Chugoku Forest Byway: Gorges, Lake Sunsets & Oldest Shrines

Departing Hiroshima brings you northwest into the steep, cedar-draped mountains of Hiroshima prefecture to enter Sandankyo Gorge. Stretching a spectacular 16 kilometers through a sheer basalt rock canyon, this is one of Japan's absolute finest river gorges. Winding along the flat forest footpath, you are treated to a series of stunning suspension bridges over roaring rapids and vertical rock walls covered in deep green native moss, giant ferns, and ancient maples. The undisputed visual centerpiece here is the Kurofuchi (Black Pool). Reached via a beautiful traditional rowboat ride, you slide silently through the narrow, glass-like emerald water pool beneath vertical 100-meter-high cliff walls. The air is cool, wet, and carries the fresh scent of moist moss and pine, creating an incredibly serene, sensory-rich forest experience.

Driving north over the high, forested passes of the Chugoku range brings you to the Sea of Japan coast, arriving at the sacred Izumo Taisha. Nestled deep inside an ancient forest of giant pine trees, this is officially documented as the absolute oldest, most sacred Shinto sanctuary in all of Japan, with written records dating back to the 8th-century *Kojiki* chronicle. The atmosphere here is one of profound, misty silence. Entering the massive wooden torii gates, a long path of ancient pines leads to the grand worship hall. The building is highly revered and features the world's largest 'Shimenawa' (sacred straw rope)—a colossal, hand-woven rice-straw rope hanging above the hall that weighs a staggering 5.2 tons! The scent of burning incense is rich, the cedar trees tower like green titans, and the soft chanting of the priests creates a deeply moving, spiritual travel climax.