10:00 (PICK UP) your hotel at Fukuoka city Pickup details: A driver or guide will be waiting for you with your name board at your designated location and time. The side of our bus has the name of the company written in Roman letters. - Please note that if you are not there even after 1 hour or more at the place and time you specified, it will be canceled on the day. If you want to change the location or time, please be sure to contact us from this site.

11:30-11:45 (Historic sites) Dannoura Battlefield, 21-1 Mimosusogawacho, Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Shimonoseki City in Yamaguchi prefecture is famous as the place of the Battle of Dan-no-Ura, known as the last battle between Minamoto and Taira clans. At first, the battle was dominated by the Taira but after the flow of the tide changed, the Minamoto began to dominate. Finally, the Minamoto won the battle and the Kamakura era had begun in Japan. Today, it is called Mimosuso River Park, a city park from where you can get a great view of the Kanmon strait. There is a monument of the Dan-no-Ura Old battlefield site and some great information displays to learn about the battle. There are some handprints by some famous actors who played roles in “Yoshitsune”, the NHK TV drama which was broadcast in 2005.

12:00-13:00 (lunch 1) Karato Fish Market, 5-50 Karatocho, Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi At this lively market in Yamaguchi , local fishermen sell their freshly caught fish at very reasonable prices. Karato Market began as a street market in 1909, and now its ships fish all over Japan. Although the focus of Karato is seafood, you can also buy other local seasonal ingredients since many farmers come from Yamaguchi and the surrounding area to set up shop.

14:15-15:15 (guided in park) Ruriko-ji Five Story Pagoda, 1-28 Kimachi, Yamaguchi This pagoda was commissioned by Ouchi Morimi, one of the heads of the Ouchi clan that ruled Yamaguchi from the 14th to 16th centuries. Morimi had the pagoda built as a memorial to his older brother Ouchi Yoshihiro, who died leading a revolt against the country’s central government in 1399. The pagoda was completed in 1442 and is lauded as the most outstanding structure surviving from the middle of the Muromachi period, which ran from approximately 1336 to 1573. It is designated a national treasure. The pagoda is 31 meters tall, or about 102 feet. Its roofs are made of multiple layers of cypress bark held in place with bamboo nails. Moving upward, each story is progressively narrower, contributing to the structure’s balanced appearance. Except for a railing running around the second story, the pagoda has very little adornment for Muromachi period architecture.

16:45-17:30 (free walk) Kintai Bridge, Iwakuni, Yamaguchi The Kintaikyo Bridge is a five-span bridge over the Nishiki River in Iwakuni City, Yamaguchi Prefecture. Counted as one of Japan’s three most famous bridges, with abundant nature in its background, it has been designated as a national Place of Scenic Beauty (the area including upstream and downstream). It was constructed in 1673 through a manifestation of wisdom and skill, in the desire for a flood-proof bridge. That structure, crossing the river’s width of around 200m, is exquisite and original. Furthermore, it boasts a beautiful shape. In approximately 350 years since its construction, the technology and beauty of the Kintaikyo Bridge continue to be protected even today.

18:15 (day-1 drop off) Miyajimaguchi, Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima ( or HIROSHIMA city ) *The world cultural heritage "Miyajima" is crossed by ferry. The bus cannot go with you on that ferry. If you prefer, you can stay at a hotel in Miyajima, or stay at a hotel near the ferry terminal "Miyajimaguchi", or make a reservation in advance by yourself. -Our bus will pick you up again tomorrow morning or noon at the place where you dropped off.