My "Hometown"

As I mentioned earlier, one of the 2 bases that I live at is MCAS Iwakuni. Iwakuni is in the western part of Yamaguchi Prefecture. The "big" things in Iwakuni are the Kintai Bridge and the Iwakuni Castle. If you go to the Kintai Bridge and want to walk across it you have to pay. Once you pay and cross it you walk over to a mini town (all it basically does is sell ice cream - I love that they love ice cream) and then you can walk around the grounds and then take a cable car up to Iwakuni Castle.

Kintai Bridge:

The Kintai Bridge spans the Nishiki river and was first constructed in 1673 by Hiroyoshi Kikkawa. The bridge stood until September 14, 1950 when it was destroyed by the typhoon “Kijiya”. The bridge began being rebuilt only a week later and was completed in 1953. It was a recreation of the original and was built using traditional techniques. Since the first reconstruction, the Kintai Bridge has undergone some renovation. The latest renovation was completed in 2004. Its five arches are a symbol of western Honshū.















The Park After the Bridge







Iwakuni Castle

The castle provides a glimpse into old Japan. The castle was originally constructed in 1608 by Hiroie Kikkawa, but was destroyed only seven years later. It was reconstructed in 1962. Iwakuni Castle is situated at the top of Mount Shiroyama, and can be reached on foot or by cable car. The castle contains a history museum containing armor, weapons, and other artifacts of the Kikkawa family, I skipped most of that and went to the top of the castle for some breath taking views.









A picture from my walk around Iwakuni.