Enjoy Grand Natural Scenery and History, Culture! 19 Carefully Selected Tourist Spots in Yamaguchi

Summer in Yamaguchi is relatively hot even by Japanese standards, and snow tends to fall in winter.
For that reason, autumn is the best season for sightseeing, with stable weather that makes it easy to travel and beautiful fall foliage to enjoy.

From Haneda Airport in Tokyo, it takes about 1 hour and 30 minutes to reach Yamaguchi Ube Airport in Yamaguchi Prefecture.
From Nagoya or Osaka, you can get there by shinkansen in about 3 hours and 30 minutes.

Opened in 2000, Tsunoshima Bridge connects the mainland side of Shimonoseki City in Yamaguchi Prefecture with the remote island of Tsunoshima. At 1,780 meters long, it is one of the longest free bridges in Japan connecting to a remote island.
Located within Kita-Nagato Kaigan Quasi-National Park, the bridge was designed with consideration for the surrounding landscape, with the height of its piers kept to 18 meters. Because the road is close to the sea surface, you can enjoy a drive while feeling the sea up close.

Motonosumi Shrine in Yuya Tsuo, Nagato City is also known as one of Yamaguchi’s power spots.
It is said that in 1955, a pure white fox appeared at the bedside of Mr. Hitoshi Okamura, a local fishing boss, and after speaking in detail about past connections and saying, “Thanks to whom have you been able to fish until now?” gave a divine message saying, “Enshrine me in this place,” which led to the shrine’s founding.
The deity is believed to bring blessings including prosperous business, big catches, maritime safety, good relationships, children, good fortune, protection from evil, traffic safety, academic success, and wishes coming true.

Akiyoshidai, one of the largest karst plateaus in Japan, stretches across the central and eastern parts of Mine City in central Yamaguchi Prefecture.
Coral reefs from a warm sea around 300 million years ago gradually turned into limestone and, over a long period of time, were carried on tectonic plates and pushed up above ground, becoming today’s Akiyoshidai.
The sight of white limestone jutting out between the grasses of the vast grassland is breathtaking.

Kintaikyo Bridge is one of Japan’s most iconic wooden bridges, designated by the national government as a Place of Scenic Beauty and counted among the Three Famous Bridges of Japan.
It is a large and beautiful five-arch bridge spanning the Nishiki River, with a total length of 193.3 meters and a width of 5 meters.
Its structure is unlike anything else in the world, and it is aiming for registration as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site.
Its sturdy wooden joinery is designed so that pressure from above the bridge increases its strength even further. If you look up from beneath the bridge, you can clearly see the joinery.

This five-story pagoda is said to have been planned by Morimi, younger brother of Ouchi Yoshihiro, to mourn Yoshihiro’s death in the Oei Rebellion of 1399, and completed in 1442.
It is not only one of the finest examples of mid-Muromachi period architecture but also the greatest masterpiece of Ouchi culture, and is counted alongside Horyuji and Daigoji as one of the Three Famous Pagodas of Japan.

A private school run in the late Edo period by Yoshida Shoin, who was born and raised in Hagi.
It is said to have been named “Shokasonjuku” because the surrounding area was known as “Matsumoto Village.”
The grounds include Shomon Shrine, where 53 of Shoin’s disciples are enshrined, as well as Shoin’s birthplace, the treasure hall “Shiseikan,” which displays letters and books related to Shoin, and the Yoshida Shoin History Museum.
In July 2015, it was registered as a World Heritage site as part of the “Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution” together with four other assets including the Hagi Castle Town.

This pond, with a circumference of Approx. 40 meters, is located within the grounds of Beppu Itsukushima Shrine. It is said that groundwater springing from Mount Hanao to the northwest of the pond flows along a fault line and, over many years, is filtered into highly transparent water.
The cool water, a characteristic 14 degrees Celsius of karst regions, creates a beautiful and dreamlike cobalt-blue gradient. In 1985, it was selected as one of the Environment Agency’s “100 Exquisite and Well-Conserved Waters of Japan.”

Founded in 904, this was the first Tenmangu shrine in Japan, dedicated to Sugawara no Michizane, who is revered as the god of learning.
There are about 12,000 shrines dedicated to Sugawara no Michizane across Japan, but this shrine calls itself the first Tenjin shrine in Japan because of its founding, and is known as one of the Three Great Tenjin shrines of Japan alongside Kitano Tenmangu in Kyoto and Dazaifu Tenmangu in Fukuoka.
The main hall has a calm style that evokes the Heian period, and many of the buildings and other cultural properties on the grounds are designated as nationally registered Tangible Cultural Properties, prefectural Tangible Cultural Properties, or prefectural Historic Sites.

