Two Coasts, One Region: Discovering Chugoku

At the far southwestern tip of Honshu, Chugoku is a region defined by contrast — a Pacific-facing “San’yo” coast that’s industrialized and well-trodden, and a Sea of Japan-facing “San’in” coast that stays wild, rural, and largely overlooked by international travelers. Five prefectures make up the region: Hiroshima and Okayama on the busier southern side, and Shimane, Tottori, and Yamaguchi tucked along the quieter north. Most visitors arrive for Hiroshima’s Peace Memorial Park and the floating torii gate of Miyajima’s Itsukushima Shrine, then ride the Sanyo Shinkansen west toward Yamaguchi’s limestone caves and red-gated coastal shrines. But the real reward is heading inland or north — to Okayama’s canal town of Kurashiki, Shimane’s ancient Izumo Taisha, or Tottori’s wind-sculpted sand dunes — where Chugoku shows a side of Japan closer to its old provincial roots than its postcard cities.