Hofu Tenmangu Mitokuji temple Izumo Taisha Omori Silver mine Xavier memorial church peace memorialpark miyajima sanctuary_outline Shukkeien Adachi garden Ikouji Rurikouji temple Amida-ji Sourin-ji Kourakuen Japanese trad.Garden_outline Matsue Yonago Shimonoseki Okayama Hiroshima HAB CITY_outline TSUYAMA TSUWANO MATSUE CHOFU IWAKUNI HAGI SAMURAI towns_outline ONOMICHI YANAI TAKEHARA KURASHIKI TOMO SHIMOKAMAGARI Xavier Cathedral SHIMONOSEKI Washi Touken Bizen Pottery Hagi Pottery & Kilns Japanese trad.artcrafts Experience-outline GEGEGENO Kitaro Matsuda museum Naval Base of Kure MAZDA,Hofu plant Modern Japan-outline Kirin beer Park in Okayama Tottori sand dune Mt.Fuji of Sanin DAISEN SHINJI Lake Iwami coast Oki Hagi coast Nagato SANIN COAST-outline SHUHODO Trail to Hikimi Hiruzen Highland Kibi Highland Tsuyama Travel with Stream locomotive Deep Inland Tour-outline SETO-OHASHI Seto-inland seas OANORAMA view Tiboli Park Tokiwa Park Inland-sea-outline List of Japanese terms Bathing in Japan 7seafood of the Lake Shinji Blow fish Stone fish Show Crab Oysters Buchwheat Noodles Peach and Other fruits Okonomiyaki
 
  Located about half an hour from the Shin-Yamaguchi shinkansen station along the way to Tsuwano, this city is the capital of Yamaguchi prefecture. Replete with history and important in its own right, Yamaguchi City makes a good, centrally-located spot to explore the entire prefecture.  
 
  There are many historic sites within the city. Probably the most famous one for westerners is the Xavier Church, originally built by Father Francis Xavier, one of the earliest Jesuit missionaries to visit Japan. Naturally, there are also a number of famous native shrines and temples as well, including the Toyosaka and Yamaguchidaijingu shrines, Ryufukuji temple and many others.

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  The most famous and visible of these is the five-story Rurikoji temple pagoda, which rises to a height of more than 30 meters. Another sacred spot, Joeiji Temple, contains a Sesshu Garden. A monk painter, Sesshu, arranged various specially selected stones in the garden, as if planting trees. This garden is one of the most outstanding cultural assets of Muromachi Period.

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  Yuda Onsen, a town located right next to Yamaguchi City, is famous for the quality of its hot springs. It also has a wide selection of ryokans and hotels to choose from, so many travelers opt to stay in Yuda and do their sightseeing in the capital. From either city you can take day trips by train or bus to most of the area’s outstanding tourist spots, including the limestone cave at Akiyoshido, the carp-filled waterways of Tsuwano and the modern automotive factory in Hofu. Nagato and Hagi, scenic and historic towns on the western seaboard, are also within easy striking distance.

Known as the “Kyoto of the West” during the Muromachi period, when local feudal lord Hiroyo Ouchi made a determined effort to re-create the beauty of Kyoto within his own land, Yamaguchi City still retains much of its historic charm and municipal importance. Functioning both as prefectural capital and serving as a repository of the past, Yamaguchi City shows both sides of Japan as it exists today.

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