13 Things To Do In Yamaguchi – Motonosumi Shrine, Blowfish, And ...

Contents:

1. Pay a Visit to Motonosumi Inari Shrine 2. Drive Along Tsunoshima Bridge's Scenic Route 3. Stroll Through Hagi Castle Town 4. Feel Refreshed at the Beppu Benten Pond 5. Check out the Five-Storied Pagoda at Ruriko-ji Temple 6. Experience Zen Ideology at Joei-ji Temple 7. Tour the DASSAI Sake Brewery 8. Cross the Wooden Arches of Kintaikyo Bridge 9. Soak in Hot Springs 10. Cycle Through the Vast Akiyoshidai Plateau 11. Explore Akiyoshido Cave 12. Eat Exquisite Pufferfish in Shimonoseki 13. Shunan Industrial Night Cruising 14. Try some Iwakuni Sushi 15. Snack on Some Kawara Senbei

1. Pay a Visit to Motonosumi Inari Shrine

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When you visit a shrine in Japan, it's customary to place money into the offertory box at the front of the main hall before praying. However, there is a shrine that has a very hard time collecting monetary offerings. The name of this sacred place is Motonosumi Inari Shrine. Unbelievably, its main hall is located at the end of one-hundred and twenty-three torii gates.

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Typically an offertory box is located at the front of the main hall. Here, however, it is located at the top of a torii gate. Visitors must throw their coins towards the box placed five-meters off the ground.

Due to the difficulty of getting your coins into the box, it's a popular belief that your wish will come true if you are able to fortuitously throw it inside.

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About a ten-minute drive away from Motonosumi Inari Shrine is a spot with a fantastic view called Senjojiki (literally meaning "one thousand tatami mats"). It's a grassland situated 333 meters above ground, much like the Tokyo Tower, and is a place where you can gaze out at blue skies with the beautiful sight of the sea. It's a spot where you'll be able to relax, swayed by the pleasant salty breeze.

Motonosumi Shrine

498 Yuyatsuo, Nagato City, Yamaguchi Prefecture 759-4712

Senjojiki

1138-1 Hekinaka, Nagato City, Yamaguchi Prefecture 759-4402

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2. Drive Along Tsunoshima Bridge's Scenic Route

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Tsunoshima Bridge is a route you'll want to take if you're driving in Yamaguchi. The bridge crosses over to Tsunoshima, a remote island, and is surrounded by a beautiful emerald green sea.

We recommend heading to Tsunoshima Bridge from the mainland to take a commemorative photo. You can capture a superb view with your camera, just like the one pictured above.

Tsunoshima Ohashi

3. Stroll Through Hagi Castle Town

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Supporters of the Meiji Restoration (*1) were born in Hagi City, located on the western side of the prefecture. One of the first supporters was Shoin Yoshida, a samurai and educator.

Horiuchi, an old samurai quarter around the Hagi Castle Ruins, and Hagi Castle Town, were registered as a World Heritage Site in 2015. The area has retained the original streets that the townspeople lived on up to this day. These historical sites were classified as a component of the "Sites of Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution: Iron and Steel, Shipbuilding and Coal Mining."

Throughout the area, you'll find several cafes made from old renovated Japanese homes where you can enjoy some tea during your stroll.

*1 Meiji Restoration (Meiji Ishin): A series of reformations made from the defeat of the Edo shogunate to the birth of the Meiji government.

Hagi

4. Feel Refreshed at the Beppu Benten Pond

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The Beppu Benten Pond is a famous photo spot located on the grounds of the Beppu Itsukushima Shrine, about 40 minutes by car from Hagi City.

Many visitors are enchanted by this mysterious pond and its vibrant blue hue, its colors slightly deeper towards the center. The pond is fed by springs and drinking the water is said to bless you with longevity and wealth.

Beppu Benten Pond

1578 Beppu, Shuhocho, Mine City, Yamaguchi Prefecture 754-0603

5. Check out the Five-Storied Pagoda at Ruriko-ji Temple

Photo by Pixta A ten-minute drive from JR Yamaguchi Station, Ruriko-ji Temple is a five-storied pagoda built during the 15th century that has a symbolic significance in Yamaguchi. Referred to as one of the "Three Most Famous Pagodas of Japan," it is ranked alongside Kyoto's Daigo-ji Temple and Nara's Horyu-ji Temple.

Similar to the Gassho-style homes in Shirakawa-go, it has a thatched roof (made out of cypress bark) that gives it a dignified appearance.

Rurikoji Temple

7-1 Kayamacho, Yamaguchi City, Yamaguchi Prefecture 753-0081

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6. Experience Zen Ideology at Joei-ji Temple

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Ink wash painting is a painting style that uses an ink stick and is said to have been introduced to Japan from China around the 8th century. Around the 15th century, a figure named Sesshu was Japan’s most prominent ink wash painter and a Zen priest. The Sesshu Garden in Joei-ji Temple is believed to have been built by this master of ink brush painting.

One of the highlights is the dry landscape garden made using just rocks and sand to express streams and the sea. It is located about ten minutes by car from JR Yamaguchi Station.

Joeiji Temple Sesshu Garden

753-0011 2001-1 Miyanoshita, Yamaguchi City, Yamaguchi Prefecture This Joeiji Temple was built approximately 500 years ago as a villa by Masahiro Ouchi, and it is said that the garden was commissioned by Se...

