Onomichi City

Onomichi’s Lantern Festival (Onomichi Akari Matsuri) makes for a perfect way to see this jewel of a small city and its historic temple district. Some 30,000 paper lanterns light the way along a path which carries you past some of the town’s best sights, laid out (according to the website) along the principles of Feng Shui. Wedged between the island-studded Seto Inland Sea and the steep, forested hills rising from the coast, the little town of Onomichi is one of Hiroshima Prefecture’s genuine treasures. The fact that most of it can be seen in a day makes it a perfect day trip for visitors to the area, or a stopover for those passing through. A port town, a tourist destination, a temple center; Onomichi has been all of these for most of its history. Envoy ships left here for China in ancient times, and goods from across Japan flowed in and out of the port with the regularity of the tides. Because of the trade, the town was wealthy from its earliest period, and many of the merchants repaid their good fortune by erecting temples on the hillsides. Today, the enjoyable temple walk leads visitors past 25 temples, belonging to…