Yamaguchi Road Trip

I’m jostling my way through the small crowds of Fukuokans and Korean weekenders at the Karato Seafood Market, perched on a wharf in the largest city in Japan’s Yamaguchi Prefecture. The market’s food stalls heave with saffron blobs of uni piled atop nigiri, crispy octopus croquettes, pink hunks of fatty tuna, and donburi bowls topped with artful mosaics of local oysters, salmon eggs, squid and a thousand other things plucked from the Sea of Japan that I don’t recognize. Fugu (puffer fish) is a major speciality, and it’s farmed and found everywhere here. I shift into hyper-graze mode through the grid of vendors, slurping down what I can get my hands on and spying on what others are eating at the next stall of colorful edibles. I’ve been to Japan twenty-plus times over the last 13 years, and this is some of Japan’s best and most affordable seafood. And everyone here knows it. 

Yamaguchi is the southwestern-most prefecture on Japan’s Honshu Island—tourists routinely zip past it on the Shinkansen. Shimonoseki’s market is just one reason why Yamaguchi is worth seeking out. The second is that you will not see many other tourists here, a key draw in Japan’s new age of over-tourism plaguing popular destinations like Nara, Kyoto, Osaka and Niseko. Yamaguchi’s pristine beaches, sacred onsen, sleepy pottery towns, and extensive limestone caves are known to just a few. 

It’s possible to see most of Yamaguchi by train and bus, which serve even the smallest of towns, but the best way to discover its charms is by car. The highways are modern, wide, and traverse picturesque green valleys dotted with Shinto shrines, orange Torii gates, and blossoming plum trees. There are car-rental agencies at the airports, ferry terminals, and train stations. Japan drives on the left, and requires an international licence in Japanese, so be prepared ahead of time, or you will be denied a car. (I renew my international driver’s license at AAA for $20 every year.) The prefecture is about 100 miles at its widest and longest points, with the lush green Chugoku Mountains occupying much of the middle, requiring about two hours to drive across the prefecture any way you slice it. 

I started my trip in Iwakuni, a famous castle town known more for its 17th-century pedestrian Kintaikyo, a wooden bridge with five arches spanning the sparkling blue Nishiki River. A walk across it leads you to Kikko Park, where there are gardens, fountains, samurai-era residences and, according to signs, many albino rat snakes, none of which I saw. What I did see was Shokujidokoro Musashi, one of a few ice cream shops hawking 100 flavors of soft serve, including everything from yuzu pulp and brown sugar to wasabi and mentaiko, spiced pollock roe. And like others, I succumbed to a deliciously creamy cone—an aromatic muskmelon. 

From the park, a cable car or “ropeway” as Japan calls them, whisks you to the peak of Mt. Shiroyama, where a trail winds to Iwakuni Castle, a four story visage of Edo Period craftsmanship with upturned tile roofs. The original castle dates back to 1604, but this reconstruction is from 1962. You can walk to the top for a panoramic view of the town and bridge below, or linger to take in each floor’s exhibits of Samurai swords, paintings, and period armor. A 30-minute walk on the woodsy trails back down was a good way to burn off the soft serve. 

The next stop was in the bucolic village of Yanai, 40 minutes away, but not before stopping at two well-known sake breweries: the world-famous Asahi Shuzo Sake Brewery and Showroom, on the outskirts of Iwakuni with a showroom design by Kengo Kuma (and a new brewery in Hyde Park, New York); and then Ohmine Shuzou in Mine—a young, outside-the-box-thinking sake brewery making excellent sake with a sleek showroom and stylish merchandise. A lunch stop at the iconic roadside Irori Sanzoku Kuga with stacks of paper lanterns and several outdoor tables under the trees made for a great spot to nosh on crispy gyoza, grilled trout and chicken thighs. 

Once in Yanai, I beelined to the Kanro Soy Sauce Museum, where I tasted a flight of locally brewed soy and ponzu, some with local Yamagichi’s prized summer mikan citrus others with dashi and seaweed, and learned about the twice-fermenting techniques they’ve used here for over 200 years. I stocked up on a few bottles and signed up for a 30-minute activity to make my own goldfish lantern with local washi paper, which you see strewn all over the quaint and immaculately preserved merchant town. 

Back in the car, I headed 90 minutes inland, where I spent a few morning hours exploring the 9-km long, moist and mystical Akiyoshido Cave, one of Japan’s largest limestone caves and home to cobalt blue subterranean lakes, underground waterfalls, and primordial rock formations resembling Japanese yokai (mythical monsters), not to mention six species of bats. The path inside was wide and paved, and a few noisy school groups passed during my visit, but the cave’s multiple chambers were vast enough to ensure that everyone gets their own meditative moment to listen to the drip-drop of stalagmites and absorb the eerie cave silence. The cave’s dramatic exit leads you over a moss and fern festooned wooden plank bridge crossing a Goonies-esque turquoise grotto, before dumping you out onto a market street. There, souvenir shops hawk locally quarried stoneware, a rainbow of excavated cave rocks and food vendors selling Japanese street food, like fish shaped taiyaki cakes filled with sweet bean paste, curry bowls, karaage, croquettes, and of course more bizarre ice cream. This is also a good place to try Kawara soba, a satisfying local Yamaguchi specialty of green matcha-infused soba noodles cooked and served on a hot roof tile and fortified with beef and fried egg strips.

