From Hiroshima, we did a side trip to Onomichi (about an hour train ride, using a combination of Shinkansen and local train, with a transfer at Fukuyama); this town is best known for the start or end point of the Shimanami Kaido Bike Path (over 70 km biking route with 7 bridges across 6 islands on the Seto Inland Sea between the main islands of Shikoku and Honshu). Surprisingly, a day trip isn’t enough. We managed to see only a tiny section of the place. We didn’t have time to visit any temple, shrine or castle here.  Just exploring one section of the hillside and enjoying the view from a higher elevation.

A few days, or even a week, would be better for a leisurely pace exploration. It is a small walkable port town of over 100,000 people. Shipbuilding is a major industry here. Many Japanese movies and television series filmed here because of its unique location.

The urban area is on a narrow strip flanked by steep hills and the Inland Sea. So there are many businesses, houses, temples, and shrines on the hillsides and there are stairs everywhere, leading to narrow winding alleys and lanes. One such route is the Historical Temple Walk. Another is Path of Literature. This was the day we did a record of climbing 43 floors. In Japan, to see attractions and to appreciate the sceneries, one must be prepared to go up and down lots of steps or walk a lot.