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Iwakuni
City in Chūgoku, Japan

Iwakuni

Iwakuni is a city located in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan.

Plan a trip to Iwakuni→From Matsuyama

As of 1 June 2023, the city had an estimated population of 127,512 in 65182 households and a population density of 157 people per km2. The total area of the city is 873.72 square kilometers (337.35 sq mi).

Get in

Getting to Iwakuni

  1. 01
    JR Iwakuni Station

    It's about 45 minutes from Hiroshima by local train, and makes a nice onward stop after a night at Miyajima.

  2. 02
    Iwakuni Kintaikyo Airport

    This airport reopened in 2012 after a 48-year hiatus.

See

Worth seeing

  1. 01
    Kintai-kyo

    Only samurai used to be able to cross the arches of this long, magnificent bridge.

  2. 02
    Kikko Park

    A pleasant green spot on the other side of the bridge, with some lovely flower gardens, large sprinklers for a soak on a summer day, and a popular cherry blossom viewing spot in April.

  3. 03
    Chōko-kan

    A library with historical documents and scroll paintings.

  4. 04
    Kikkawa Museum

    Dedicated to the aforementioned family of warlords, and including some of their weapons.

  5. 05
    Nagaya Gate

    At the south end of the park, you'll see the dramatic gate, the home of the Kagawa family who were the Kikkawa's principal samurai retainers.

  6. 06
    Mekata Residence
Do

Things to do

The ancient Japanese art of cormorant fishing (ukai) is a popular summer pastime; every night in June, July, and August, teams of fishermen in traditional dress use trained cormorant birds to catch fish.

  1. 01
    Underground Kingdom Mikawa Muvalley

    An entire adventure theme park located underground.

  2. 02
    Tokotoko Train
Eat

Where to eat

Iwakuni's main claim to culinary fame is a special kind of sushi, which is made with a square mold — not rolled in seaweed — and has some special flavorings such as chrysanthemum. Iwakuni has become renowned for having an insane variety of ice cream. Within this small courtyard there are no fewer than 3 different ice-cream stores specializing in unusual flavors of soft-serve.

  1. 01
    Hangetsuan

    Built in 1869 to serve as an Officer's Club of the Japanese Navy, this restaurant specializes in ayu, a kind of sweet fish that's often caught by the cormorant fishermen of Iwakuni.

How locals move

Getting around Iwakuni the local way

  • Get inThe main ferry terminal on the mainland is , which can be reached from JR Hiroshima station either by train (30 min, ¥420) or tram line #2 (70 min, ¥270).
  • Get inFrom Miyajimaguchi, the JR West Miyajima Ferry and the Matsudai ferry both run to Miyajima.
  • Get inThe trip takes 10 minutes and costs ¥200 each way; Japan Rail Pass and local JR West Pass holders can use the JR ferry for free.
  • Get inNot included in the ferry fare is a ¥100 visitor tax that must be paid upon entering the island.
  • Get inFerries start running from around 06:25 and ramp up during the daytime, with each of the ferries running at least 4 trips per hour.
  • Get inThere are also direct ferry connections from the Motoyasubashi Pier of the Hiroshima Peace Park, run by Aqua Net.
  • Get inThe Setonaikai-kisen High-Speed Boat runs from Hiroshima Pier and the Grand Prince Hotel Hiroshima to Miyajima a few times per day; usually three runs in the morning and three more in the afternoon.
  • Get inSome ferries will carry automobiles and motorcycles, but parking on the island is expensive and difficult to find unless arranged in advance with a hotel on the island, and most of the sights can't be reached by car.

From Wikivoyage: Miyajima, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us. Last edited 2026-09.

Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Wikimedia Commons (see Commons), Wikimedia Commons.