5 Deeply Hidden Spots
Places to Visit Besides the Works Featured in Hello Cycling’s Electric-Assist Bicycle Tour
The Setouchi Triennale summer season in the Hiketa area is too good to spend just strolling among the artworks. Why not rent a shared bike and explore some of the deeper spots nearby too? Here are five recommended spots.
Using Hello Cycling’s shared bicycles
→http://www.hellocycling.jp/getting-started/
1 Gallery Sukoyaka
hk04, the venue for Mr. Nii’s work “The Life Story Map of People Living in Hiketa area” located a short distance south along the road from the former Ranley Industries site.
Hiketa Hina Matsuri is a super famous spot. It displays historic hina dolls in a panoramic setting. The hina dolls in the palace are a must-see.
2 Bay Area Art
The breakwater at Hiketa Fishing Port is adorned with fantastical paintings, pop art, and bold calligraphy created through a project to paint works on the seawall.
Head toward the sea, toward Hiketa Fishing Port, from the Oshima Dental Clinic intersection, where panda art serves as your guide.
Turn left at the T-junction near Ebisu Shrine to reach the breakwater, where you can view the art up close. There is also parking space available at the base of the breakwater. Turn right to view the entire Bay Area Art installation from across the way.
The project began with a mural depicting sea creatures (spirits) by Celia Baerben (from Spain), then a student at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Subsequently, the “Higashikagawa City Bayfront Art Project” was launched locally. In addition to restoring that mural, the project invited artists from within and outside the prefecture to create new works at ocean-view spots.
3 Kamebishiya
A short walk north from the Glove Gallery and other attractions.
This soy sauce shop has preserved the ancient traditional “mushroom koji method” since its founding in 1753. The shop offers soy sauce tastings and purchases, along with soy sauce-based snacks like soy sauce rice crackers. Its striking red walls and the building itself, registered as a National Tangible Cultural Property, lend it a distinctive charm.
4 Miyuki Bridge, Honda Hachiman Shrine
Beyond lies the Miyuki Bridge, its vermilion railings adding color to the streetscape. The path leading through the approach to Hiketa’s local shrine, Honda Hachiman Shrine, stands as a symbol of this historic townscape. Its grand autumn festival, featuring the spectacular “Nage-Yakko” ritual, is renowned.
5 The Temple Guarding the Castle Town
Hiketa is an ancient port city and also a castle town.
Speaking of castle towns, there are temples for protection. Just south of the Setouchi Triennale artworks, along the shortcut to JR Hiketa Station, three temples (Syaskuzenbo, Zenkakuji, and Manshoji) stand side by side, exuding a calm, old-world charm.
Kukai Cafe, the Setouchi Triennale rest stop at Manshoji Temple, welcomes you.
We’ve introduced spots you can explore by bicycle.
There are still so many places I want to share in Hiketa.
Please discover them yourselves and let us know too.
