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FUKUYAMA |
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Some 65km west from Okayama along the industrialized San-yo coast is
the old castle town of Fukuyama , now the key industrial city of
Hiroshima-ken's Bingo district. The main reason to visit Fukuyama, apart
from a few quirky museums, is as a jumping-off point for the nearby
characterful seaside towns of Tomo-no-Ura and Onomichi , from where you
can also explore the islands of the Inland Sea.
The Town
One of Japan's less interesting castles, Fukuyama-jo , immediately north
of the train station, can be safely ignored in favour of the more
memorable Hiroshima Prefectural Museum of History , just west of the
station (Tues-Sun 9am-5pm; ¥290). Designed around the excavation of the
ruins of Kusado Sengen, a medieval town buried in the nearby riverbed of
the Ashida-gawa, the museum has some imaginatively displayed artefacts,
and haunting background music, as well as a reconstructed village street
from Kusado Sengen, lit to recreate twilight in May. Next door is the
Fukuyama Museum of Art (Tues-Sun 9.30am-5pm; ¥300), with a permanent
collection of mainly Japanese art, focusing on contemporary works by
local artists. The most striking pieces of sculpture are in the
surrounding gardens. The gallery also hosts visiting exhibitions, for
which there is an extra charge.
Fifteen minutes' walk north of Fukuyama Station is the odd Fukuyama
Automobile and Clock Museum (daily 9am-6pm; ¥900, or ¥700 with a
discount coupon from the tourist information desk), combining vintage
vehicles, including a motorbike taxi, with clocks and music machines. To
liven things up there are also waxwork models of celebrities such as
Elvis Presley and James Dean. If you don't fancy walking there, take a
bus to Kitayoshizu-Jutaku from platform 3 outside the east exit of
Fukuyama Station.
Keeping up the quirky museum theme are the Japan Footwear Museum and the
Japan Folk Toy and Doll Museum (daily 9am--5pm; ¥1000 joint ticket),
five minutes' walk east of Matsunaga Station, two stops west of Fukuyama.
It's only natural that the town of Matsunaga, which has produced geta (traditional
wooden sandals) for over a century, hosts Japan's only museum dedicated
to shoes. It's a large and surprisingly intriguing collection - from
straw sandals to a pair of lunar boots used on one of the Apollo
missions - that would make Imelda Marcos drool with envy. The toy museum
next door is less unique, but just as extensive, with over 50,000
colourful exhibits. Most of the toys are linked to festivals and
religious beliefs and there's also a fascinating display of Kachina
dolls made by the Hopi people in Arizona.
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