7. Tour the DASSAI Sake Brewery

A famous Yamaguchi sake brand, DASSAI was gifted to the 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama, and to Russian President Vladimir Putin in commemoration of their visit to Japan. DASSAI's motto is to produce sake by hand without relying on machines. The DASSAI Store Head Brewery is where you can watch the sake brewing process.

Those interested in the brewery tour should make their reservations through the Brewery Tour Application Form on their official website. During this hour-long tour, you can watch as rice is steamed then fermented while learning about the sake brewing process.

Asahi Sake Brewery Co., Ltd.

2167-4 Shutomachi Osogoe, Iwakuni City, Yamaguchi Prefecture 742-0422

8. Cross the Wooden Arches of Kintaikyo Bridge

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The Kintaikyo Bridge is a famous spot for viewing cherry blossoms and autumn leaves. During the 7th century, this structure was built with sturdiness in mind as former bridges had been washed away by floods a number of times here. It has a distinct design that joins five smaller bridges together. Not a single nail was used in its construction.

About ten minutes across the bridge is a ropeway connecting to Iwakuni Castle. The castle’s observation deck is a spot that overlooks the sprawling town below.

Kintai Bridge

741-0081 Yokoyama, Iwakuni City, Yamaguchi Prefecture A nationally designated scenic spot and a wooden bridge that represents Japan. The length of the bridge is 210 meters along the bridge surfa...

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9. Soak in Hot Springs

Photo by Pixta The Yuda Hot Springs, just a ten minute drive from JR Yamaguchi Station, is also known by its nickname "Byakko no Yu" as white fox statues decorate the entire town ("byakko" means white fox in Japanese).

The name originated when a temple’s chief priest once found a white fox healing its wounds in Yuda’s hot springs. In this hot spring town, there are Japanese inns and bathing facilities ideal for day trips and footbaths—making it easy for all types of visitors to enjoy a soak.

10. Cycle Through the Vast Akiyoshidai Plateau

Photo by Pixta At Akiyoshidai, located 40 minutes by car from JR Yamaguchi Station, lies Japan’s largest karst plateau (*2). This landscape of sprawling green plains and towering white limestones is incredible. You can enjoy walking through three hiking courses here. You can also rent a bicycle at the Akiyoshidai Tourist Exchange Center and ride along the breezy cycling route.

*2 Karst Plateau: A type of topography formed when rainwater and other elements erode limestone-formed land.

Akiyoshidai Observatory

Akiyoshi Akiyoshidaiyama, Akiyoshi Town, Mine City, Yamaguchi Prefectu...

11. Explore Akiyoshido Cave

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Right next to the Akiyoshidai Plateau is the Akiyoshido Cave, Japan’s largest limestone cave. Rumored to have a depth of 10.7 kilometers, about one kilometer of the length down is open to the public for sightseeing.

Photo by pixta There are various things to see inside the cave. These include the 100 Plates that look like scores of platters lined up in rows, and the Donai Fuji, which appears like a mountain emerging in view.

The temperature remains 17℃ throughout the year, which allows visitors to sightsee comfortably regardless of the season.

Akiyoshido

3506-2 Shuhocho Akiyoshi, Mine City, Yamaguchi Prefecture 754-0511

12. Eat Exquisite Pufferfish in Shimonoseki

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Once you’ve had your fill of visiting tourist spots and have worked up a sweat at the hot springs, it’s time to savor the local cuisine.

Shimonoseki, an hour and 20 minutes by car from JR Yamaguchi Station, is a famous area for high-quality pufferfish (fugu). At the Karato Market (Japanese), you can enjoy fresh pufferfish priced relatively inexpensively in the city. Enjoy dishes such as fugu sashimi, hot pot (fugu nabe), or grilled fugu.

Photo by Pixta There are also dishes like Iwakuni sushi—a square-shaped sushi topped with shrimp and egg—and Kawara soba—buckwheat noodles fried on top of a roof tile—in Yamaguchi. They can be eaten at many Japanese restaurants in the prefecture.

13. Shunan Industrial Night Cruising

Photo by pixta Located on the eastern side of the prefecture, Shunan is an industrial area that helps sustain local commerce. The entire area transforms into a dazzling night view spot after the sun sets.

Cruise tours are available for travelers to enjoy the industrial night view. For example, the Shunan Industrial Night Scenery Sightseeing Tour (Japanese) travels around the entire Shunan industrial complex area in 90 minutes.

Tokuyama Port

9 Chikkocho, Shunan City, Yamaguchi Prefecture 745-0025

14. Try some Iwakuni Sushi

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Iwakuni, located on the eastern edge of Yamaguchi Prefecture, is known for its unique style of sushi "Iwakuni Sushi," featuring fresh seafood and vinegared rice wrapped in bamboo leaves. The sushi is a pressed sushi and uses ingredients similar to chirashizushi. It's a must-try for sushi enthusiasts visiting the area.

15. Snack on Some Kawara Senbei

Kawara Senbei are traditional Japanese rice crackers cooked on a hot tile (kawara), resulting in a crispy texture and smoky flavor. They come in various flavors and are a popular snack in Yamaguchi. Try some out while visiting, or take some with you as unique souvenirs! 

Enjoy Exploring Yamaguchi

Yamaguchi has plenty of charm, from its amazing scenery, historical spots, and cuisine. We recommend traveling around this prefecture spending several days to take everything in at a leisurely pace. If you don’t have ample time, you should definitely visit after carefully selecting the spots to you'd love to see!

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Main image by Pixta