San’in region.

Tamatsukuri Onsen

Tamatsukuri Onsen

Tamatsukuri Onsen is a hot spring resort on the shore of Lake Shinji in Shimane. It’s a sulphate spring with water temperatures between 50–70 °C.

Hiruzen Highland

Hiruzen Highland

Hiruzen is an area located on the border of Daisen Oki National Park, known for its spectacular natural beauty.

Mt. Daisen

Mt. Daisen

Mt. Daisen is a dormant volcano in Tottori Prefecture on the Japan Sea coast. At 1,729 m, it’s the highest mountain in the Chūgoku region.

Tottori Hanakairo Flower Park

Tottori Hanakairo Flower Park

The Tottori Hanakairo Flower Park is a vast garden built around a dome greenhouse with hundreds of orchids, palm trees and other exotic flora.

Takahashi

Takahashi

The small city of Takahashi in the mountains of Okayama grew up around Bitchū Matsuyama Castle. It retains much of its Edo period atmosphere, with many old merchant premises close to the river.

Kurashiki

Kurashiki

Kurashiki is best known for the Bikan Historical Quarter, now preserved as a historic district, with many of former storehouses converted into characterful shops, museums, and cafés.

Kōrakuen Garden

Kōrakuen Garden

Kōrakuen is known as one of three finest traditional gardens in Japan. In addition to the numerous attractions within the garden itself, its scenery borrows the view of nearby Okayama Castle just across the river.

Included

    • Guide
    • Transport
    • Meals
    • Basic insurance

Excluded

    • Travel to and from Shikoku
    • Dinner on day 1, 6 and 7
    • Drinks
    • Comprehensive personal insurance

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