The best walks and hikes in the Chugoku Mountains

With my bad knee, I was grateful for the cable car, otherwise it is certainly even more beautiful to hike up.

Itsukushima Shrine Otorii Gate 大鳥居 - One of Japan's landmarks The O-Torii (Great Torii Gate), which stands about 16.8 meters high in the sea, is one of the most famous structures of the Itsukushima Shrine. The current O-Torii construction is based on the Ryobu-torii style, a wooden Shinto gate design characterized by four supporting pillars. The roof is covered with Japanese cypress bark, and the entire body is coated with vermilion lacquer. The four-pillar torii style is said to have been adopted in 1547 when the torii was rebuilt. The main pillars are about 13.4 meters high and have a circumference of 9.9 meters, and the crossbeam is about 23.3 meters long. The O-torii is located about 212.7 meters from the Haiden (main hall of worship) and 173 meters. 4 meters from the Hitasaki (front lantern) and is supported by its own weight. The current torii, the ninth, was erected in 1875. Text / Source: miyajima.or.jp https://miyajima.or.jp/english/spot/spot_ootorii.html

Burg Hiroshima 広島城, Hiroshima-jō Hiroshima Castle (Japanese: 広島城, Hiroshima-jō), sometimes called Carp Castle (鯉城, Rijō), is a castle in Hiroshima, Japan. It was the seat of some daimyō (feudal lords) of the Hiroshima han (domain). The castle, originally built in the 1590s, was destroyed by the atomic bombing in 1945. The reconstruction, built in 1958, now serves as a museum for the history of Hiroshima before World War II. Mōri Terumoto, one of Toyotomi Hideyoshi's Council of Five Elders, laid the foundation stone for the construction of Hiroshima Castle in 1589 in the Otagawa Delta. At that time, the city of Hiroshima did not yet exist, and the area was called Gokamura, five settlements. From 1591, Mōri ruled nine provinces from the castle, including large parts of the present-day prefectures of Shimane, Yamaguchi, Tottori, Okayama, and Hiroshima. Text / Source: wikipedia.org https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burg_Hiroshima

Before heading back to the crowds, you can relax here for a while.

Hike clockwise on this trail to avoid a very steep decent and see the best fall colours . From The 5th station it’s an hour + to the summit if you want to add a peak experience to the hike .

The Flame of Peace in the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park is a powerful symbol of the city’s commitment to nuclear abolition.Lit on August 1, 1964, the flame has been burning continuously ever since, with the pledge that it will remain lit until the very last nuclear weapon on Earth is destroyed. The pedestal, designed by Kenzō Tange, represents two hands joined and reaching skyward, offering comfort to the bomb victims who desperately cried out for water. Located on the central axis of the park, the flame is a stark and eternal reminder of the devastation of 1945 and a clear visual declaration of the global desire for permanent world peace.

The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum is the primary institution within the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, dedicated to preserving the memory of the atomic bombing of August 6, 1945, and promoting the abolition of nuclear weapons.Designed by Kenzō Tange, the museum vividly conveys the reality of the tragedy. Its core exhibits focus on the personal suffering caused by the bomb, displaying chilling artifacts like scorched clothing and warped belongings of the victims, alongside photographs and models illustrating the devastation from the heat, blast, and radiation. The exhibits emphasize the human stories of the $\text{Hibakusha}$ (survivors), serving as a profound and essential educational tool. The museum’s overarching mission is to inform the world about the horrors of nuclear war and act as a solemn plea for lasting world peace.

The Children's Peace Monument ($\text{Genbaku no Ko no Zō}$) is a memorial in the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park dedicated to the thousands of children killed by the atomic bomb, inspired by the true story of one young victim.