Onomichi Travel Inland Sea
Knowing Tranquility Part XVIII: Onomichi (尾道)
Edward J. Taylor
Onomichi in Hiroshima is a small town clinging to steep hillsides on the Inland Sea coast with many movie and literature connections that recall an earlier time in Japan.
My daughter, a true Cancerian, isn't yet finished with the water. She wants to skim more stones. We see huge jellyfish floating in the tide line, and lucky for me they left me alone the evening before. Then it is time for our boat. We ride the five minutes back to town on the 2010 reconstruction of Sakamoto Ryoma's ship the Irohamaru, whose spiky black form looks a bit intimidating. It would have been a fearful sight to watch it appear from a bank of fog.
Alternative path to peak above Onomichi
Buddha statues at Senko-ji
Joyato
Our next boat is sleek and modern, but we have time for a quick coffee at a little shop near the Joyato, the lantern that is the symbol of Tomo-no-Ura. The smell of fresh roast is strong, and once again I am glad that the Japanese are such world-class hobbyists, that they work so hard to get things right.
The ponytailed owner seems at peace with himself, and I think of so many like him that I have met over the years. It is easy to follow your dreams in the countryside, where prices are cheap and the locals are usually looking for an interesting distraction. The decor of this ramshackle old house has a number of CD's for sale, the bands probably having played here before. So reminiscent of my life before Kyoto. I feel so at home in these little rural environments.
A direct boat between Tomo no Ura and Onomichi seems such so obvious, but they only run it on weekends in the summer. After nearly boarding the wrong boat to God knows where, we jet away from the port. As looked at from the water, the town shows its most delightful face, held steadfast by the famous stone lantern. For a moment or two we too are part of "Japan's best scenery," before we too drift off on the tide.
Onomichi hillside
U2 Cycle Hotel
Tides are little important at this speed, but time appears frozen, as it often does while on the water. Temples hang from cliff faces. Men fish from small craft, watching the flow of thought as they await the next strike. A large bridge arcs beautifully across the strait. A seaplane - a new service as of a few months before - unleashes a wall of spray then is aloft. Pulling close to the massive prop and keel of a new freighter being constructed here, but already registered to Panama. (I had found this strange at first, that an unlikely number of ships carried that registry, or for that of Monrovia. An obvious tax dodge.)
As the boat drops us near U2, we step in for lunch. This hotel is perhaps the trendiest in Japan at the moment. Ostensibly built for the use of bicycles prior to their crossing the Shimanami Kaido, the modern, cutting-edge rooms are attracting all sorts, in order to enjoy the unique fusion of trad Japanese and the latest amenities. We grab a few interesting things for tomorrow's breakfast then sit for lunch in a hip cafe that screams ultra cool minimalism. Behind us is a funky gallery and a bicycle shop, filling this huge open warehouse with hip.
Cat Cafe
Onomichi Film Museum
Our own digs for the night are up in the hills above, though also affiliated with U2. On the way to their offices to pick up the keys, we stop in the Onomichi Film Museum, commemorating the fact that this atmospheric town has been the location to over 40 films, the best known being Boy, Naked Island, and of course, Tokyo Story.
This is one of my favorite museums in Japan, filled with stills and posters from some of the Japanese film industry's greatest works. I am obsessed in particular with Showa Period film, in particular the 25 years after the war (From 1970, the works of even the greatest directors begin to look a little too much like TV), and it is like revisiting old favorites. But perhaps the highlight is the old 1960's cinema they have erected in the back room, projectors whirring away.
Our accommodation is an old kura storehouse that has been gutted and rebuilt in a similar way to U2 itself, blending Japanese aesthetic with an almost Scandinavian-minimalism. There is a sunken wooden living room where a hori-kotatsu (coffee table-cum-heater) had once been, the only furniture being a mass of throw pillows. The hinoki tub overlooks a vast garden, above which is an old Taisho era house that must offer amazing views of the straits below. The bedroom is as plush as any luxury hotel, though framed in dark wood and shoji. A dream.
We don't linger long as we are already well into the afternoon. We spend it wandering the alleys and passageways along the hill. I have already traced the route connecting the temple on two prior visits, so feel no real need to see anything. We meander the cat alley, then ride the rope way to the park above Senkō-ji. There are many people enjoying the warm sunny day, but it appears that the recent explosion of Asian tourist groups have yet to hit the town. The vibe, as at Tomo no Ura the day before, reminds me of what travel used to feel like it Japan, three generations of dreamy but nervous young couples, the quiet, well-dressed, and somewhat jaded middle-aged, and the bus groups of old-timers.
We descend down the Path of Literature, stopping to try to read the large stones imprinted with quotes of famous poets and writers. My daughter ducks and hops the large stones that define the trail. After a spin around the old Buddhas of Senkō-ji, I climb the chains to the Ishizuchi shrine atop some towering boulders. The view from this point is the best in town.
Onomichi lanes
Sunset
At sunset we descend to town to haunt the old shopping arcade in search of dinner. Little is open on the three-day weekend, causing me to wonder yet again whether small business owners are truly serious about making any money.
We continue to walk, and it is full dark by the time we reach the Takemuraya Inn, where Yasujiro Ozu filmed a number of scenes for Tokyo Story. (If it weren't for U2 I'd probably stay here.) In front of nearby Sumiyoshi Shrine is the tall and familiar lantern that served as a pillow shot for the film. Beyond it, the night is still and quiet. And despite the main takeaway line from Ozu's classic, life, and this moment in it, isn't a disappointment at all.
Access - Getting To Tomo-no-ura
Onomichi is on the JR Sanyo Line, 20 minutes from Fukuyama, 90 minutes from Hiroshima Station, or 70 minutes from Okayama. Shinonomichi is a shinkansen station on the Sanyo Shinkansen connecting Shin-Osaka Station and Hakata Station in Fukuoka but only the slow Kodama trains stop there. There are buses from Shinonomichi into the town but it is easy to get off the shinkansen in Fukuyama and take a local train from there.
Ferries from Onomichi go to many of the islands in the Inland Sea as well as to Imabari in Shikoku and Tomonoura near Fukuyama. One of the most popular ferries is to Setoda on Ikuchijima. Several ferries frequently cross the narrow waterway to Mukaijima.
Onomichi is 1 hour & 40 minutes from Osaka by shinkansen.
Visitors to Onomichi should also visit Onomichi Castle, a replica castle erected in 1964.
Temple bell and view over the city
Accommodation
Onomichi has a range of hotels and ryokans for those wanting an overnight stay, but Mukaishima (Mukaijima), the small island just two minutes away by ferry also has accommodation options. Some recommended places to stay include Hotel Cycle, Setouchi Minato no Yado , a lovely inn with a private garden, the Onomichi Kokusai Hotel near the station, the Onomichi Royal Hotel and the Senkoji Sanso, a traditional Japanese inn or ryokan just 300m from Senkoji. See here for a full listing of hotels and guest houses in Onomichi.
If you wish for us to reserve accommodation for you anywhere in Japan (for a small fee) please contact us.
About the Author
Based in Kyoto, Edward's work has appeared in a variety of print and online publications. Co-editor of the Deep Kyoto Walk anthology, he is currently at work on a series of books about walking Japan's ancient highways. Edward is the author of the blog notesfromthenog.blogspot.jp
Books on Japan Travel
Onomichi (尾道) travel: Onomichi a pretty town in eastern Hiroshima Prefecture along the Seto Inland Sea close to the Shimanami Kaido and several nearby islands.