Since opening in July 1996, the 153-meter-tall Kaikyo Yume Tower towering over the Kanmon Straits has been beloved as a landmark of Shimonoseki.
A 70-second ride in a see-through elevator takes you to the 143-meter observation room, one of the tallest in Japan. Enclosed in a three-layer spherical glass structure, it offers a sweeping 360-degree panoramic view of the Seto Inland Sea, the Kanmon Straits, Ganryujima, Hibikinada (the Sea of Japan), and even Kyushu on the opposite shore.

Since Terumoto Mori built Hagi Castle in 1604, Hagi prospered for 260 years as a castle town of the 360,000-koku domain. Its beautiful streets of white walls, namako walls (a traditional Japanese wall-finishing style used on storehouses and other buildings), and black board fences preserve the layout of the Edo-period streets so completely that people say “you can still use an Edo-period map,” leaving the atmosphere of that time strongly intact.
In May, the flowers of summer oranges bloom, filling the air with a sweet and tangy fragrance. The sight of orange fruit brightening the white walls is famous as one of Hagi’s seasonal traditions.

The former main residence of the head family of the Mori clan, former lords of the Choshu domain, who made their name as daimyo ruling the Chugoku region during the Warring States period and became dukes after the Meiji Restoration.
The magnificent shoin-style residence and strolling garden (a garden designed with paths around a large central pond) showcase the finest landscape gardening techniques of the Meiji and Taisho periods and are designated as a national Place of Scenic Beauty.

A mountain castle built in 1608 by Hiroie Kikkawa, the first lord of Iwakuni and also a grandson of Motonari Mori. With the Nishiki River flowing below as its outer moat, it stands on Mount Shiro at an elevation of Approx. 200 meters.
It is a three-tier, four-story structure in the Momoyama-style Namban-zukuri (Kara-zukuri), with the unusual feature of the upper floors being built larger than the lower ones.

A fish market where not only professionals but also tourists can shop with ease. In addition to fugu, a specialty of Shimonoseki, it is also well known as a market for sea bream and yellowtail, and is lined with fresh fish just caught by local fishermen.
The weekend event “Ikiiki Bakan-gai” is also very popular.

This park was developed on the site of the former residence of the Kikkawa clan, lords of the old Iwakuni domain. Its vast grounds are dotted with various historical assets, including Kikko Shrine, Kinkunkaku, which is also registered as an Iwakuni City Tangible Cultural Property, and the remains of Edo-period samurai residences. It is a historic park also selected as one of the “100 Best Historical Parks in Japan.” It is loved by many people as a place to relax, not only for local residents but also for tourists taking a break during a stroll.

Sesshu was an ink painter and Zen monk active in the Muromachi period. Under the protection of the Ouchi clan, he moved to Suo and traveled to Ming China to study ink painting, becoming so accomplished that he was called a master painter. Of his surviving works, six, including Ama-no-Hashidate-zu and Shiki Sansui-zu (Sansui Chokan), are designated as National Treasures, and he holds an exceptional place in the history of Japanese painting.

Located on the eastern side of the Mukatsuku Peninsula jutting into the Sea of Japan, this grassland plateau sits at an elevation of 333 meters and covers Approx. 26,400 square meters.
Feel the refreshing sea breeze carrying the sound of the waves and take in the beautiful cobalt-blue scenery of the Sea of Japan at your leisure.

This shrine catches the eye with its vermilion Suitenmon Gate, built in the image of the Dragon Palace. It enshrines Emperor Antoku, who drowned at just 8 years old after defeat in the Battle of Dan-no-ura. Amida-ji Temple, the predecessor of Akama Shrine, was also the setting for the famous ghost story “Miminashi Hoichi.”
Because it stands facing the sea, it is known for blessings related to water, especially protection from water accidents and prosperity in water-related businesses.

A small uninhabited island with a circumference of about 1.6 kilometers, floating in the Kanmon Straits of the Seto Inland Sea. It is famous as the island where, in 1612, Miyamoto Musashi, known as an unmatched master swordsman, dueled Sasaki Kojiro, who developed the famed “swallow cut” technique. Its official name is “Funashima.”
The “Musashi-Kojiro Statue,” which recreates the decisive duel scene and stands in an observation plaza with outstanding views over the Kanmon Straits, is a must-see.

