Exploring Western Prefectures

Chugoku | Japan

From Spring 2017 — To Spring 2019

Collection bio

An elegant collection of gallery-quality fine art photographic prints, designed to transport you to the enchanting Chugoku Region of Japan. Immerse yourself in the captivating Ghibli charm of Tomonoura village, the architectural elegance of Kintaikyo Bridge, the exotic history of Mitarai, the serene beauty of the Geiyo Islands, the tranquil waters of Seto Inland Sea, the picturesque canals of Kurashiki, and the delightful character of Yanai and its cute washi goldfish lanterns.

Situated in the westernmost part of Honshū, the largest island of Japan, the Chugoku Region is a treasure trove of natural wonders and rich cultural heritage.

Our curated photographic prints showcase the captivating contrast between the old-world fishing villages of the Geiyo Islands and the modern suspension bridges seamlessly connecting them to greater Japan. Experience the warmth of the local people, who take immense pride in their Japanese heritage and offer delightful local delicacies and endearing town mascots inspired by nature. 

As a part of our Photo Essay: Exploring Western Prefectures, these prints have been carefully crafted to reflect the rich history and inspiring spirit of the Chugoku Region. Each print is a chapter in a tale, providing an authentic glimpse into the creative energy and vibrancy that defines this extraordinary part of the world. We believe that the art you display on your walls should captivate, inspire, and tell a story that resonates with you on a visual, emotional, and contextual level. Elevate your space with our stunning photographic prints and experience the magic of the Chugoku Region.

A single illuminated paper goldfish lantern suspended in the air against a black background, more blurred lanterns can vaguely be seen in the background — Yanai, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan

A single illuminated goldfish paper lantern

Yanai | Japan

Travel and Place

From £120

Couple riding on a motorbike, the driver waving his yellow glove in a friendly way. Tomonoura Village, Hiroshima Prefecture.

Couple riding motorbike in Tomonoura #1

Hiroshima-Ken | Japan

Travel and Place

From £120

Woman pushing a bicycle across a hilly stone street in Tomonoura Villa, Hiroshima Prefecture.

Woman pushing a bicycle in Tomonoura

Hiroshima-Ken | Japan

Travel and Place

From £120

The Joyato Stone Lighthouse above stone steps. Tomonoura Village, Hiroshima Prefecture.

Steps in front of the Joyato stone lighthouse in Tomonoura

Hiroshima-Ken | Japan

Travel and Place

From £120

The Joyato Stone Lighthouse surrounded by boats and many bustling people. Tomonoura Village, Hiroshima Prefecture.

Tomonoura harbour scene with Joyato stone lighthouse

Hiroshima-Ken | Japan

Travel and Place

From £120

Looking up a hilly stone street in Tomonoura Village, Hiroshima Prefecture.

Cobbled street with afternoon shadows in Tomonoura

Hiroshima-Ken | Japan

Travel and Place

From £120

Flowers growing tall on a tiled shop roof in Tomonoura Village, Hiroshima Prefecture.

Wild snapdragon flowers growing out of tiled Japanese roof in Tomonoura

Hiroshima-Ken | Japan

Travel and Place

From £120

Looking down over house rooftops to Tomonoura Village harbour, Hiroshima Prefecture.

Seascape over rooftops out to the Geiyo Islands from Tomonoura

Hiroshima-Ken | Japan

Travel and Place

From £120

Couple riding on a motorbike, the driver waving his yellow glove in a friendly way. Tomonoura Village, Hiroshima Prefecture.

Couple riding motorbike in Tomonoura #2

Hiroshima-Ken | Japan

Travel and Place

From £120

Japanese pine tree in the foreground with Kinyaikyo Bridge in the background. Iwakuni City, Yamaguchi Prefecture.

Kintaikyo bridge with Japanese pine tree in foreground

Iwakuni City | Japan

Architecture

From £120

Japanese pine tree in the foreground with Kinyaikyo Bridge blurred in the background. Iwakuni City, Yamaguchi Prefecture.

Japanese pine tree with blurred Kintaikyo bridge behind

Iwakuni City | Japan

Travel and Place

From £120

View from the hill above Iwakuni City, with a cable car in the foreground, looking down over the Kintaikyo Bridge and beyond. Yamaguchi Prefecture.

Looking out over Iwakuni City with Kintaikyo bridge visible below

Iwakuni City | Japan

Travel and Place

From £120

Two Japanese punters, wearing traditional clothing and wide conical hats, punting a tourist boat across the Nishiki River in Iwakuni City, Yamaguchi Prefecture.

Punters ferrying passengers across the Nishiki River

Iwakuni City | Japan

Travel and Place

From £120

A portrait shot of one of the cable support columns from the The Tatara cable-stayed bridge — Geiyo Islands, Hiroshima Prefecture.

Single tower on the Tatara Bridge

Geiyo Islands | Japan

Travel and Place

From £120

The Tatara cable-stayed bridge spanning two islands whilst a car drive along a road that run beneath. Geiyo Islands, Hiroshima Prefecture.

