A Journey to the Western Edge of Japan's Main Island

My name is Raina Ong and I'm going on an adventure. This is Honshu, Japan's main and largest island. Most travelers stick to the middle part, Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka and maybe go as far as Hiroshima. But today I want to tell you why you should go even further west. The place that I'm visiting is known as the Kyoto of the West. It's got the atmosphere, the culture, the history, just without the crowds. The region is also different in the best way. It's got massive limestone caves, wide open karst fields and it's also home to Japan's most famous pufferfish cuisine. My journey takes me to Yamaguchi Prefecture right at the western edge of Honshu. On day one, I'll explore Yamaguchi City and its Kyoto-inspired streets. On day two, I'll head underground into Japan's largest limestone cave and on the final day, I'll travel to Shimonoseki, the fugu capital, before walking under the sea to end my trip in Kyushu. And we start right here in Yamaguchi City. Yamaguchi City has been on my list of places to go ever since I read about it in the New York Times 52 places to visit article. Now it's my first time here, so let's go check it out together. Okay, but before I dive into sightseeing, let me quickly introduce Yamaguchi's history. Its westernmost location played to its advantage, far enough from Kyoto to be independent and close to the sea to trade in every direction. This drew powerful lords to settle here and by the 15th century, it had grown so important that it became known as the Kyoto of the West and... Behind me is the guy who made this possible. When he established his base here, he deliberately modeled Yamaguchi after Kyoto, turning it into a political and cultural center. The city is easily accessible by train about an hour from Hiroshima or two and a half from Osaka and you can do it as a day trip from either cities if you're short on time. But I definitely recommend staying the night and slowing down to enjoy the less visited area. On first look, the standouts in the city are the calm and casual atmosphere, friendly inhabitants, and one of Japan's most beautiful pagodas. This is the Ichinosaka River, Yamaguchi's version of the Kamogawa, the big river that runs through central Kyoto. These cherry trees look a little bare right now, but come spring, gonna be so beautiful. Cafes and restaurants can be found along the river, which leads me to... This cute restaurant behind me serving Kawara Soba, a Yamaguchi specialty. This is a Kawara or a ceramic roof towel and it gets heated up till it's really hot so it can act like a hot plate. The noodles are then placed on top so that you get nice textures, crispy at the bottom but soft and chewy in the middle. The way to eat Kawara Soba is the first bite you have is just of the noodles itself. Mmm, crispy. Okay, that's nice. And the next mouthful, I'm gonna try dipping it in the dipping sauce. I like this soba better than the regular soba. I added the lemon and the chili spice. I don't know how they do it, but every mouthful has been like better than the previous one. Best Kawara Soba of my life. Have you had a lot of Kawara Soba? No, this is my first time, but three thumbs up. Now you can't come to Yamaguchi and not visit its most famous symbol and national treasure, Rurikoji Temple's five-story pagoda. And of course, that's where I'm heading to after lunch. This pagoda was built in 1442 as a memorial for one of the celebrated lords of the ruling family. Now it was also recently renovated, a first in 70 years and doesn't it look so nice? This five-story pagoda is also considered one of the three most beautiful pagodas in Japan, alongside the ones at Horyuji Temple in Nara and Daigoji Temple in Kyoto. Inside the treasure house, they've got models of other five-story pagodas from across Japan. And I'm gonna see how many I've visited. So I think I've done 16 to 17 of all the pagodas displayed here. So you get the travel expert badge. That's right, super pagoda expert. No, not really, I've been to less than half. There are other historical sites in the city, but I'm gonna get started towards my accommodation for tonight. Instead of walking back the way I came, I'm going to walk back the way I came. I'm going via the former government buildings this time. Well looks like my walk led me to a coffee shop and I'm not gonna complain about having a coffee break. Just melting into the furniture, it's so good. It's about 30 minutes on foot from the cafe to my accommodation in Yamaguchi's hot spring district, Yuda Onsen. There are about five foot baths in Yuda Onsen and this, for me, is the prettiest one. When you're in Yuda Onsen, you're gonna be seeing lots of foxes like these over here. Well the reason is, a long time ago, an injured white fox bathed in the waters and was healed and then people began to know about the healing properties of the water and then, you know, the rest is history. There are six foot