The aquarium features many exhibits unique to Shimonoseki, including the Kanmon Straits Tidal Current Tank, which recreates the beautiful currents of the Kanmon Straits, and displays of pufferfish relatives, including tiger pufferfish and ocean sunfish, with one of the largest varieties in the world.
It also offers distinctive and creative events, such as a joint dolphin and sea lion show and performances featuring bubble rings made by finless porpoises.

The Nishikigawa Seiryu Line is a 38.3-kilometer railway running between Iwakuni Station and Nishikicho Station in Iwakuni City.
The train design theme is “natural scenery playing together with the clear stream.”
There are four types: “cherry blossom pink,” “forest green,” “firefly light yellow,” and “clear stream blue,” each with wrapping on pastel-colored cars.
The line runs almost entirely alongside National Route 187 and the Nishiki River, over which Kintaikyo Bridge spans.

Steam locomotives (SL), which disappeared with railway modernization, returned to the Yamaguchi Line in 1979. It now operates as a special rapid sightseeing train.
Departing from Shin-Yamaguchi Station and passing places such as Yuda Onsen and Chomonkyo, it takes you on a romantic Approx. 2-hour journey over 62.9 kilometers to Tsuwano Station in Shimane Prefecture, known as the “Little Kyoto of Sanin,” with the whistle sounding along the way.

A restaurant where you can enjoy dishes made with “Mishima beef,” said to be the root of wagyu, and “Kenran beef,” which carries its bloodline.
It is run by Midoriya Farm, a local butcher that also handles cattle raising, and is known for serving high-quality beef at reasonable prices.

A restaurant where you can taste “barisoba,” a Yamaguchi local specialty inspired by Taiwanese noodle dishes and with a history of more than half a century.
Barisoba is a dish of grilled noodles topped with soup, and it is said to have gotten its name from the “crunchy” sound made when eating it.
At first glance it looks similar to Nagasaki’s famous sara udon, but while sara udon uses a thick pork-bone-based soup, barisoba features a lighter chicken-bone-based soup with a relatively refreshing taste.

A long-established restaurant known as the birthplace of kawara soba, a local dish of Yamaguchi Prefecture.
Kawara soba is soba served on a heated roof tile and topped with green tea soba noodles, beef, shredded egg, and other ingredients. Inspired by the story that soldiers ate wild grasses and meat on roof tiles between battles during the Satsuma Rebellion, it began being served at Takase and eventually became established as one of Yamaguchi’s local specialties.

“Kaikyokan Wharf” in the Karato area of Shimonoseki Port opened in 2002.
It is a seaside mall lined with restaurants serving seafood landed in the Kanmon area, including Shimonoseki specialties such as fugu dishes, sushi, and seafood rice bowls, as well as shops selling local specialties and souvenirs.

“Sea Mall Shimonoseki” in Shimonoseki City is one of the largest large-scale shopping complexes in Yamaguchi Prefecture, made up of a department store, a specialty store zone, and a variety of other facilities.
The main feature of the facility is the Daimaru Shimonoseki department store, with 7 floors above ground and 1 basement floor.
In addition, you can enjoy shopping in a specialty store area with about 130 shops and a supermarket.

Matsudaya Hotel, a long-established ryokan in Yuda Onsen, Yamaguchi City, was renamed from Matsudaya in 1932.
It was founded in 1675, and from that time the area was blessed with abundant hot spring water, serving as a therapeutic bathing place for the Choshu domain and the Mori family.
It is said that Restoration figures such as Sakamoto Ryoma, Saigo Takamori, and Okubo Toshimichi frequently visited for meetings, held secret talks, drank sake, and soothed their minds and bodies in the hot springs.

Nagato Yumoto Onsen is said to have more than 600 years of history and to have been discovered through a divine message.
Opened in 2020 in this hot spring town, one of Yamaguchi Prefecture’s most representative, “Kai Nagato” is part of the nationwide Hoshino Resorts brand.
Its concept is “a feudal lord’s tea residence,” expressing samurai culture from the Edo period.
It stands quietly along the Otozure River, surrounded by beautiful greenery.

A hot spring ryokan in Hagi facing Kikugahama, a beautiful coast of white sand and green pines that has also been selected as one of the “100 Best Sunsets.”
From the open-air bath guest rooms and the tea lounge, you can enjoy scenic views of the Sea of Japan and Mount Shizuki.
The hot spring baths use a private source and include 4 open-air baths such as a ceramic bath, 4 semi-open-air baths, and 3 indoor baths, for a total of 11 bathtubs.
The men’s and women’s baths are switched daily, so you can enjoy all of them.