A little of each town’s story

The Onomichi Waterway and a town of slopes, literature and film

From: Through the Cat Alley to our house in Onomichi

The Onomichi Waterway and the town, with bridges and the harbor

The Onomichi Waterway is the narrow strait between Onomichi proper and the island of Mukaishima, and it has made Onomichi one of the Seto Inland Sea's leading port towns since medieval times. Temples, shrines and houses crowd the limited land between the three hills and the strait, linked by slopes and alleys, creating what is called a miniature-garden city. That story, "A Medieval Miniature-Garden City Woven by the Onomichi Waterway", was recognized as a Japan Heritage in 2015. Onomichi is also a town of literature, where Hayashi Fumiko and Shiga Naoya lived, and of film, the setting for Ozu Yasujiro's Tokyo Story and Obayashi Nobuhiko's Onomichi trilogy.

Sources: japan-heritage.bunka.go.jp ja.wikipedia.org

This moment in the journey

The Onomichi Waterway from the hilltop

The railway runs alongside the town, close enough to touch. Beyond a rust-colored pylon, a freight train strung with containers rolled past. Walking down a steep slope, I saw the Onomichi Waterway appear beyond the rooftops.

The Onomichi Waterway is the narrow strait between the mainland and the island of Mukaishima. Town, bridges and harbor sit together like a miniature garden. I stood at the top of the hill and gazed for a while. When I visited one spring, the same view had been framed by cherry blossoms in full bloom.

This is a town filled with many charms. By the stone steps, a brown tabby cat let me stroke it, eyes half closed in contentment. It must be a comfortable town for them, too.

Watch this scene on YouTube4:06

Read this scene in the full journey