[2024 Guide] How to access Yamaguchi City which is called "Kyoto of the West"(30 minutes from Fukuoka/Hiroshima!) Thorough guide to transportation, time, and fees

• Table of Contents
• Kyoto of the West - What is Yamaguchi City?
• Where is Yamaguchi City?
• From overseas｜Fukuoka Airport (FUK)⇨Yamaguchi City
• From Domestic｜Haneda Airport (HND) ⇨Yamaguchi City
• JR Shinkansen｜Tokyo/Nagoya/Shin-Osaka/Okayama/Hiroshima/Kokura/Hakata/Kumamoto⇨Shin-Yamaguchi Station
• Highway bus｜Tokyo/Kyoto/Osaka/Hyogo/Hiroshima/Fukuoka⇨Yamaguchi City
• Train｜JR Yamaguchi Line
• Bus
• Bike Share｜ecobike (multilingual)
• I want to know more about Yamaguchi City!

All the latest tourist information is available on Yamaguchi City's official Instagram

Kyoto of the West - What is Yamaguchi City?

With its stunning national treasure five-story pagoda, Rurikoji Temple which is one of Japan's three most famous pagodas,  and its Yuda Onsen, a natural hot spring discovered by a white fox with a history of 800 years, Ryufukuji Temple, a autumn leaves tunnel chosen by the New York Times as a must-visit place in 2024, etc. , Yamaguchi City is a city rich in natural scenery, history and culture, and at the same time, you can experience various activities such as canoeing and Historical Road "Hagiokan".

National Treasure Rurikoji Five-storied Pagoda and Cherry Blossoms (*Rurikoji Five-storied Pagoda is under renovation until 2026)

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8 meter white fox statue "Yuta" in front of Yuda Onsen Station on the JR Yamaguchi Line

Autumn leaves approach in front of Ryufukuji Temple, a nationally important cultural property

Where is Yamaguchi City?

Yamaguchi City is located in central Yamaguchi Prefecture, the westernmost tip of Japan's main island, facing the Seto Inland Sea to the south, Hofu City and Shunan City to the east, Mine City and Ube City to the west, Hagi City to the north, and Tsuwano Town, Shimane Prefecture.

From overseas｜Fukuoka Airport (FUK)⇨Yamaguchi City

[Highway bus] Fukuoka Airport International Terminal → Hakata Bus Terminal (BT) → Yamaguchi City

Fukuoka Airport International Terminal→

Ⓐ Taxi ( ¥1,500~/14 min~) or bus (¥270/15 min)

→[Hakata Bus Terminal (BT)]

→Bocho Kotsu Highway Bus (¥1,800~3,000/2 hr 18 min)

→[Yamaguchi (in front of Nihozu Station)]

→Walk (4 min)

→[Nihozu Station]

→JR Yamaguchi Line (¥210/15 min)

→[Yamaguchi Station]

ⒷTaxi (¥1,500~/14 min~) or bus (¥270/15 min)

→[Hakata Bus Terminal (BT)]

→Chugoku JR Bus (¥3,000/4 hr 5 min)

→[Yamaguchi Station]

Ⓒ(at Bus stop "①")Domestic free shuttle bus (15 min)

→[Domestic Passenger Terminal Building/South Bus Terminal]

→Subway Airport Line (¥260/5 min)

→[Fukuoka Airport Station]

→[Hakata Station]

→Walk (3 min)

→[Hakata Bus Terminal (BT)]

→ⒶBocho Kotsu Highway Bus or ⒷChugoku JR Bus...

*For details such as timetables, reservations, and carry-on restrictions, please check "Bocho Kotsu Expressway Bus " and " Chugoku JR Bus ."

