Bon dancing festival in Tsuwano (津和野盆踊り大会) Iwami region is home to one of Japan's 'little Kyotos', smaller scale versions of the delightful...(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)

Anno Mitsumasa Museum Anno Mitsumasa Museum安野光雅美術館 Tsuwano is a must-see on any vacation in the Iwami region in Japan. This 'little...(read more)

Kiri no Yu -Hot spring- Iwami Onsen hot spring – Kiri no Yu – Shimane prefecture Ochi county Onan town Yakami 8532 – 2 0855 - 95 - 3505 (J...(read more)

Arifuku Arifuku onsen or hot spring is a small village, just a collection of streets really, lined with retro hot sp...(read more)

Hot Spring after skiing? There are some nice places for onsen near Osa Ski Resort. The nearest onsens are at Kinta no sato and Geiho...(read more)

The history of Arifuku A brief history of Arifuku Onsen Arifuku Onsen town, located in Gotsu, Shimane, dates back about 1,300 years. At that...(read more)

Sanbe Azukihara Maibotsurin park “Maibotsurin” means submerged forest. This park is at the bottom of Mt. Sanbe. This facility was establish...(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)

Morijuku Museum Tsuwano is a must-see on any visit to the Iwami region in Japan. This ' little Kyoto'...(read more)

Yunotsu 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 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)

AZ ~Café & Select Shop~ AZ is popular café in Masuda city.　It’s called café, but they offer lunch menu, international dishes, a lot of kind of d...(read more)

Sushi Katsu Sushi Katsu (寿しかつ) is one of the best sushi restaurants in Hamada. This restaurant serves fresh sushi which has large to...(read more)

Kamuri Kamuri is an informal restaurant situated in Ohnan. Ii is part of the ‘Koboku no mori’ area. You ca...(read more)

Minoya No trip to Japan is complete without sampling the local cuisine. Plenty of little restaurants in the Iwami region ...(read more)

Mamechaka & Apli Mamechaka and Apli are small but cute cafes on the edge of Honmachi where you can still see old buildings. These two are...(read more)

Sakuraco This cafe is called ‘Sakura co’. You can eat lunch and pancakes here. And you can read a book, chat with f...(read more)

Torteno TORTENO~~western style gateau studio Torteno is a cake shop located near Kintano-sato(きんたの里). This place offers...(read more)

Umeno mise A visit to the Iwami region of Shimane should include some local cuisine. Japan is famed for its delicious food and Umen...(read more)

Restaurant Kame お食事処 亀 In Kokubu Cho Hamada City, there is a restaurant called Restaurant Kame. The restaurant was introduced by りびえーる...(read more)

Café Gohan Read Café Gohan Read is a restaurant and café in Oda City. It serves loco moco, curry and rice, fried chicken...(read more)

Arifuku Cafe Arifuku Café is attached to Ryokan Higuchi, one of the traditional inns in Arifuku. The décor is beautif...(read more)

Gungendo Cafe Iwami Ginzan is a UN World Heritage site in the mountains of Shimane, Japan. During the sixteenth century, it was one of...(read more)

Hori teien Tsuwano is a must-see on any vacation in the Iwami region in Japan. This 'little Kyoto' of Shimane is bursting w...(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)

Saishou Temple This temple was founded in 1465. The temple in existence was rebuilt in 1739. This temple has some statues on the roo...(read more)

Seisui Temple Seisui temple ( 清水寺 ) It takes about 30min by foot from Omori bus stop. TEL:0854-89-0129 Seisui te...(read more)

Mount Sankai In Hamada, there are a lot of hills and mountains but Mt. Sankai is one of the symbols of Hamada city. The height ...(read more)

Youmeiji Tsuwano has outstanding shrines and temples, incredible festivals, hot springs, sake breweries, a Christian hist...(read more)

The Ogawas’ garden of Sesshu The Ogawa family is a famous old Japanese family. It is said that Sesshu built this garden for them when he visited&nb...(read more)

Senjouen In Hamada, just by the sea, there is a really cool hotel called Senjouen (千畳苑). The best thing about this place is that ...(read more)

European Herb Garden In Koboku no mori, there is an herb garden. Depending on the season, you can enjoy different kinds of herbs. &nbs...(read more)

Hashi beach Hashi beach is a very popular beach in the Iwami region. This beach is located in Iwami Seaside Park. From Aquas,...(read more)

Misumi shrine ...(read more)

Manyo Park This park is called Manyo Park. Hitomaro Kakinomoto (柿本人麻呂) who is famous poet around 700 A.D. wrote many poems and thes...(read more)

Sekishu-Washi ~Making traditional paper activity~ &...(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)

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)

Iwami Silver Mine Museum The museum was built as a local government office in the Meiji era (1902). It's a large traditional house and exhibi...(read more)

Omori Omori is a traditional noodle restaurant in Iwami Silver Mine. There's a retro feel to the building, with its old-fa...(read more)

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)

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)

Ryugenji Mabu　 When you visit Japan for a vacation, a trip to the countryside allows you to see a different side of the country. Iwam...(read more)