Yamaguchi

Yamaguchi (山口市 Yamaguchi-shi) is the capital of Yamaguchi prefecture, at the western tip of the island of Honshu, Japan. In the city, there is a beautiful Japanese town which flourished as "Kyoto in the West" during the Medieval Period.

Understand
Yamaguchi City is the seat of prefectural government, so it functions as the "capital" of this prefecture. However, it's not a big city; it's a planned city where Hiroyo Ouchi, the regional liege lord, placed his government in 1360. From then on, the town developed, copying the elegance of Kyoto, which used to be the capital of Japan. As the Ouchi family prospered, Yamaguchi flourished and its nickname became "Kyoto in the West". When Kyoto was devastated by the Onin war, Yamaguchi developed as the alternative capital—many cultured people and foreigners visited the city. Yamaguchi became so successful that it was practically the capital of Japan. However, the destruction of the ruling family in 1551 caused the city to decline.

There are many things in the city that suggest it was prosperous during medieval times.

Tourist information site
The local tourist association has a multilingual guide site.

By plane
Yamaguchi Ube Airport in Ube is the prefecture's largest airport, with domestic flights arriving from Tokyo Haneda Airport. Shuttle buses connect the airport with the Shin-Yamaguchi bullet train station (30 min, ¥910).

By train
Yamaguchi has two main train stations: the centrally-located Yamaguchi Station (山口駅), and Shin-Yamaguchi Station (新山口駅) which is 12.7 km to the southwest and is a stop on the San'yo Shinkansen. Regular trains connect the two stations in 15-25 minutes.

Shin-Yamaguchi is generally served every hour by one Nozomi or Sakura service and an all-stations Kodama service. By a combination of bullet train and local train, Yamaguchi is about 60-70 min from Hiroshima (¥5910 via Nozomi), about 70 min from Fukuoka (¥5910 via Nozomi), about 2 hr 30 min from Osaka (¥13500 via Nozomi) and about 5 hr from Tokyo (¥21970 via Nozomi). Japan Rail Pass holders must travel on the Sakura and Hikari services, which take slightly longer; a train change will usually be required if originating east of Osaka.

Get around
JR Yamaguchi Line goes through the city. The main tourist stops are at Yuda Onsen Station for Yuda Onsen and Yamaguchi Station. Joeiji Temple is closer to Miyano Station.

While most sites can be reached on foot, the walk may be longer than many tourists would like, so it is advised to take a bus or rent a bicycle. There is a rentacycle across the street from Yamaguchi Station.

See




Sleep
Most hotels are in the expensive Yuda Onsen area, which can be reached via JR Yuda Onsen Station on the JR Yamaguchi Line (3 minutes by train from Yamaguchi Station then 10 minutes on foot). Some will offer transfers to and from Shin-Yamaguchi Station.



Go next
Its central location provides easy access to the rest of the prefecture;
 * Hagi
 * Hofu
 * Ube
 * Mine
 * Shunan
 * Yanai
 * Nagato
 * Shimonoseki
 * Iwakuni