After leaving the bridge we walked through the town stopping along the way to admire some traditional Japanese houses and have a chat with the locals. I don’t speak Japanese but a few spoke English, could be something to do with a large US base nearby.
Anyway our plan was to ascend the mountain to visit Iwakuni Castle. Not as hard as it seems. You can buy a round trip ticket which lets you cross the bridge, yes you pay to go across, then catch the cable car, followed by a 300 metre walk up the mountain. All very pleasant and it was a lot cooler on top of the hill walking through the forest.
The original Castle was constructed from 1601 to 1608 but was later taken down under the “one castle per province” order issued by the Tokugawa Shogunate in 1615.
The building we see today is just a replica of the castle tower and is a museum.
Say It With A Camera 