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Things to do with kids in Iwakuni

6 family-friendly places in Iwakuni: zoos, aquariums, playgrounds and more.

Ranked with the travel guide's picks and well-known places first.

Things to do with kids in Iwakuni

  1. See

    Iwakuni Art Museum

    岩国美術館 Iwakuni bijutsukan

    Art and artifacts about samurai life, including some remarkable sword exhibits. The admission is a bit steep, but you'll find better English information here than elsewhere.

    Mar-Nov: Fri-Wed 09:00-17:00; Dec-Feb: Fri-Wed 09:00-16:00¥800 adults, ¥200 children

  2. See

    Kikkawa Museum

    吉川史料館 kikkawa shiryōkan

    Dedicated to the aforementioned family of warlords, and including some of their weapons.

    Thu-Tue 09:00-17:00¥500

  3. See

    Kikko Park

    吉香公園

    A pleasant green spot on the other side of the bridge, with some lovely flower gardens, large sprinklers for a soak on a summer day, and a popular cherry blossom viewing spot in April. Expect to meet some chatty locals here. The entrance to the park is overseen by a statue of Hiroyoshi Kikkawa, the feudal lord who directed the construction of the Kintai-kyo; the park was built on the grounds of the Kikkawa family home. There are two museums in the park for visitors interested in samurai culture and feudal Iwakuni.

    24 hr

  4. See

    Kintai-kyo

    錦帯橋

    Only samurai used to be able to cross the arches of this long, magnificent bridge. These days, the river it spans has been reduced to a trickle, and anyone willing to fork over the admission can go back and forth as they please. The 210-m original was built in 1673 using only wood — no metal nails — but the present structure is a 1953 reconstruction.

    ¥300 adults, ¥150 children. After the ticket office is closed, you're on the honor system to leave the admission fee in the box out front

  5. See

    Mekata Residence

    旧目加田家住宅 Kyū metaka-ke jūtaku

    The home of another family of Kikkawa retainers. (Don't try to enter either, though; they're still private residences.)

  6. See

    Nagaya Gate

    長屋門 Nagaya-mon

    At the south end of the park, you'll see the dramatic gate, the home of the Kagawa family who were the Kikkawa's principal samurai retainers.

Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Iwakuni (CC BY-SA 4.0).