Tatara Bridge spanning spanning sea and road

Geiyo Islands | Japan

Travel and Place

From £120

A sun-washed photo of the Tatara Bridge, with a small sandy beach in the foreground — Geiyo Islands, Hiroshima Prefecture.

Beach washed Tatara Bridge spanning spanning islands

Geiyo Islands | Japan

Travel and Place

From £120

A wide, mirrored on the x-axis, panorama of the Kurushima Kaikyo Bridge and surrounding mountainous islands  — Geiyo Region, Hiroshima Prefecture.

Kurushima Bridge and islands seascape mirrored panorama

Geiyo Islands | Japan

Travel and Place

From £320

A closer perspective on the Kurushima Kaikyo Bridge and surrounding mountainous islands  — Geiyo Region, Hiroshima Prefecture.

Kurushima Suspension Bridge and islands seascape #1

Geiyo Islands | Japan

Travel and Place

From £120

Kurushima Kaikyo Bridge and surrounding mountainous islands  — Geiyo Region, Hiroshima Prefecture.

Kurushima Suspension Bridge and islands seascape #2

Geiyo Islands | Japan

Travel and Place

From £120

A lilac-washed seascape scene taken from Osaki Shimojima Island, looking out over veiled layers of mountainous islands — Geiyo Region, Hiroshima Prefecture.

Lilac washed Seto Island Seascape at dusk

Geiyo Islands | Japan

Travel and Place

From £120

Two woman waking down an old traditional street in drizzly conditions holding opened umbrellas in the background, with a bright red postbox in the foreground — Mitarai village, Osaki Shimojima Island, Geiyo Region.

Red postbox and women walking in the rain with pink umbrellas

Mitarai | Japan

Travel and Place

From £120

A large painted blue storehouse building flanks a narrow alley filled with traditional wooden residential town houses; in the foreground to the right is a bright red postbox — Mitarai village, Osaki Shimojima Island, Geiyo Region.

Red postbox and pale blue wooden barber shop

Mitarai | Japan

Travel and Place

From £120

A stone Shinto Torii; Japanese spiritual gate with the ocean, islands and bridge spanning two islands seen the background in black and white — Mitarai village, Osaki Shimojima Island, Geiyo Region.

Granite torii with bridge and islands seascape behind

Mitarai | Japan

Travel and Place

From £120

A stone lighthouse at the end of stone harbour jetty in black and white — Mitarai village, Osaki Shimojima Island, Geiyo Region.

Small stone lighthouse on stone jetty seascape

Mitarai | Japan

Travel and Place

From £120

Large old metal signs nailed to the side of a wooded shop advertising insect repellant coils and insect killer spray — Mitarai village, Osaki Shimojima Island, Geiyo Region.

Rooster insect repellant advertising from previous era #1

Mitarai | Japan

Travel and Place

From £120

Large old metal signs nailed to the side of a wooded shop advertising insect repellant coils and insect killer spray. A traditional street can be seen to the left side — Mitarai village, Osaki Shimojima Island, Geiyo Region.

Rooster insect repellant advertising from previous era #2

Mitarai | Japan

Travel and Place

From £120

Large old metal signs nailed to the side of a wooded shop advertising insect repellant coils and insect killer spray. A traditional street can be seen to the left side — Mitarai village, Osaki Shimojima Island, Geiyo Region, Japan

Rooster insect repellant advertising from previous era #3

Mitarai | Japan

Travel and Place

From £120

Two wooden rowing boats moored to the side of a stone lined canal with stone pedestrian bridges and two rickshaws in the background — Kurashiki Town, Okayama Prefecture, Japan

Moored canal boats with willow lined stone banks

Kurashiki | Japan

Travel and Place

From £120

Closer perspective on a stone canal lined with willow trees, through which can be seen traditional merchant shops, residential buildings and a bicycling in a doorway — Kurashiki Town, Okayama Prefecture, Japan

Bicycle in entrance through willow tree canopy #1

Kurashiki | Japan

Travel and Place

From £120

Stone canal lined with willow trees, through which can be seen traditional merchant shops, residential buildings and a bicycling in a doorway — Kurashiki Town, Okayama Prefecture, Japan

Bicycle in entrance through willow tree canopy #2

Kurashiki | Japan

Travel and Place

From £120

Stone canal lined with willow trees in the background, with close-up of an unmanned rickshaw to the right foreground — Kurashiki Town, Okayama Prefecture, Japan

Unmanned jinrikisha on banks of willow lined canal

Kurashiki | Japan

Travel and Place

From £120

A close-up of stacked shelves selling senbei; 煎餅 — which are baked salted biscuits, in a shop window — Kurashiki Town, Okayama Prefecture, Japan

Shop window full of senbei rice snacks

Kurashiki | Japan

Travel and Place

From £120

In the foreground a vertical shop sign written in kanji is focused, with the blurred background consisting of a cyclist and people walking along a shopping street in — Kurashiki Town, Okayama Prefecture, Japan

