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 through the woods to the castle ruins. There's nothing here but the walls, but there are of course great views.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
0.45 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…
21.41 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…
25.11 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…
19.59 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…
24.98 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,…
20.74 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…
21.95 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…
St Francis Xavier Memorial Church
25.56 MILES
Built in 1952 in honour of St Francis Xavier, this church burned down in 1991 and was rebuilt in 1998 with a clinically modern interior and geometric…
Nearby Western Honshū attractions
1. Nishi Amane Former Residence
0.25 MILES
It's a pleasant walk down the river from Tsuwano town centre to see the peaked-roof former residence of Nishi Amane (1829–97), a philosopher and political…
0.31 MILES
The old residence of Mori Ōgai (1862–1922), a highly regarded novelist who served as a physician in the Imperial Japanese Army.
0.33 MILES
This simple building next to the novelist's former residence displays signed manuscripts and relics from his life as a writer and physician. One for…
0.45 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…
0.59 MILES
This museum is housed in a 150-year-old building that once served as the home of a shōya (village headman). Downstairs is a collection of soft-edged…
0.74 MILES
The church here is a reminder of the town's Christian history. 'Hidden Christians' from Nagasaki were exiled here in the early Meiji period. It's…
0.95 MILES
The tiny Maria-dō dates from 1951. More than 150 'hidden Christians' were imprisoned in a Buddhist temple on this site in the early years of the Meiji…
1 MILES
Tsuwano-born Anno Mitsumasa is famous for his wonderfully detailed illustrated books, including Anno's Alphabet and Anno's Journey. You can see his work…