Cinematic
Akiyoshidai: Lunar Landscape of Jagged Rocks
Perched at 300 meters in the mountains of Yamaguchi, the Akiyoshidai plateau presents a breathtaking karst landscape of towering limestone formations, majestic cliffs and expansive grassy plains.
Some hiking
Jinjo-ji: Ancient Shrine Lost in the Mountains
Deep in the Japanese countryside, you sometimes stumble on places that seem frozen in time. Jinjo-ji temple, in Shimonoseki, is clearly one of them.
Easy walk
Manabe-shima: Florian Chavouet’s Island
Manabe-shima, an original little island in the heart of Seto Inland Sea, is also known for its gangs of cats!
Some hiking
Onomichi: the Little Kyoto of Setouchi
Peaceful Onomichi charms tourists with its unusual topography, rich past, and four-legged locals!
Easy walk
Takehara: Staggering between the whisky and the sake
When I arrived in Takehara one evening, I was expecting a little village wedged between a calm, silky sea on one side and mountains verdant with bamboo on the other.
Off the map
Itaibara: Tottori’s Forgotten Hamlet
Quitting the autoroute that leads to the town of Chizu, I take a mountain road. It’s typical of this terrain where you often come across deer, foxes, monkeys, sometimes even bears, especially early morning just before sunrise.
Easy walk
Tomonoura: The Village of Ponyo
I’m going round in circles. Where on earth is it? After searching far and wide for the way up, a steep flight of steps appears in front of me.
Some hiking
Oki Islands: Nishinoshima
On Nishinoshima, in the Oki Islands, I found wild landscapes, an 800-yen oyster and Stéphane, a French petanque champion living far from everything. A night on an island that had a lot to say.
Easy walk
Motonosumi Inari Shrine
Motonosumi Inari Shrine is located in western Japan, far from the rest of the world. The nearest city, 80 kilometres away, is Yamaguchi. Never heard of it?
