An English guide to the
beautiful Iwami region of JapanIwami is in the western part of Shimane, a rural prefecture on the Sea of Japan,
geographically remote from the larger cities, and cut off from the nearest major city
of Hiroshima by the Chugoku mountain range. This is old, rural Japan.
Experience
From noodle making, traditional weaving, throwing pottery, rice planting, or risking your life on a wild boar hunt.
- Crafts and cooking (5)
- Driving (3)
- Festivals (6)
- Hot Springs (17)
- Kagura (2)
- Museums (20)
- Skiing (2)
- Surfing (1)

- Birthplace of Ogai Mori Iwami region is home to one of Japan's 'little Kyotos', smaller scale versions of the delightful city. Tsuwa...(read more)

- Nogawaya (Japanese traditional inn) When you visit Japan for a vacation, a trip to the countryside allows you to see a different side of the count...(read more)

- Yunotsu Onsen summer festival (Yunotsu Hotsprings summer festival) At night, Yunotsu looks like something straight out of Studio Ghibli's 'Spirited Away.' Traditional in...(read more)

- Masuda String-puppets Masuda marionettes were designated as an intangible folk-cultural property of Shimane prefecture 60 years ago. They are ...(read more)

- Hamada Children’s Museum of Art This is the biggest museum in Hamada. There are many pictures and most of them are displayed at children's eye leve...(read more)

- Nima Sand Museum When you visit Japan for vacatipn, a trip to the countryside allows you to see a dofferent side of country. Iwami is f...(read more)

- Motoyu When you visit Japan for vacatipn, a trip to the countryside allows you to see a dofferent side of country. Iwami is far...(read more)

- Hot springs in Tsuwano Tsuwano Onsen Nagominosato Nagominosato is in the road side station which is located on Hagi-Tsuwano Station Line (萩津和野...(read more)

- Hot spring in Kanagi city There are many hot springs in Shimane prefecture. Here I will introduce two hot spring resorts. Kintanosato (きんたの里) T...(read more)

- Yakushiyu When you visit Japan for a vacation, you should try a hot spring. OK, you do need to take your clothes off, but there ar...(read more)
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- Tsuwano Festivals “Tsuwano Yabusame Festival (流鏑馬まつり)” . Yabusame is a type of mounted archery which has a long his...(read more)

- Grand Toit Grand Toit is an arts center in Shimane. Both the roof and outerwalls of Grand Toit use roof tilescalled Sek...(read more)
Restaurant & Cafe
Everything from freshly caught seafood to organic buffets, freshly ground coffee, and wild boar meat.

- Pocket Kitchen Kitchen Pocket This restaurant serves a daily set lunch you can try something new every day. We can choose dishes fr...(read more)

- Kagura Bar Kagura is a cozy place basing its theme on the Kagura, which is usually about sacred music and dancing in performa...(read more)

- Elite “Elite” is a café, located in Hamada City. It serves many kinds of food including sandwiches, p...(read more)

- MameMame Dining Mamemame dining is located on the left where go straight from Hamada station's main entrance. “Mame” m...(read more)

- Cafe Fadette Café Fadette Near Masuda station, you can find a cool restaurant called Café Fadette. Inside the buildi...(read more)

- Sanbesou Sanbesou (さんべ荘) <<Restaurant Iris>> You can enjoy delicious Japanese dishes such as soba noodl...(read more)

- Un-kai "雲海 ( Un-Kai ) " is the restaurant in the さひめ野 ( Sahimeno ) which is kind of hotel. We can come here just e...(read more)

- Dosanko (noodle restaurant) West of Hamada, there is a ramen restaurant called “Dosanko”. This restaurant is a chain shop, so there ar...(read more)

- Hataoka( Vietnamese restaurant ) If you want to try Vietnamese dishes in Hamada, you should go to Hataoka. It’s close to Hamada station. You can se...(read more)

- Tsurube (Udon restaurant) A visit to the Iwami region of Shimane should include some local cuisine. Japan is famed for its delicious food, and Tsu...(read more)

- Gozen-Soba Gozen-Soba (御前そば) Their Soba noodles are made with the water “Sanbyaku-Sui” which is one o...(read more)

- Hotel Matsuo Hotel Matsuo offers traditional Japanese dishes, using Hamada's localingredients. You can enjoy Japanese tr...(read more)
Scenery
Hike the Chugoku mountain trail, see ancient temples, enjoy green tea in a traditional garden, or photograph terraced rice paddies.