[JR-WEST Shinkansen] Fukuoka Airport International Terminal→ Hakata Station→Shin-Yamaguchi Station→Yamaguchi Station

Fukuoka Airport International Terminal→

ⒹTaxi (¥1,500~/14 min~) or bus (¥270/15 min)

→[Hakata Station]

→JR Shinkansen (¥5,170/35 min)

→[Hakata Station]

→[Shin-Yamaguchi Station]

→JR Yamaguchi Line (¥240/25 min)

→[Yamaguchi Station] 

Ⓔ(at Bus stop "①")Domestic free shuttle bus (15 min)

→[Domestic Passenger Terminal Building/South Bus Terminal]

→Subway Airport Line (¥260/5 min)

→[Fukuoka Airport Station]

→[Hakata Station]

→JR Shinkansen (¥5,170/35 min)

→[Hakata Station]

→[Shin-Yamaguchi Station]

→JR Yamaguchi Line (¥240/25 min)

→[Yamaguchi Station]

予約＆詳しくは【JRおでかけネット】

Timetable & Reservation [West Japan Railway]

From Domestic｜Haneda Airport (HND) ⇨Yamaguchi City

Haneda Airport (HND)⇨Yamaguchi Ube Airport(UBJ)

Flight time (approx): 1 hr 30~40 min

Price (approx) : ¥10,000~¥25,000

Number of flights: 10 flights/day

*Aircraft departure and arrival times and aircraft types are subject to change without notice, and delays and cancellations may occur due to weather or other unavoidable reasons. Please check each airline's website for the latest flight schedules and status.

国内線フライト情報【山口宇部空港HP】

Timetable & Reservation [Yamaguchi Ube Airport]

Yamaguchi Ube Airport(UBJ)⇨Yamaguchi City

[Yamaguchi Ube Airport HP] Access to various locations from the airport

[Car] Yamaguchi Ube Airport→Yamaguchi City (40 min)

[Shared taxi] Yamaguchi Ube Airport→Yuda Onsen (¥5,000~/45 min)

[Airport shuttle bus] Yamaguchi Ube Airport→Shin-Yamaguchi Station (¥910/30 min)

[Walk] Yamaguchi Ube Airport→Kusae Station (7 min) [Train]→Shin-Yamaguchi Station (¥420/40 min)

宇部空港から各地へのアクセス【山口宇部空港HP】

Access Guide [Yamaguchi Ube Airport]

JR Shinkansen｜Tokyo/Nagoya/Shin-Osaka/Okayama/Hiroshima/Kokura/Hakata/Kumamoto⇨Shin-Yamaguchi Station

Access Guide to Yamaguchi City

Tokyo→Shin-Yamaguchi: ¥20,470~/4 hr 30 min

Nagoya→Shin-Yamaguchi: ¥15,400~/2 hr 45 min

Shin-Osaka→Shin-Yamaguchi: ¥12,320~/1 hr 50 min

Okayama→Shin-Yamaguchi: ¥8,570~/1 hr 7 min

Hiroshima→Shin-Yamaguchi: ¥4,840~/30 min

Kokura→Shin-Yamaguchi: ¥3,280~/20 min

Hakata→Shin-Yamaguchi: ¥5,170~/35 min

Kumamoto→Shin-Yamaguchi: ¥10,090~/1 hr 16 min

*Please see the fares and ride times as a guide.

予約＆詳しくは【JRおでかけネット】

Timetable & Reservation [West Japan Railway]

Highway bus｜Tokyo/Kyoto/Osaka/Hyogo/Hiroshima/Fukuoka⇨Yamaguchi City

Tokyo → Yamaguchi City: ¥12,500/14 hr 41 min

For more information, please refer to "Bocho Kotsu Highway Bus"

Kyoto → Yamaguchi City: ¥8,200/11 hr 44 min

For more information, please refer to "Kintetsu Bus"

Osaka → Yamaguchi City: ¥8,200/10 hr 44 min

For more information, please refer to "Kintetsu Bus"

Hyogo → Yamaguchi City: ¥8,200/9 hr 49 min

For more information, please refer to "Kintetsu Bus"

Hiroshima → Yamaguchi City: ¥2,900/3 hr 20 min

For more information, please refer to "Bocho Kotsu Highway Bus"

Fukuoka → Yamaguchi City: ¥1,800~¥3,000/2 hr 18 min~4 hr 5 min

For more information, please refer to "Bocho Kotsu Highway Bus"

For more information, go to "Chugoku JR Bus"

*Please see the fares and ride times as a guide.

