Fukuyama City

Only a 30-minute bullet train ride or a 90-minute drive from Hiroshima, Fukuyama City has many gems and a big plus is that it is apparently unaffected (so far) by the surge in tourism in Japan. Fukuyama seems like a brother overlooked because of the appeal of elder his brother. You might Google it and think, “Oh yeah, our bullet train stopped there before we got to Hiroshima. I remember looking out the window and seeing the castle;” which is right next to the station. Fukuyama Castle The castle was one of the last ones completed in the Edo Period (1603 – 1868) and was used as a base to protect western Japan. It was abandoned and its buildings demolished in 1873 after the Meiji Restoration. The ruins took another hammering from air raids during World War II. The current main keep dates to 1966 and contains a museum displaying the history of the city and castle. Like in many castles in Japan, a climb to the top floor rewards you with a spectacular panoramic view of the surrounding park. What is not immediately in view but within the castle grounds is the Fukuyama Prefectural Historical Museum, dedicated to the history…