- Taikodani Inari Shrine Iwami region is home to one of Japan's 'little Kyotos', smaller scale versions of the delightful city. Tsuwa...(read more)

- Seisuiji Temple SeisuijiTemple is a Shingon Buddhist temple, and is a notable place in the history of Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine, wh...(read more)

- Otome Chapel Otome Chapel (乙女峠) (photo copyright by Ojisanjake) Iwami region is home to one of Japan's 'little Kyo...(read more)

- Iwami 33 Temple Pigrimage Have you ever heard a pilgrimage to the Iwami Kannon 33 Temples Pilgrimage? All the temples are located in Iwami region ...(read more)

- Kanzeonji Temple (Iwami 33 Temple Pilgrimage) The original Kanzeonji Temple burned down in 1800 in a fire which destroyed most of the town. However, itwas recon...(read more)

- Ikouji Temple and Sesshu Garden Along route 191 in Iwami, there is an old temple which has a tasteful Japanese garden. The temple is called Ikouji and...(read more)

- Tsuwano Catholic Church ○Tsuwano Catholic Church (photo copyright Ojisanjake) There is an interesting church on Tonomachi (殿町) Street in To...(read more)

- 33 temple pilgrimage Check out the video of our day trip to 7 of the 33 temples on the Iwami Silver Mine Kanon 33 temple pilgrimage. Many t...(read more)

- Kotogahama When you visit Japan for vacatipn, a trip to the countryside allows you to see a dofferent side of country. Iwami is far...(read more)

- Enpukuji Temple (Iwami 33 Temple Pilgrimage) If you want to see a visual representation of the last judgement, you should visit Enpuku-ji temple in Ohda, Iwami regio...(read more)
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- Shogenji Temple (Iwami 33 Temple Pilgrimage) If you enjoy visiting temples, Iwami has a 33 temple pilgrimage route that you can follow. Shogenji Temple is one ...(read more)
World Heritage
Iwami boasts both a World Heritage site in the Iwami Silver Mine and an intangible asset, Sekishu hand-made paper.
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- Sekushu-Washi Kaikan Sekishu-Washi Kaikan(石州和紙会館)” is a place where we can experience making washi and learn culture and history of Sek...(read more)

- Kazenokuni ( paper making experience) In Gotsu city, in the town of Sakurae, there is a nature park and leisure facilities called Kazenokuni. The Kazenokuni c...(read more)

- Enjoji Temple (Iwami 33 Temple Pilgrimage) Enjoji Temple (written圓城寺 in Japanese) is also known as Reichinzan (霊椿山) or mountain of the sacred camellia. There is a ...(read more)

- Cooking Experience at Kumagai House Visitors to Iwami Ginzan canexperience Japanese traditional cooking in the kitchen ofKumagai Family House. T...(read more)

- 33 temple pilgrimage Check out the video of our day trip to 7 of the 33 temples on the Iwami Silver Mine Kanon 33 temple pilgrimage. Many t...(read more)

- Okubo Mabu Mine Shaft Tour Although there are at least 600 entrances to the silver mine, only a few are open to the public. Tours to the Okubu min...(read more)

- Iwami Ginzan Library This beautiful building is Iwami Ginzan Library, our university's satellite campus in Iwami Ginzan. This library ...(read more)

- Iwami Ginzan World Heritage Center Iwami Ginzan World Heritage Center Iwami Ginzan is a UN World Heritage site in the mountains of Shimane, Japan. During ...(read more)

- Kakita Katsuro Mask Workshop Iwami Kagura is traditional dance in Iwami region and performers wear Kagura masks for the performance rather than make-...(read more)

- Iwami 33 Temple Pigrimage Have you ever heard a pilgrimage to the Iwami Kannon 33 Temples Pilgrimage? All the temples are located in Iwami region ...(read more)

- Seisuiji Temple SeisuijiTemple is a Shingon Buddhist temple, and is a notable place in the history of Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine, wh...(read more)























