Kashiwabara Art Museum — Attraction in Iwakuni

This museum is almost mandatory if you want to have any hope of absorbing the history of the entire Yokoyama area. Yes, as with so many Japanese museums, there is minimal information in English. In a way, that adds to the intrigue and mystery, but your eyes can still take it in...3 floors of staggering depth in historical artefacts, expertly presented and displayed. The huge painted screens, the ferocity of the weapons of war (lances, swords and arrows). The beauty of the fabric in some robes/uniforms, the beauty of the household items (utilitarian but exquisitely decorated). You just shake your head in disbelief at just how skilled the artisans were, and how ferocious warfare was in the samurai period. Show respect, pay the Y800, set aside at least an hour for the 3 floors of...

A small "art" museum located near the gondola station. It's more of a history museum with artifacts, but they're showcasing the artisans' mastery of the craft rather than historical relevance to the area.

You can ask for an English leaflet that explains each floor's exhibit, but unfortunately many of the placards inside do not have English translations. Still, if you have some time to kill to look at cool swords, armor, and scroll paintings, I'd suggest going! They have impressive 1800s guns that reach from floor to ceiling, armor helmets that have bunny ears and crab claws, and a letter written by famous warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Cool exhibit run by...

Probably my favorite stop of a week in Japan. So many interesting, well-preserved Edo period artifacts. And the ladies working there were so nice and helpful. You'll want a translator app on your phone to get the most out of the displays, however, but no photography allowed. Transportation to Iwakuni (from Kyoto) was no problem. We used the JR Navitime app for the train and Google Maps for the bus. Iwakuni is a nice...