A pilgrimage site for cat lovers - Hiroshima Onomichi

Onomichi City in Hiroshima Prefecture has been a favorite area for backpackers and independent travelers in recent years. The city built along the hillside has developed a unique outline. Along the trails, there are various ancient temples corresponding to the port. The scenery between movement and stillness is waiting for tourists to explore. The cutest thing that attracted me the most was the large number of cats gathered in the village. It is an area that many "cat lovers" like me will definitely visit. No matter how many times you come here, you will fall in love with Onomichi. November 2016 was my first time visiting Onomichi in Hiroshima Prefecture. When I arrived in Onomichi, I loved the city very much because its overall outline was very similar to Keelung, where I had lived for five years. Two years later, I followed the route I remembered, took the Shinkansen to Fukuyama Station, and then transferred to the Onomichi Line to Onomichi. Onomichi City is located in the southeastern part of Hiroshima Prefecture. It is a city in the eastern part of Hiroshima, but its style is completely different from that of Hiroshima city. Due to its geographical location at the junction of Okayama and Hiroshima, it serves as a "buffer zone" between the two major cities. In addition, the Onomichi Channel, which faces the Seto Inland Sea, has been a distribution center for maritime logistics since ancient times. After the opening of the Sanyo Railway in the Meiji era, rail transportation and maritime transportation were transferred here. This is what makes Onomichi so beautiful. The first thing: Solo exploration, "Cat's Path" - teasing cats, playing with cats, and playing hide-and-seek The Cat's Narrow Path is a section of the mountainside of Onomichi Senkoji Temple. The rules for coming here are that you cannot chase or rush people. Please follow the cat's footsteps. It is recommended to spend more than half a day in Onomichi, and it would be even better if you can stay overnight; and if you have a large suitcase, there are large luggage lockers as soon as you exit the station. How to get to Cat's Path? There are several ways to get there. You can walk to the Senkoji Yamaguchi Cable Car Station, which is about 15 minutes away from the station, take the cable car up the mountain, and then slowly walk down the mountain. But if you have good leg strength, you can stroll up the mountain and then walk down the mountain. The journey takes about 15 to 20 minutes. It is recommended to walk the Cat's Path in the afternoon, because you don't know where the cats hide to sleep during the day, so you have a better chance of encountering them in the afternoon. The second thing: Learn to be free from cats’ empty mind, be dazed, act cute, and “lick coffee” In addition to playing with cats, the specialty coffee shops in Cat's Narrow Road are also very famous. Almost every one of them can be used as a check-in landmark. The buildings that combine old houses, plants, art and the aroma of coffee quietly appear at the corners or ends of the mountain trails. They do not have the impression of being clean and tidy shops, but are full of decadent and primitive characteristics; the Japanese-style tea house "Houtei", also known as the Onomichi Bunko, is a small literary exhibition hall and also a place to have tea; "Owl's House" is a ruin-style coffee shop covered with lush plants. It is not only a good spot for taking photos, but also has a Fukuishi cat exhibition. When you come to Onomichi, don't rush up and down the mountain, be sure to choose a coffee shop to relax for an hour. The third thing: Cats are not animals, they are artists! A must-visit "Cat Grocery Store" Due to the fame of cats, cat-related museums, art galleries, handmade grocery stores, etc. have begun to appear along the Cat's Narrow Street. All of them are related to cats, and some of them require payment. Of course, if you don’t have time to go in or happen to encounter a store closed, the entire Cat's Narrow Street is actually an open and free exhibition venue, and interesting cat-related creations can be seen everywhere. The fourth thing: In fact, cats are not animals, they are gods! Make a wish in front of the cat statue at the "Lovers' Sanctuary" The end of the mountaintop of the Cat's Narrow Road is Senkoji Park. Next to the mountaintop cable car station, there is a special "lovers' sanctuary" cat statue. It is said that making a wish in front of the statue and locking your love lock can ensure a long-lasting relationship. There are also viewing platforms with mountain views nearby, which are especially suitable for lovers. However, the cable car only operates until the afternoon. If couples want to see the night view from up there, they need to walk down the mountain hand in hand. #JapanTravel #Hiroshima #Onomichi #Cat