Fukuyama Tourism Information

Located midway along the coast of the Seto Inland Sea in the southeast of Hiroshima Prefecture, Fukuyama City is a core city with a population of 470,000 blessed with the rich nature and mild climate of the Seto Inland Sea area. It is a city full of history and culture cultivated within a bountiful natural environment,

including such unique landmarks as: Fukuyama Castle, the closest castle to a Shinkansen bullet train station in all of Japan; Tomonoura, a port that has flourished since long ago as a port for awaiting favorable tides; and the “rose” as a symbol of post-war recovery.

①Fukuyama City Human Rights & Peace Museum

Human Rights and Peace: Key Words of the 21st Century

Inspired by the philosophy of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that “respect for human rights is the foundation for world peace,” the museum displays materials pertaining to peace and human rights. It hosts permanent and several special exhibitions on peace and human rights every year.

②Fukuyama Museum of Literature

Showcases Fukuyama-linked Literary Figures

The museum displays drafts of works and personal effects, tracing the footsteps of literary figures linked to the local area with a central focus on Fukuyama-born author Masuji Ibuse. The tile-roofed buildings are modeled after the style of house in Masuji Ibuse’s home town in the Kamo region.

③Fukuju-kaikan

Nationally Registered Tangible Cultural Property Overlooking Fukuyama Castle

Fukuju-kaikan was built in the early Showa period by Wasuke Anbe, the “King of Katsuobushi” (dried bonito flakes) who built his fortune as a marine product trader. The facility’s wakan (Japanese hall) and chashitu (tea room) in traditional Japanese architecture, as well as the Renaissance-style yokan (Western hall), are currently available to be rented out for public use. One of the highlights of the facility is the circuit-style forest-and-pond garden that extends across the grounds.

④Fukuyama Museum of Art

Urban Art Museum linked to Fukuyama Castle Park

Works at the museum are organized by theme from a variety of perspectives, focusing primarily on modern and contemporary Japanese and European art. The museum also provides a commanding view of Fukuyama Castle’s castle keep and beautiful gardens.

⑤Fukuyama Museum of Calligraphy

Collections featuring Fukuyama City-linked Calligraphers

The museum displays a wide variety of items ranging from the Rosui Kurihara Collection of Japanese and Chinese calligraphy and paintings, inks, inkstones, brushes, seal materials, brush cases, vessels for replenishing inkstone water, and other types of tools used in Chinese traditions, as well as brushwork autographs of calligraphers from Fukuyama City.

⑥Fukuyama Kusado Sengen Museum
(Hiroshima Prefectural Museum of History)

Bringing Back to Life the World of Kusado Sengen and Kan Chazan

The museum displays relics from the medieval port town of Kusado Sengen and other historical materials from the Seto Inland Sea area, materials related to the late modern period Chinese language poet and educator Kan Chazan, and the Hisashi Moriya Collection, one of the best collections of antique maps in Japan. The full-scale reconstruction of the Kusado Sengen townscape in particular is a must-see.

Tomonoura

Beautiful Spot in the Seto Inland Sea Area Famous Across Japan and the World

Located 14 kilometers south of Fukuyama Station, almost in the center of the coastline along the Seto Inland Sea, Tomonoura has flourished since long ago as a port for awaiting favorable tides, and is also mentioned in the Manyoshu, an 8th-century anthology of Japanese poetry. It is also one of the leading scenic spots in the Seto Inland Sea area, being the first site ever designated as a national park in Japan.

In May 2018, Tomonoura’s “port town culture” was officially recognized as a piece of “Japan Heritage.” Tomonoura is the only area in Japan that is simultaneously recognized as “Japan Heritage,” a national “Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings,” and by the UNESCO Memory of the World Programme.

①Joyato （stone lighthouse）

Symbol of Tomonoura That You Won’t Want to Miss

Joyato （stone lighthouse） built in 1859 that makes an essential photo for any trip. Over 10 meters tall if the underwater kamebara (white plaster mounds used to support base stones, etc.) are included, the Joyato Stone Lighthouse is the largest Edo era structure that exists at any port in Japan.

② Fukuyama City Tomonoura Museum of Historyand Folklore

Museum Nicknamed the “Museum for Waiting for Favorable Tides” (in Japanese)

Located at the former site of Tomo-jo Castle, the museum displays historical materials from Tomonoura and folklore materials related to otebi bonfires and other topics. After touring the museum, there is also a location where visitors can get a sweeping view of the port.

③ Fukuzen-ji Temple, Taichoroh

Scenic View Praised by Korean Envoys

Constructed around 690, the Joseon Mission visited this site and declared it the “the most beautiful scenery from Tsushima to Edo.” The incredible view here overlooks Sensui-jima and Benten-jima islands and looks just like a painting.

④ Iroha Maru Museum

Following in the Footsteps of Ryoma Sakamoto and the Iroha-maru

In 1867, the ship Iroha-maru, which belonged to the trading and private navy company Kaientai headed by Ryoma Sakamoto, sank off the shore of Tomo. At the exhibition hall, visitors can see videos of submersible surveys and artifacts such as parts of the Iroha-maru pulled out of the sea.

⑤ Masuya Seiemon Residence

Ryoma Sakamoto’s Hiding Place

After the Iroha-maru incident, Ryoma Sakamoto stayed for a few days at the “Masuya” freight shipping shop. Masuya Seiemontaku has opened to the public the attic room where Ryoma hid out under the pseudonym “Saitani Umetaro” in this period when there were people out for his head.

⑥ Tomo Townscape Preservation Center in Fukuyama City (Tomo-terasu)

Center for Townscape Preservation and Promotion of the Town of Tomo

This complex consists of traditional wooden townhouses built in the Meiji period that have been repaired, restored, and partially added to. In addition to serving as a contact desk for inquiries regarding the repair and use of traditional structures, the complex also houses exhibits that provide an overview of the Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings, the “Japan Heritage” site of Fukuyama/Tomonoura, and Tomo Festival.

Fukuyama and Roses

Fukuyama, City of a Million Roses

After the end of the Second World War, Fukuyama residents planted 1,000 roses that multiplied to a million roses today, and a local community has taken shape through the roses. Over the next seven decades, over 400 beds of roses tended by local residents have popped up throughout town to help put people’s minds at ease and add color to their lives. This is unique beauty of “Fukuyama, the City of Roses,” unlike any other place in the entire world.

Rose Park

The Park Symbolic Fukuyama, City of Roses

Rose Park was created in the mid-1950s when residents living near Minami Park (today Rose Park) decided to plant roughly 1,000 rose seedlings. The 15,000 ㎡ area of the park is home to 5,500 roses in 280 varieties.

Midorimachi Park

Spectacular Pyramid of Rose Beds

This hexagonal pyramid of rose beds is called “Rose Hill,” where residents adopt roses, give them names, and care for them with love. There are around 5,100 roses planted in the park in 330 varieties.

Rose Day (May 21)

Rose Day was established by special ordinance of Fukuyama, City of Roses. This is because the first “Bara-ten” rose display, which was the predecessor of the current Fukuyama Rose Festival, was held on May 21. Rose Day is a day for giving roses to each other and expressing the feelings represented by those roses.