Guided Tour JR Pass
Stroll or cycle the nostalgic streets of this old merchant port town, hike along the trails of Sensui-jima Island and try your hand at making chikuwa.
Step back in time and take in the quaint atmosphere and spectacular views of the Seto Inland Sea. Explore the town on foot. Visit a temple guesthouse that overlooks the sea and the surrounding islands. Walk into an old merchant house (once a medicinal liquor manufacturer) elaborately built based on the concepts of Japan’s tea ceremony and stroll the nostalgic streets lined with houses of unique architectural styles. As an optional tour, hike the trails of Sensui-jima Island and visit the island’s geosite, or experience chikuwa-making (fish-paste sausage). You are sure to encounter authentic Japan!
Tour date:
Daily
Tour fee:
Guide Fee: JP¥3,000 per person
Admission to Taichoro (Temple guesthouse): JP¥200
Admission to Ota Residence (Merchant house): JP¥400
Ferry to Sensui-jima Island: JP¥240 RT
Chikuwa-making experience: JP¥200
Duration:
1.5 – 3 hours (Depending on your tour selection.)
Meeting place:
At the ferry station
Getting to the meeting place:
Bus: Take the bus for Tomo-no-ura (鞆の浦) or Tomo-ko (鞆港) at JR Fukuyama Sta. (Stand No. 5), and get off at the last stop (鞆港). (JP¥550, 40 mins.)
Notes:
* Make your own tour plan by combining activities (town stroll, cycling, hiking, and chikuwa-making experience).
* For further information and/or special requests (e.g. time changes), please contact me.
* For travel plans before/after your tour, please ask.
* Tours require at least two persons.
* Prepare cash in yen for transportation, admissions and all other fees.
Reserve by:
5:00 pm two days in advance of your tour.
Reservation & Inquiry:
Guide Profile:
- Sachi Sakamoto
Hi, travelers, I’m Sachi Sakamoto, a licensed tour guide. I hail from eastern Hiroshima Prefecture where there are lots of wonderful places to see. “Tomo-no-Ura” is a beautiful small historical port town where time has stood still for hundreds of years. And then there’s the “Shimanami cycling road,” the most picturesque cycling road in all of Japan. It spans right across the Seto Inland Sea and the panoramic view from the magnificent bridges and islands are simply breathtaking. Come and enjoy the calm blue sea, the gentle breeze and the exquisitely warm and friendly atmosphere of these truly unique destinations.
- Hinamatsuri Festival – 2012-02-14 15:52:19 JST (UTC+9)
In Tomo-no-Ura, the Hina-matsuri festival has begun.
From exquisite dolls which previously belonged to noble families in Kyoto, feudal lords, and wealthy merchants in Tomo-no-Ura to those recently hand-made by local residents, a variety of hina dolls are displayed throughout the town. The Hina-matsuri festival prays for the healthy growth and happy future of girls. Platforms are displayed with dolls representing the emperor and empress dressed in beautiful kimono and their court attendants. In Tomo-no-Ura two and three hundred years ago, many of the local merchants displayed the dolls as a form of business promotion to show their customers the wealth of the merchant family and to secure their trust. As you move around the town, you will encounter unique, elaborate and sometimes ostentatious doll displays. This year’s festival features dolls made of origami, a traditional Japanese paper folding art. The dolls are placed in former merchant homes, shops, the local history and folklore museum, and even at the entrance of individual houses! Come and explore the town and see the dolls and traditions that have been handed down from generation to generation in Tomo-no-Ura. The festival will be held until March 11, 2012.
For further information, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOvgJFIjv0I&feature=youtu.be.