Things to do in Yamaguchi Ken
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Hino-yama
About 5km northeast of JR Shimonoseki Station there are superb views over the Kanmon-kaikyō from the top of 268m-high Hino-yama. Walk or drive to the top, as the ropeway is closed. Take a Ropeway-mae bus (¥360) to the Mimosusōgawa bus stop and walk up to the ropeway station, or take a Kokuminshukusha-mae bus straight to the bottom of the ropeway.
By the Mimosusōgawa-kōen bus stop are lifts that take you down to a free cross-strait walker's tunnel, popular with local joggers, for a 780-metre submarine walk to Kyūshū. It's a nice stroll around the seaside promenade on the Kyūshū side, but there are no restaurants.
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Karato Ichiba Fish Markets
A highlight of any trip to Shimonoseki is an early rise and a visit to the Karato Ichiba fish markets. The interesting stuff is on show from 04:00 to 08:00, so if you like to sleep in, forget it. The markets kick off at 02:00 for those in the industry, but the public is welcome from 04:00 - the earlier you get there the better. It's a great opportunity to try sashimi for breakfast or lunch, and the fish doesn't get any fresher - a fair bit will still be moving.
People-watching is almost as much fun as goggling at the many different sea creatures.
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Akama-jingū shrine
Bright vermilion, this postwar Akama-jingū shrine is dedicated to the 8-year-old emperor Antoku, who died in 1185 in the naval battle of Dan-no-ura. In the Hōichi Hall stands a statue of the splendidly monikered Earless Hōichi, the hero of a traditional ghost story retold by Japanophile Lafcadio Hearn. The shrine is between Karato and Hino-yama. Get off the bus (¥230, 10 minutes) at the Akama-jingū-mae bus stop.
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Kappo Nakao
This is a sophisticated fugu restaurant in Karato, with graceful service and splendidly prepared dishes. The presentation and relaxed atmosphere are worth it even if you don't try the fugu. The set lunches, such as the fuku kaiseki (fugu course), are decent value. Look for the stone lantern and wooden gate at the front.
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Kōji
This busy, elegant Chinese eatery on the 7th floor of the Daimaru shopping complex claims a lineage with one of the oldest soba shops in Tokyo's Asakusa. There's a variety of tasty noodle dishes and stir-fries here like gyūniku to gurīn asupara no atamemono (beef and asparagus stir-fry). Large daily lunch specials are ¥1365.
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Yabure-Kabure
There's only one thing on the menu in this boisterous spot: pick from a range of fugu set menus, such as the Ebisu course (¥5250), which features the cute little puffer in raw, seared, fried and drowned-in-sake incarnations. A lunchtime tetsuyaki setto (set meal with grilled fugu) is ¥3150. You can also order individual dishes. Look for the blue-and-white puffer fish outside.
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Dan-no-ura Memorial
The Dan-no-ura Memorial marks the spot where the decisive clash between the Minamoto and Taira clans took place in 1185. This is where one of the ladies of the House of Taira plunged into the sea with the infant emperor Antoku in her arms instead of surrendering to the enemy.
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Kōzan-ji
Chōfu is the old castle town area and, while little remains of the coastal castle itself, there are earth walls and samurai gates, along with a museum and some important temples and shrines. National treasure Kōzan-ji has a Zen-style hall dating from 1327.
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Shimonoseki Ijinkan
Tucked away in the old British Consulate courtyard, the Ijinkan coffee house has bygone European elegance and the theatrical ministrations of bow-tied 'coffee meister' Kunio Kanegae, who puts on a delightful little show if you order the café au lait.
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Sentei Festival
The Sentei Festival is held at Akama-Jingū Shrine from 2 May to 4 May to remember the Heike women who worked as prostitutes to pay for rites for their fallen kin. On 3 May women dressed as Heian-era courtesans form a colourful procession at the shrine.
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Former British Consulate
The Meiji-era former British Consulate building of 1906 has an interesting façade, and there's a small museum inside with the consul's desk still in place. There's a unique coffee house at the rear.
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Kaikyō-kan aquarium
In Karato, the Kaikyō-kan aquarium has stacks of impressive fish, shows, displays, a huge blue-whale skeleton and a special tank of fugu.
