Last Updated: May 10, 2024

Hiroshima’s Tomonoura

A Port Town on the Seto Inland Sea

This story was originally published on donnykimball.com and has been syndicated here on Medium.

Allow me today to take you to the seaside town of Tomonoura. Located down on the southeastern edge of Hiroshima Prefecture, this homely hamlet is a picturesque port on the Seto Inland Sea. In the days of yesteryear, Tomonoura was a welcomed haven for those waiting for the tides of the Seto Inland Sea to change in their favor. Even today, much of the infrastructure from Tomonoura’s heyday (such as the Joyato Lighthouse seen above) still exists. Thus, the town is perfect for people like yourselves that are seeking to experience a different side of Japan.

To really get Tomonoura, you first need to understand the Seto Inland Sea. Located between Japan’s main island of Honshu and the smaller isle of Shikoku, the Seto Inland Sea has one of the largest variances between high and low tide on the planet. Due to the sheer amount of water rushing into the 400 km-long stretch of water between Osaka and Kita-Kyushu, the tides in Japan’s most picturesque body of water can differ as much as 2–3 meters. Thus, it is nigh impossible to fight against the current, even with modern technology.

Of course, the great variance in the tides never stopped people from getting to and fro. To navigate the ebbs and flows of the Seto Inland Sea, merchant ships…