Iwakuni Recreation Forest：Forestry Agency

JAPANESE

Kintaikyo Bridge, the main gateway to the Iwakuni Recreation Forest
Kintaikyo Bridge and the Iwakuni Recreation Forest in late autumn
Kintaikyo Bridge on a spring night
Traveling through the air up the mountain of evergreen broad-leaved trees!
Iwakuni Castle
Late autumn foliage and a temple
Main road of Momijidani

Iwakuni Recreation Forest

278.15ha

Elevation Lowest : 10m / Average : 200–300m / Highest : 300m (Shiroyama)

Iwakuni Recreation Forest ― a great place for everyone to appreciate nature, history, and culture

Newest information
Area
Activities
Overview
Latest Information
Usage Guide
Facility
Map
Address
Access
(Distances and times are
provided as a guide only)
Management office
contact details
Information on Other Local
Tourist Attractions
Official Tourist Information
Recreation Forest
Management Committee
Supporters
Other

Newest information: CHECK
Please visit official tourism websites for the latest updates and information.

Area: Kinki Chugoku

Activities: Flower-viewing (cherry (Prunus)) (Outside the forest) Autumn leaf viewing (Outside the forest) Waterfall viewing (Outside the forest) Birdwatching (Includes surrounding area) Picnics (lawn area/park) (Includes surrounding area) Paddling / fishing / boating (pond / lake / river) (Outside the forest) (Payment required for use of facilities and participation in activities) Canyoning (River trekking) (Outside the forest) : 1 location in the vicinity (Payment required for use of facilities and participation in activities) Cycling (cycle path) (Outside the forest) Guided tours (Includes surrounding area) : Advance application required (Payment required) (Foreign language signs/pamphlets available) Hands-on forestry / woodworking experience (Outside the forest) (Payment required) Hot Spring (Outside the forest) : 4 locations Tokotoko Train (sightseeing trolley train) traveling on the former roadbed of JR Gannichi Line (Outside the forest) (Payment required for use of facilities and participation in activities) Botanical garden (Outside the forest) : 3 locations Shrine / Temple visit (Includes surrounding area)

Overview

Geographical/topographical features: The Recreation Forest is on an independent mountain with a relatively moderate slope in a hilly area about 150 m above sea level, located to the west of the Kintaikyo Bridge in eastern Yamaguchi Prefecture. Rather hilly terrain is also found on the eastern slope (the Kintaikyo Bridge side) of the ridge.
Historical/cultural features: The forest was banned from entry for a long time since the destruction of the Iwakuni Castle as a result of the Edo shogunate's order "ikkoku ichijyo rei" (allowing one castle per domain) to destroy all castles other than those of feudal lords. It was protected as the Kikkawa family's domain-owned forest until it was transferred to the State in the Meiji Period (the late 19th century).
The Kintaikyo Bridge that hangs over the Nishiki River at the foot of the mountain is a five-span arch bridge built in 1673 by Kikkawa Hiroyoshi, the feudal lord of the Iwakuni Domain. Although the bridge was washed out by a typhoon in 1950, it was rebuilt in 1953. When the bridge was renovated in the Heisei Period over three years from 2001, out of the 410m³ of wood used,120m³ of Kiso Hinoki (natural Hinoki (Japanese cypress (Chamaecyparis obtuse)) grown in the Kiso and Urakiso regions) and 30m³ of Aomori Hiba (Thujopsis dolabrata Sieb. et Zucc. var. hondai Makino) were supplied from the national forest.
Climate, flora and fauna: The area has a temperate Setonaikai climate with an average annual temperature of 15 to 16°C and little precipitation and hardly any snow with an annual rainfall of about 1,500 mm. The Recreation Forest is a natural forest mainly consisting of evergreen broad-leaved trees including chinquapin trees (Castanopsis) and Kashi (evergreen oak (Quercus)). As many as 210 varieties of trees, 350 varieties of flowers, and 100 varieties of ferns have been found in the forest. Since the broad-leaved forest provides an ideal habitat for wild birds, about 60 species of wild birds can be observed throughout the year at Shiroyama and the Nishiki River at the foot of the mountain.
Attractions: The Recreation Forest is located near an urban area. The green of the evergreen trees, the limpid Nishiki River that flows at the base of the mountain where Ayu (Ayu sweetfish (Plecoglossus altivelis (Temminck & Schlegel, 1846))) swim and Kajikagaeru (Kajika frog (Buergeria buergeri (Temminck and Schlegel, 1838))) croak, and the Kintaikyo Bridge, which is one of Japan's three unique bridges, together show splendid seasonal beauty in harmony.
Other: The Momijidani Park, the Kikko Park, and the Kintaikyo Bridge at the foot of the mountain are famous tourist spots. Also, facilities such as the Iwakuni Castle, parks, footpaths, and ropeway are available in the Recreation Forest. From the summit, you can have a view of the Kintaikyo Bridge and the old castle town, as well as islands of the Setonaikai Sea in the far distance. The old castle town at the foot of the mountain offers various cultural sites including the Kikko Shrine, which is a nationally designated important cultural property, the Mekata Residence, which is an old samurai residence, and the Iwakuni Choko-kan Museum, which is a modern Western building constructed during World War II.
Due to the good public transport accessibility, the Recreation Forest attracts visitors of all generations from in and outside Japan for various outdoor and educational activities including hiking, birdwatching, and visitation of ruins.