baths that are free to use in Yuda Onsen and a number of hot spring accommodations in the compact town to enjoy a leisurely bath. Whenever you visit a hot spring area, it's always a good idea to bring a small towel so that you can enjoy the free foot baths and then dry your feet before putting on your shoes. A hot spring bath awaits me at my hotel so I bid you good night and see you tomorrow. Can you tell I'm really excited to see the Akiyoshidai Plateau, Charlie? Thank you for putting up with my energy! The reason I'm so excited is that the Akiyoshidai Quasi-National Park is home to the largest limestone cave and karst landscape in Japan. There are two main parts to explore here, Akiyoshido, the massive limestone cave and Akiyoshidai, the plateau above it. And I'm starting with the cave. The temperature in the cave stays at around 17 degrees Celsius all year round making it nice and cool in the summer and warm in the winter and because it's a cave, it's perfect to visit even when it's raining like today. This is one of the largest limestone caves in Japan. Massive. That's the Mount Fuji of the cave. This is huge! This is the start of the adventure course. You pay a little fee and off you go. I'm an adventurer. Wow, oh it's kind of scary. I hope I don't slip and fall. So I walk here, go up and then down those stairs back to the entrance. Wow, the view of the cave from here is pretty nice. I feel really excited. There's a lot of adrenaline and it was really fun. I'll do it again. Don't miss this elevator on your way back to the start because it takes you all the way up the plateau and look at this view! There are only a few caste formations in Japan this big. I love rocks! This rocks! Akiyoshida is one of three major caste formations in Japan and you'll know from my birthday many moons ago, I went to the Shikoku caste which is another one on the list and all that I have left is the Fukuoka caste to complete the trio. If you're here by car, driving along the caste road is an amazing way to enjoy the views. But if you come by public transport and are on foot like me, there are walking trails that let you get much closer to the landscape. What an exciting day! Now it's time to catch the train to Shimonoseki, the westernmost city of Honshu. Shimonoseki is Japan's fugu or puffer fish capital. In fact, Karato market is one of the largest wholesale fugu markets in Japan and as you can see, there's fugu everywhere. This is a puffer fish vending machine. There's so much fresh seafood at Karato market and to showcase it all, there's this event that happens on Fridays, weekends and national holidays where you get to pick your own sushi. Let's get started. This is just part one of my sushi breakfast. Fugu puffer fish karaage. This little heart shows you how much I love puffer fish korokke. Perfect. I'm gonna get this. I've got fugu puffer fish sashimi. And I've also got fugu miso soup. Wow, looks so good. Slightly crunchy but pretty good. So good. Shimonoseki also faces the Kanmon Strait, the stretch of water that separates the island of Honshu and Kyushu. It's one of the busiest straits in Japan and you can see many container ships passing through. For my next trick, I'm gonna walk underwater to Kyushu over there. Just kidding, there's a tunnel over here. It took me only 15 minutes to cross under the sea. Okay, maybe 20 minutes because I was having too much fun at the prefectural border. From above, the crossing looks much longer than it actually is, doesn't it? Alright, I made it to the other side and I'm gonna head 30 minutes this way to Moji Port. Moji Port has been an important international trading port since the late 1800s. Some of these western-style buildings here date back to the port's early years. One of them is Mojiko Station, one of the oldest and one of Stefan's favorite stations in Japan. Its preserved station building, platform roofs and atmosphere make you feel like you're stepping back in time. This is the former toilet. It's really nice that they've kept the retro vibes. I like it. Definitely worth taking a look when you're here. You might be wondering, why am I holding a banana in my hand? Well, fun fact! The commercial import of bananas to Japan started here in Moji Port back in 1903, so you can basically say Japan's banana history started from here. It's bananas! You'll still see bananas everywhere here today, even as an ingredient in yakikari, the local specialty. As a final tip, I recommend checking out the Mojiko Retro Observation Gallery where you can get impressive views of the city, the Kanmon Straits and a sunset that feels like the perfect end credit scene to your trip. Well, this is where my journey ends. I hope you enjoyed my three-day trip in Yamaguchi, where I ate pufferfish, saw a national treasure, was in two places at the same time, and spent a day in one of the largest caves in Japan. Thanks for watching! For more travel ideas west of Osaka or Hiroshima, check out our other videos here. Happy travels!