It is located in a special district of the Seto Inland Sea National Park, Southern part of Okayama prefecture. Need to less to say, this is the best scenic area in the Seto Inland Sea National Park. Mt. Washu is designated as a beauty spot in Japan, famous for its many locations from which to enjoy views of the Seto Ohashi Bridge.
It is a 133-meter hill with a splendid view. The peak, known as Shoshuho, offers a panoramic view of the Seto Inland Sea and the entire span of the Seto Ohashi Bridge. In particular, sunsets viewed from here are fantastic and are ranked among the 100 best in Japan. Mt. Washu has two lookout points.It is a must-see spot in the region.
Access:
By Train/Bus: Kijima Sta. of JR Setoohashi line/ Bus for Mt Washu, 20 min.
By Car: 5 min. from Seto Chuo Expressway, Kojima IC.
This is one of the recommended tourist spots, which is located in Shinjuku. Tokyo Tocho is often visited by tourists for its free observation decks which provide good panoramic views of Tokyo and beyond.
The 243 meter tall building has two towers, and each houses an observatory at a height of 202 meters. It had been the tallest building in Tokyo until it was overtaken by the Midtown Tower in 2007.
With favorable weather conditions, well-known landmarks such as Mount Fuji, the Tokyo Skytree, Tokyo Tower, Meiji Shrine and the Tokyo Dome can be seen from the observatories. Each observatory has a cafe and a souvenir shop. The North Observatory remains open later at night, usually by 23:00, making it a popular spot to enjoy night views of the city.
Tourist information center is located on the first floor, so that you could grab maps and brochures written in English. English-speaking staffs are available.
My home town, Okayama city is a castle town. Okayama Castle also known as "crow castle" due to its black exterior, was built in 1597 during the Azuchi-Momoyama Period. The original castle was destroyed in the last year of World War 2, but a reconstruction was made in 1966. The castle is located on the Asahi River, which was used as a moat. Korakuen Garden is located just across the river.
The main building of the castle is the six story castle keep. The keep's interior is modern and displays exhibits on the history and development of the castle. Only one of Okayama Castle's original buildings escaped destruction, the Tsukimi Yagura ("moon viewing turret"), which dates back to 1620.
There are also reconstructions and unearthed foundations of former buildings, which help illustrate the former extent of the castle's complex of buildings.
The castle is easily accessble from Okayama station by street car or local bus, even on foot. You can visit the English website as below for further information.
Okayama Castle
Hi! I'm Mick, Japanese guy. I've been involved in tourism industry as a tour leader since I graduated from university in 2008.
This blog will feature tourism spots and travel tips in Japan from Japanese tour leader's point of view.
I hope this will help you explore Japan. If you have a question, feel free to ask me.
Have a memorable time, here in Japan!
