• The Kintai-kyo bridge dates from 1673, although the present version is a 1953 reconstruction. Originally, the arches of this long (210m) bridge - made entirely out of wood, without even nails - could only be crossed by samurai. These days, the river it spans has been reduced to a trickle, and anyone willing to fork over the admission fee (¥300 adults, ¥150 children) can go back and forth as they please.

• Iwakuni Castle was torn down only seven years after it was built, but that was excuse enough for a reconstruction during the castle craze of the 1960s. The foundations of the original castle lie a short distance behind the new one; the builders apparently decided to move it closer to the cliff, for visual purposes. It's about a five-minute walk from the cable-car station. Inside the castle is a small museum (¥260).

• The White Snake Museum covers exactly that: the white snakes that are native to the Iwakuni area (and, according to the museum, virtually nowhere else). As representatives of Benten, the Japanese goddess of wealth, the white snakes are considered very good luck. The museum has only one room, but it contains several displays and a few of the famed snakes. (And no mention of the hair metal band of the same name.) Admission is technically free, but zealous attendants tend to ensure that foreign guests make the ¥100 donation to receive an English pamphlet.

Iwakuni Station is on the JR San-Yo line, about 45 minutes from Hiroshima. Shin-Iwakuni Station is on the shinkansen line.

Buses run from Iwakuni Station to the Kintai-kyo bus stop (about 15 minutes), where most of the attractions lay. A cheery cartoon map near the station makes it look like an easy walk, but the route is considerably longer and less direct than drawn.

A cable-car takes visitors up Shiro-yama to the castle (see below). It's ¥540 for a return trip, but a combination ticket can be purchased at the bridge allowing admission to the bridge, the rope-way and the museum inside the castle for ¥840.

There is a shopping arcade near Iwakuni Station. Head up to the main street and turn left.

Iwakuni's claim to culinary fame is a special brand of sushi, made in a square mold. There are a few food tents near the bridge and the park, serving hot dogs, chicken, soft-serve ice cream and other outdoor classics.

Iwakuni is not long on nightlife; many of its foreign residents head to Nagarekawa in Hiroshima to drink on weekends. During the summer, there is a beer garden on the roof of the Iwakuni Business Hotel & Spa near Iwakuni Station (see below).