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Shimonoseki City Art Museum
Shimonoseki City Art Museum features contemporary Japanese artists. It is in Chōfu, the old castle town area.
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Yuda Onsen
Just west of the city is the 800-year-old Yuda Onsen. The area is covered in a rash of hotels and bathing facilities, mostly along a busy main road; it's not a place for tottering between baths in your yukata. Still, if you've got a bit of time to kill in Yamaguchi, a soak here isn't a bad way to spend a few hours.
You can use the baths at the large Hotel Kamefuku , the less-crowded Kokuminshukusha Koteru and, for a taste of luxury, the traditional ryokan Umenoya.
There's a tourist information office on the main road, where you can pick up a map and guide to all the baths.
Buses run regularly to Yuda Onsen bus stop from Yamaguchi Station (¥190, 10 minutes). They drop you on …
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Yamaguchi Furusato Heritage Centre
The ground floor of the 1886 sake merchant building (the Manabi-kan; まなび館) has a small display of local crafts, including some Ōuchi dolls, but the building itself is interesting. Go upstairs to get a closer look at the large dark-wood beams, and don't miss the delightful tea-ceremony room made from old sake-brewing barrels – it's in the garden. The modern learning centre is behind the old building, where you can see lacquer ware being made, or make your own lacquer-ware chopsticks (¥840) – reservation required.
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Tōkō-ji
East of the river, near Shōin-jinja, stands pretty Zen Tōkō-ji, built in 1691 and home to the tombs of five Mōri lords. The stone walkways on the hillside behind the temple are flanked by almost 500 stone lanterns, which were erected by the lords' servants.
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St Francis Xavier Memorial Church
Yamaguchi was a major centre of Christian missionary activity before the religion was outlawed in 1589. The church has the look of a large tent, and sits above the town in Kameyama-kōen. Built in 1952 in honour of St Francis Xavier, it burned down in 1991 and was rebuilt in 1998. The ground-floor Christian museum contains exhibits on the life of Xavier and the early history of Christianity in Japan, most of it in Japanese only. Steps opposite the church lead up the hill to views of Yamaguchi.
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Shōin-jinja
This shrine, with a garden and small complex, was founded in 1890 and is dedicated to Meiji Restoration movement leader Yoshida Shōin. His old house and the school where he agitated against the shogunate in the years leading up to the revolution are also here, as well as a treasure house (宝物館). The shrine is located southeast of Higashi-Hagi Station, about 500m from the east end of Matsumoto bridge, over the train tracks. The circle bus drops you out the front.
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Shizuki-kōen
There's not much of the old Hagi-jō to see, apart from the typically imposing outer walls and the surrounding moat. The castle was built in 1604 and dismantled in 1874 following the Meiji Restoration. But the grounds are a pleasant park, with the Shizukiyama-jinja (志都岐山神社), the Hanano-e Tea House (花江茶亭) from the mid-19th century, and other buildings. From the castle ruins you can climb the hillside to the 143m peak of Shizuki-yama.
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Shimonoseki Kaikyō-kan
In Karato, a short walk from the market, Shimonoseki's aquarium has penguins, dolphins, and sea-lion shows, plus a blue-whale skeleton and tanks of fugu.
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Sabō Kō
A cosy atmosphere prevails in this crowded little eatery, where customers perch on wooden stools sipping coffee. The speciality on the Japanese-only menu is wafū omuraisu (Japanese-style rice omelette; ¥800) but it also serves curries and soba. Look for the small wood-covered place with ceramic pots sticking out of the exterior plasterwork.
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Maru
A relaxed and modern young people's izakaya, Maru features the local beef, kenran-gyū (見蘭牛), available as sashimi (¥850), sushi (¥1000) or garlic steak (¥650). It also serves all the usual izakaya favourites. Try the Hagi no kuramoto udedameshi setto (¥1000) for a tasting set from six local sake breweries. Look for the large wooden door marked with a circle.
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La Francesca
Excellent Italian food is the main attraction at this elegant Tuscan villa, on the left as you head up the hill to the St Francis Xavier Memorial Church. Set-course options include the Pranzo (¥1890) at lunchtime and Verde (¥5250) in the evenings. The menu changes seasonally.
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Kubota House
Across the street from Kikuya House is Kubota House, a renovated residence from the late Edo period that served as a clothing store and sake brewery.
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