About 22km east of Hagi, this unique temple is dedicated to the humble moggy and features cats, cats, everywhere! Well, carved ones, anyway. Serious cat people won't mind renting a car to get out here.
Unrinji Temple
Western Honshū
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
21.96 MILES
Within the Akiyoshi-dai Quasi-National Park, Akiyoshi-dō is the largest limestone cave in Japan. It extends about 10km (though public access is limited to…
10.49 MILES
Within walking distance of town, this thriving shrine, built in 1773 by the seventh lord Kamei Norisada, is one of the five major Inari shrines in Japan…
11.25 MILES
As official merchants to the daimyō, the Kikuya family's wealth and connections allowed them to build a house well above their station (they were…
18.72 MILES
North of the town centre is Kōzan Park, where the five-storey pagoda of Rurikō-ji (瑠璃光寺), a National Treasure dating from 1442, is picturesquely situated…
9.45 MILES
East of the river, pretty Tōkō-ji, built in 1691, is home to the tombs of five Mōri lords. The stone walkways on the hillside behind the Zen temple are…
18.72 MILES
This handsome building was originally a high-end restaurant named Gion Saikotei from 1878 to 1996. In 2004 it was converted into this cultural museum,…
10.68 MILES
About 6km northeast of central Hagi is this 112m dormant volcano. The top has gorgeous views of the Sea of Japan and a tiny 30m-deep crater. There is also…
11.79 MILES
Within this park, there's not much of the old Hagi-jō to see, apart from the castle's typically imposing outer walls and the surrounding carp-filled moat…
Nearby Western Honshū attractions
1. Ohitayama Tatara Iron Works
5.17 MILES
Located 22km northeast of Hagi, this sprawling site shows the scale of traditional Japanese iron-making, which existed for centuries, and the skills of…
9.45 MILES
East of the river, pretty Tōkō-ji, built in 1691, is home to the tombs of five Mōri lords. The stone walkways on the hillside behind the Zen temple are…
9.91 MILES
This is the thatched early home of a four-term prime minister, who was a follower of Meiji Restoration leader Yoshida Shōin, and who later drafted the…
9.92 MILES
The former house of Meiji Restoration movement leader Yoshida Shōin.
9.92 MILES
A small museum that documents Meiji Restoration leader Yoshida Shōin's life and teachings with samples of his letters.
9.93 MILES
This shrine, with a garden and small complex, was founded in 1890 and is dedicated to Meiji Restoration movement leader Yoshida Shōin. His former…
9.94 MILES
Although 'academy' conjures images of Ivy League schools, this humble schoolhouse is anything but that. In the 1850s, Yoshida Shōin lectured students here…
10.17 MILES
The broken walls of Tsuwano-jō brood over the valley. A slightly rickety chairlift takes you slowly up the hillside, and there's a further 15-minute walk…