Train｜JR Yamaguchi Line

JR Chugoku region route map [JR West Japan HP]

JR Yamaguchi conventional line vehicle

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Retro signboard along the JR Yamaguchi Line "Yuda Onsen Station"

予約＆詳しくは【JRおでかけネット】

Timetable & Reservation [West Japan Railway]

Rarely get to ride it! Steam locomotive "SL Yamaguchi"

The steam locomotive ``SL Yamaguchi'' runs on the JR Yamaguchi Line from Shin-Yamaguchi Station to Tsuwano Station. Wouldn't you like to go on a train journey with a historical atmosphere, guided by the whistle?

``SL Yamaguchi'' running in the middle of winter

*SL Yamaguchi will be operated as DL Yamaguchi, which will be towed by a diesel locomotive, due to problems with C57 and D51. We will notify you as soon as a decision is made regarding the resumption of SL operations. (From official website)

The 2024 service calendar has not yet been determined.

2023 operation calendar (reference)

Bus

Yamaguchi City route bus

[防長交通] 時刻表・路線図

[Bocho Bus] Timetable & Route Map

[中国JRバス] 時刻表・路線図

[Chugoku JR Bus] Timetable & Route Map

[宇部市交通局] 時刻表・路線図

[Ube City Bus] Timetable & Route Map

Yamaguchi Bus Pass (for foreign visitors)

Sales target: foreign tourists (including international students)

*Passport must be presented at the time of purchase.

*No child fee

Price:

  1 day ¥2,000

  2 days ¥4,000

  3 days ¥5,000

Ticket booth:

Shimonoseki Station Bus tickets counter

Shin-Yamaguchi Station Bus tickets counter (North station square called "Zairaisen-guchi")

Shin-Yamaguchi Station Bus tickets counter (South station square called "Shinkansen-guchi")

Yamaguchi Station Bus tickets counter

Tokuyama Station Bus tickets counter

Hiroshima Bus Center Tickets counter

Hagi Bus Center

*Valid from the day of release. However, it can be issued at the counter from the day before the start of use.

About Yamaguchi Bus Pass

Yamaguchi Sightseeing Brochure Download

Yamaguchi Sightseeing Guide (English)

Yamaguchi Prefecture Tour Guide Handbook (Chinese)

Bike Share｜ecobike (multilingual)

You can rent/return your bicycle at any of the ports located throughout Yamaguchi City. Just install the ecobike app on your smartphone, register as a member, and scan the QR code on your bicycle to start using it!

(Multilingual support: Japanese, English, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Korean)

Yamaguchi City Port (34 locations, 100 bicycles) *January 2024

Yamaguchi city port list

Usage fee

¥30/15 minutes

Upper limit ¥700/less than 8 hours

Example: 45 minutes or more but less than 1 hour ¥120

7 hours ¥700

9 hours ¥850

Payment

①Credit card (Visa, MasterCard, JCB, AMEX, Diners)

②Carrier payment (d Payment, Softbank payment) *au is scheduled to be introduced in the future

③Cash (requires setting of phone number in Japan )

How to Use

① Download the dedicated app “ ecobike ” → Register as a member

Click here to download "ecobike" for Android devices

Click here to download "ecobike" for iOS devices

*If you cannot receive the URL for this registration at the registered email address, you may not be able to receive it due to spam settings etc. Please try disabling the setting for rejecting emails with URLs.

② Borrow

Launch the app → Tap “Rent” → Read the QR code on the bicycle → Automatically unlock

③Return

Lock the bicycle at the port → Launch the app → Tap “Return” → If “Return succeeded” is displayed, the return is complete.

*Returns to ecobike share cycle ports outside Yamaguchi City are not possible.

“ecobike Yamaguchi City Share Cycle” official website

Contact information for inquiries and troubles

0120-225-313 (7:00-21:00)

I want to know more about Yamaguchi City!

Yamaguchi City Official Tourism Site “Nishinokyo Yamaguchi”