Latest Information

Information on temporarily unavailable facilities: Website of the Iwakuni City Tourism Promotion Office
Regular events: Various events can be enjoyed in the vicinity throughout the year, including excursion boats in spring and autumn, Kintaikyo Bridge illumination, ukai (cormorant fishing), and Iwakuni clan firearms troop training showcases. (For details, please see the website of the Iwakuni City Tourism Promotion Office)
Warnings (Flora and fauna): Mamushi (Japanese pit viper (Gloydius blomhoffii)): Please watch out for vipers, which favor damp places.
Suzumebachi (hornets (Vespidae)): Please watch out for hornets during their active season (particularly from spring to autumn). Do not try to drive them away with you hand even if they come close to you. If you happen to approach a hive by mistake, back away slowly.
Warnings (Dangerous areas): Please keep out of areas outside the footpaths and off-limits areas such as air-raid shelters (see the drawing) in the Recreation Forest.

Usage Guide

Entrance fee: Free of charge (Fees are required for using facilities such as the ropeway and the Kintaikyo Bridge)
Opening seasons and hours: Accessible 24 hours a day
Accommodation options: Accommodations are available around the Kintaikyo Bridge and in Iwakukni City

Facility: Toilets (Includes surrounding area) : 13 locations Toilet (accessible) (Includes surrounding area) : 10 out of the 13 locations Footpath (Includes surrounding area) : 5 routes Bike trail (Outside the forest) Parking lot (Outside the forest) (Payment required) Observation platform : 1 location Visitor center (staffed only) : Honke Matsugane (Outside the forest) Vending machine (Includes surrounding area) Shop (Outside the forest) Restaurant (Outside the forest) Campsite and/or cabins (Outside the forest) : Yasaka Campsite (Payment required for use of facilities and participation in activities) Free public wireless LAN (Wi-Fi) (Includes surrounding area) : 10 locations Botanic garden (Outside the forest) : 3 locations Resource center / Museum / Art museum (Outside the forest) : 6 locations (Payment required for use of facilities and participation in activities) Cultural asset (nationally designated) (Outside the forest) : 2 locations Accommodation facilities (Hotels/Japanese inns) (Outside the forest)

Map: pdf

Address: Yokoyama, Iwakuni City, Yamaguchi Prefecture

Access (Distances and times are provided as a guide only)

By public transport

About 10 minutes on foot (about 0.8 km) from the Kintaikyo bus stop

・Iwakuni Kintaikyo Airport (bus bound for Shin-Iwakuni Station: about 10 minutes) → bus bound for Kintaikyo: about 20 minutes → get off at the Kintaikyo bus stop
・Shin-Iwakuni Station (JR Sanyo Shinkansen) → bus bound for Kintaikyo: about 15 minutes → get off at the Kintaikyo bus stop
・Iwakuni Station (JR San-yo Line) → bus bound for Kintaikyo: about 20 minutes → get off at the Kintaikyo bus stop
・Nishi-Iwakuni Station (JR Gantoku Line) → bus bound for Kintaikyo: about 4 minutes → get off at the Kintaikyo bus stop

By car

・San-yo Expressway (Iwakuni IC) → Route 2: about 10 minutes → Kintaikyo Shimogawara Parking Lot
・Chugoku Expressway (Muikaichi IC) → Route 187: about 70 minutes → Kintaikyo Shimogawara Parking Lot

・Kintaikyo Shimogawara Parking Lot (the parking capacity changes depending on the water level of the river)
Parking capacity: 400―500 ordinary vehicles
Parking charge: 300 yen per day per vehicle during the cherry-viewing season and the Golden Week and on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays during March through May and September through November
・Yokoyama Kasenjiki Athletic Field Parking Lot (a temporary parking lot for the cherry-viewing season and the Golden Week)
Parking capacity: 900 ordinary vehicles
Parking charge: 300 yen per day per vehicle during the cherry-viewing season and the Golden Week

Nearby tourist facilities

Kintaikyo Bridge, Iwakuni Castle, Iwakuni Castle Ropeway, Kikkawa Museum, Shirayama Hime Jinja Shrine, Kikko Shrine, Kin'unkaku Pavilion, Iwakuni Art Museum, Iwakuni Choko-kan Museum, Mekata Residence, etc.

Google Map

Management office contact details: Yamaguchi Forest Administration Office

TEL：(IP) 050-3160-6155, (NTT) 083-922-0386
https://www.rinya.maff.go.jp/kinki/yamaguchi/

Information on Other Local Tourist Attractions: Iwakuni Tourist Association [External link]

http://iwakuni-kanko.jp/

Iwakuni Volunteer Tour Guide Association [External link]

http://www.sky.icn-tv.ne.jp/~guide/

Official Tourist Information: Tourism Promotion Division, Industry Promotion Department, Iwakuni Municipal Office [External link]

http://kankou.iwakuni-city.net/

Recreation Forest Management Committee: Iwakuni Shiroyama Forest Environment Improvement Committee
Tourism Promotion Division, Industry Promotion Department, Iwakuni Municipal Office

TEL：0827-29-5116
FAX：0827-22-2866

Supporters: ー

Other: ー

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