Japan
Onomichi
A hillside temple walk above a strait where cats outnumber tourists on the stone steps.
The cats own the hillside. Narrow lanes twist upward between 25 temples on the slopes above Onomichi, and at every turn a cat sits on a wall or a doorstep or a gravestone, watching you negotiate stone steps that predate the Meiji era. Onomichi is a portside city in Japan's Hiroshima Prefecture where the vertical distance between harbour and hilltop contains more character per metre than most cities manage across their entire sprawl.
Onomichi's Temple Walk connects 25 Buddhist temples via a hillside path of stone steps, narrow lanes, and cat-populated alleyways. The city's steep slopes discouraged modern development, which inadvertently preserved a streetscape of traditional wooden houses — many now being restored as cafés, guesthouses, and artist studios through a grassroots revitalisation programme. Onomichi ramen, distinguished by a soy-based broth enriched with rendered pork fat, has a devoted following across western Japan. The city sits at the western end of the Shimanami Kaido cycling route, making it a natural start or finish point for the cross-island ride.
Solo
The temple walk is best navigated alone, at whatever pace the cats and the stone steps dictate. Onomichi does not reward hurrying.
Couple
Hilltop temple views of the Inland Sea, ramen at a harbour counter, and the intimacy of lanes too narrow for anyone but pedestrians.
- A hillside temple walk connects 25 temples via narrow lanes, stone steps, and cat-filled alleyways.
- Abandoned houses on the slopes are being converted into cafés, guesthouses, and artist studios by newcomers.
- The Onomichi ramen — a soy-based broth with a slick of rendered pork fat — is served at counters across the city.
- The view from Senkō-ji temple spans the Shimanami bridge chain disappearing into the Inland Sea.
Onomichi ramen — pork back-fat floating in a soy broth, a cyclist's essential refuel.
Hassaku citrus daifuku — tart fruit wrapped in mochi, only made here.
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