The Kintai-kyo Bridge is located in Iwakuni city,Yamaguchi prefecture, which has been Iwakuni's most famous landmark and a subject of admiration for hundreds of years. It is completely made of wood and without the use of any nails, the bridge makes five bold arches onto massive stone pillars as it crosses over the Nishiki River.
Plans for the Kintai-kyo were first drawn up when strong currents had once again destroyed a bridge crossing the Nishiki River. A more durable bridge was commissioned by Kikkawa Hiroyoshi, the third feudal lord of Iwakuni, whose statue stands at the entrance to Kikko Park.
After the bridge was completed in 1673, it kept standing until 1950, when Iwakuni was struck by a violent typhoon.
It is also well- known as the spot for cherry-blossom viewings in the spring.
Nijushi no Hitomi or Twenty-Four Eyes is a 1954 movie filmed on
Shodoshima island in Kagawa prefecture that follows the lives of a
school teacher and her first class of students as they grow up on the
island during the rise of Japanese nationalism in the leadup to World
War two.
After the shooting of a color remake in 1987, the movie location used
for the filming was opened to the public as the Nijushi no Hitomi
Eigamura movie village.
The movie set consists of an entire reconstructed village, including a
school building, over a dozen homes, a shrine, a canal and a few fields.
Visitors can enter all the buildings, some of which were transformed
into restaurants, shops and small museums.
The village offers a nostalgic atmosphere of past decades, and is pleasant to explore even by those who have not seen the movie.
Gujo Hachiman in Gifu Prefecture offers visitors a look at the traditional, small town atmosphere of rural Japan. The town is well known for its summer dance festival and its historic waterways, it has lots of small museums and galleries, as well as temples and shrines. It is popularly called Little Kyoto as a nickname.
Sogisui Source is the most famous source of Gujo's water system, pools of water are divided into four sections each for exclusive use. The first pool for drinking, the second for washing rice, the third for washing vegetables and the forth for cleaning tools.
Hakone Tozan Railway, Japan's oldest mountain railway, is one of the most recommended attractions in Hakone area. The small trains wind themselves through a narrow, densely wooded valley over lots of bridges and tunnels, stopping at tiny stations along the way and changing directions at three switchbacks.
The Hakone Tozan Line contains two sections. The lower section from Odawara to Hakone-Yumoto is used by Odakyu trains from central Tokyo like ordinary trains. Far more spectacular is the upper section from Hakone-Yumoto to Gora, which is served by the small mountain trains. At Gora, many travelers transfer to the cablecar for Lake Ashi.
The 35 minute train ride from Hakone-Yumoto to Gora is especially outstanding in June and July when thousands of hydrangea are in bloom along the tracks and are illuminated during the evenings. The flowers are usually best around the beginning of July and can be seen from the trains and around the stations.
Uchiko-za is a fully operational kabuki theater in the center of Uchiko town in Ehime Prefecture, and the symbol of Uchiko. The magnificent, multi-story building was built in 1916 and continues to occasionally host various events, including kabuki and bunraku performances.
Visitors can enter Uchiko-za and explore the many trap doors and hidden passageways around the stage. Kabuki stages are known for their elaborate design, allowing for sudden dissapearances, dramatic entrances and so on. At Uchiko-za, visitors have the opportunity to examine the mechanics of such stage choreography.
The theater is expected to be registered as Important Cultural Property this year.