Next stop: Hagi, an ancient pottery town 40 minutes north towards the Sea of Japan. The town is home to the ruins of Hagi Castle sitting in Shizuki Park on the wooded slopes of Mt. Shizuki, and beloved for its spring sakura blossoms. Those seeking more nature or a day at the sea can rent a bike and pedal over to Kikugahama Beach, known for its gnarly pine trees. But ambling around the castle town area’s narrow streets is a great way to get a deeper understanding of local culture. 

But I had my sights set on another pottery town, sweet little Nagato Yumato, where I visited Sakakura Shinbei Kiln, located at the far end of the Sounose valley. The bucolic streamside pottery studio is home to 6th-generation potter Masahiro Sakakura, who produces fine highly collectable ceramics like tea bowls made with Mishima clay, coated with Daido clay, and decorated with a straw ash glaze. 

This was my favorite part of my Yamaguchi road trip. It’s not so much that there’s a ton to see and do here, but rather that the sleepy riverside town offers a chance to slow down and catch up after the rigorous pace of a road trip. The town is most famous for its 600-year-old alkaline Yumoto Onsen, where a shinto shrine sits within a grotto of the onsen bath, which should be the first stop on any visit. I’ve been to hundreds of onsen in Japan, but none like this with shinto decorations inside the same bath as I’m soaking in. The alkaline water here also makes your skin especially smooth. 

While staying at the town’s historic and Michelin-keyed Ryokan Otozure that once hosted Japan’s Emperor and Prime Minister, I befriended its friendly fifth-generation owner, Kazuhiro Otani, who took me to the sacred onsen, then to a legendary yakitori joint Koumori, where we drank gallons of sake and ate grilled meat all afternoon with a few of his friends. He introduced me to the town’s craft beer makers, visiting and resident artists and potters at the Bar Nagato. I’m not fluent in Japanese, but I had one of those escapist moments we all have on road trips where I imagine what my life might be like if I lived here. That night, while feasting on told sashimi, minced lotus root with maitake, and yuzu at Otozure’s kaiseki restaurant, he told me about how stony chasselas wines from Switzerland’s Lavaux region are the best wine to pair with Japanese food. Since I live in Switzerland, I promised him I’d bring some back on my next visit. A visit I’m already eager to plan.

Hotels

Bettei Otozure, Nagato Yumoto – This historic ryokan is perched on a wooded bank of the Otozure River in the sacred onsen town of Nagato, two hours from bustling Fukuoka. The property’s garden, library, and grand outdoor bath feature Western-style and traditional tatami mat rooms, all with private balcony onsen.  

Kai Nagato, Nagato Yumoto – Run by the Hoshino group, the tranquil 40-room property sits across from the Akebonobashi, a bridge that crosses the Otozure River and offers morning walks to shrines and meditative calligraphy lessons. 

Simose Art Garden Villa, Otake – Just across the Yamaguchi border in Hiroshima Prefecture is this new 10-villa art complex and resort that opened in April 2023 with a constellation of buildings that are the work of Pritzker architect Shigeru Ban, plus four Le Corbusier-inspired villas dating back to the 1990s and rebuilt here with and deep cypress ofuru tubs, colorful Mondrian panels, Breton Brut techniques, and Austrian Kielsteg design—sliding wooden skin panels with key holes to let in light.

Hotel Kaze No Umi, Shimonoski – Translating to Onsen Sea of ​​the Wind, this elegant 5-story ryokan featuring rooms with private balcony onsen and excellent views of the surrounding Kanmon Strait. Don’t miss breakfast or dinner at its excellent glassy seafront restaurant. 

Matsudaya Ryokan, Yudaonsen – Elegant, 300 year old wooden property with onsen baths and elegant rooms with sliding wooden doors perched directly on a beautiful koi pond and manicured Japanese garden.

Restaurants, Bars, Izakaya

Irori Sanzoku Kuga – It’s hard to pass by this legendary roadside restaurant, which means the Bandit’s Heart, decorated in a Showa/Meji era mashup of double-decker stacks of paper lanterns, a wavy temple-like roof, and several outdoor places to eat under the trees. Gyoza, trout and chicken thighs are the specialities, but a full menu can be found. 

Kawarasoba Yanagiya, Nagato Yumato  – The charming little shop specializes in Kawarasoba, which comes to the table on a hot rooftop tile used as a hot grill-stone topped with strips of egg and tender meat mixed into the green matcha infused soba noodles.

Shokujidokoro Musashi, Iwakuni – If one of the 100 types of wild sounding soft serve (everything from squid to cheesecake) at this popular shop doesn’t appeal, you can ask them to make an original mix of your own liking. Also sells snacks, noodle bowls, and full set meals.

Koumori, Yumoto – Small bustling yakitori joint where chatty, good humored cooks grill up excellent meat across the counter while keeping your sake glass full. 

Bar Nagato, Nagato Yumoto  – Popular, elegant bar that attracts a lot of creatives and artists passing through town in search of pottery.

Sake, Soy, and Markets

Asahi Shuzo Sake Brewery and Showroom, Iwakuni – World-famous sake brewery on the outskirts of Iwakuni, with a showroom designed by Kenzo Kuma.

Ohmine Shuzou, Mine  – Young, outside-the-box-thinking sake brewery making excellent sake with a sleek showroom and stylish merchandise. 

Karato Seafood Market, Shimonoseki – Empty your stomach for a visit to this legendary market that has some of the best and best priced seafood in Japan. 

Kanro Soy Sauce Museum – Wonderful shop and museum highlighting the local methods of double brewing soy.