Cyclist and bikes on old Kurashiki shopping street

Kurashiki | Japan

Travel and Place

From £120

Jinrikisha, or rickshaw, driver wearing a red headscarf with white sakura patterns, talking to an interested tourist with his rickshaw in the background — Kurashiki Town, Okayama Prefecture, Japan

Jinrikisha driver talks to a curious tourist

Kurashiki | Japan

Travel and Place

From £120

A couple of tourists waving and smiling whilst being taxied in a jinkikisha; rickshaw — along a shopping street in Kurashiki Town, Okayama Prefecture, Japan

Jinrikisha driver taxiing smiling tourists

Kurashiki | Japan

Travel and Place

From £120

A bronze cat figure sits on a stone birdbath's rim holding a fishing rod, and a caught fish — Kurashiki Town, Okayama Prefecture, Japan

Bronze cat fishing on a bird bath

Kurashiki | Japan

Travel and Place

From £120

A detailed shot of a panel of yakisugi, or charred cedar wood, with a central un-charred orange coloured column of oiled cedar wood, creating a striking contrast — Kurashiki Town, Okayama Prefecture, Japan

Yakisugi panel with contrasting oiled cedarwood column #1

Kurashiki | Japan

Travel and Place

From £120

A detailed shot of a panel of yakisugi, or charred cedar wood, with a central un-charred orange coloured column of oiled cedar wood, creating a striking contrast — Kurashiki Town, Okayama Prefecture, Japan

Yakisugi panel with contrasting oiled cedarwood column #2

Kurashiki | Japan

Travel and Place

From £120

An entrance to someone's home with a large elegant wooden framed nameplate, with a colourfully decorated tree branch attached — Kurashiki Town, Okayama Prefecture, Japan

Elegantly decorated entrance to a Japanese establishment

Kurashiki | Japan

Travel and Place

From £120

A traditional Japanese curiosity shop decorated in colourful displays of pink flowers — Kurashiki Town, Okayama Prefecture, Japan

Traditional Edo period shop front decorated in pink and blossom

Kurashiki | Japan

Travel and Place

From £120

A view of an old traditional Japanese high street, with a residential building on the corner and its nearly shaped trees — Kurashiki Town, Okayama Prefecture, Japan

Edo period street with townhouses and shopfronts

Kurashiki | Japan

Travel and Place

From £120

A large wooden shop sigh hangs down from a roof, and attached to it is a glass container holding a few colours spherical glass beads — Kurashiki Town, Okayama Prefecture, Japan

Wooden shop sign hangs with colourful beads

Kurashiki | Japan

Travel and Place

From £120

A young Japanese couple wearing traditional clothes; the man wearing a navy blue yukata and the woman wearing a red kimono. The stand alone in a narrow alleyway between traditional Japanese building — Kurashiki Town, Okayama Prefecture, Japan

Smiling young couple wearing yukata and kimono in Edo period alleyway

Kurashiki | Japan

Portrait and People

From £120

A large goldfish sculpture attached to the side of a shop building — Yanai, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan

Goldfish plaster relief between wooden windows

Yanai | Japan

Travel and Place

From £120

A view down Shirakabe High Street lined with paper goldfish lanterns swaying in the wind — Yanai, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan

Edo era shopping street lined with goldfish paper lanterns

Yanai | Japan

Travel and Place

From £120

A shop sign in focus in the foreground, with 'coffee' written along with some simple coffee illustrations. In the blurred background is a smiling woman standing the in the shop entrance surrounded by paper goldfish lanterns — Yanai, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan

Handwritten coffee sign surrounded by goldfish lanterns

Yanai | Japan

Travel and Place

From £120

A single paper goldfish lantern hangs from a metal gutter with more blurred lanterns in the background — Yanai, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan

Single goldfish washi lantern hangs from a shop front

Yanai | Japan

Travel and Place

From £120

A goldfish themed manhole cover — Yanai, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan

Japanese manhole cover with goldfish illustration

Yanai | Japan

Travel and Place

From £120

A pine bonzai sits in a blue bowl atop a huge ceramic pot, behind is a wall of yakisugi — Yanai, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan

Bright green Japanese pine bonsai on huge ceramic pot

Yanai | Japan

Travel and Place

From £120

Over half a dozen illuminated paper goldfish lantern suspended in the air against a black background — Yanai, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan

A collection of illuminated goldfish paper lanterns #1

Yanai | Japan

Travel and Place

From £120

Over a dozen illuminated paper goldfish lantern suspended in the air against a black background — Yanai, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan

A collection of illuminated goldfish paper lanterns #2

Yanai | Japan

Travel and Place

From £120

Half a dozen illuminated paper goldfish lantern suspended in the air against a black background — Yanai, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan

A collection of illuminated goldfish paper lanterns #3

Yanai | Japan

Travel and Place

From £120

The photographer behind the lens

Embark on a journey with Elkli & Hart's founder, whose life is interwoven with art, technology, and a passion for social change. Discover his inspirations, core beliefs, and the driving force behind this innovative and purpose-driven venture.

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Jake Hopking standing on a clifftop looking out of the Tasman Sea in New Zealand