No upcoming voyage currently calls at Iwakuni
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About Iwakuni
A castle town on a river that used to take the bridge away every time it flooded. The answer, built in 1673, was a bridge of five spans — three of them wooden arches — that has stood, been rebuilt and stood again for over three hundred and fifty years. It is the reason six hundred thousand people a year come to a town of this size.
Within reach of the port
Kintaikyo
Five spans: three arches in the middle and a girder span at each end, on four stone piers with a stone apron laid to protect the riverbed. Built in 1673 by the third lord of Iwakuni, and rebuilt periodically since — the form is old, the timber is not, which is the point of it.
Iwakuni Castle
On the hill above the bridge, reached by a ropeway from the park on the far bank. The view back down takes in the bridge, the river and the Inland Sea beyond it, which is the way to understand why the town is laid out as it is.
Iwakuni City (official) ↗in Japanese — your browser can translate it
Kikko Park
The samurai quarter at the foot of the hill, between the bridge and the ropeway — walls, water channels, a few surviving residences, and white snakes, which are native here and nowhere else and are a national natural monument.
Iwakuni City (official) ↗in Japanese — your browser can translate it
Shore excursions
NYK Cruises run their own guided excursions at each port, booked by guests themselves through My ASUKA PLANS — the booking window opens before departure and depends on your cabin class. They are conducted in Japanese. Going ashore independently is always an option.
Official sources
- Iwakuni City (official) ↗in Japanese — your browser can translate it