A complete guide to Hagi City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, a town that still retains its Edo period streetscape! - Access, sightseeing spots, souvenirs, and more

• Table of Contents
• About Hagi City, Yamaguchi Prefecture
• How to get to Hagi City
• 3 recommended areas
• 8 recommended sightseeing spots
• 3 souvenirs from Hagi City

About Hagi City, Yamaguchi Prefecture

Hagi City in Yamaguchi Prefecture is a town that still retains the atmosphere of the Edo period.

Hagi Castle was built in the Edo period (1604), and over 400 years have passed since the castle town was established. The castle town appearance has been preserved to this day, and Hagi is still a town where maps from the Edo period can be used as is.

During the late Edo period, the prefecture produced many Meiji Restoration patriots, including Yoshida Shoin, Kido Takayoshi, and Takasugi Shinsaku, and romantic historical sites such as their birthplaces and former homes remain in various places.

It is also the home ofHagi yaki pottery, known for the simple texture of the clay and the excellent quality of tea utensils, and is dotted with around 100 kilns.

If you go a little further from the castle town, you will find Unrinji Temple, famous as the Cat Temple, and Susa Hornfels, a cliff with vivid black and light gray stripes that is said to have been formed about 15 million years ago. Hagi is full of attractions in terms of history, culture, and nature!

How to get to Hagi City

*Access information is current as of 2024.

①By plane (Haneda Airport)

Fly from Haneda Airport to Yamaguchi Ube Airport or Hagi Iwami Airport.

・Recommended access from Yamaguchi Ube Airport

Take the Ube City Bus bound for JR Shin-Yamaguchi Station from the airport (approximately 30 minutes).

From JR Shin-Yamaguchi Station, take the direct bus "Super Hagi" or a local bus to Hagi city (about 60-75 minutes).

For details on buses from Shin-Yamaguchi Station, click here

・Recommended access from Hagi/Iwami Airport

From the airport, take a shared taxi to Hagi city (approximately 70 minutes).

Taxi company: Hagi Kintetsu Taxi Co., Ltd. Fare: 2,800 yen

Click here for details on shared taxis

② Shinkansen

Take the Tokaido-Sanyo Shinkansen (Nozomi, Hikari, etc.) to JR Shin-Yamaguchi Station.

From JR Shin-Yamaguchi Station, take the direct bus "Super Hagigo" or a local bus to Hagi city.

(Approx. 60-75 minutes) For details on buses from Shin-Yamaguchi Station, click here

③Car

Take the Chugoku Expressway (toll road) from various locations and exit the highway at Minehigashi JCT. Take the Ogori-Hagi Road (free) which is a freeway connected to Minehigashi JCT. Exit the Ogori-Hagi Road at Edo IC and take National Route 490 and other routes to Hagi City. *It takes about 35 minutes from Minehigashi JCT to Hagi City.

3 recommended areas

Hagi area

This area is home to a castle town that retains the townscape of the Edo period, as well as many places associated with Meiji Restoration patriots such as Yoshida Shoin and Takasugi Shinsaku.

Mutsumi area

There is Sunflower Road, where about 300,000 sunflowers bloom, and Unrinji Temple, affectionately known as the Cat Temple.

Hagi City Tourism Association website: Mutsumi area

Access: About 30 minutes by car from Hagi city

Susa area

This area is home to the beauty of natural formations such as Susa Bay, a nationally designated scenic spot, Susa Hornfels, and Tatamigafuchi.

Hagi City Tourism Association website: Susa area

Access: About 40 minutes by car from Hagi city

8 recommended sightseeing spots

1. Hagi Castle Town [World Heritage Site] (Hagi area)

Hagi Castle Town retains its streetscape from the Edo period. Samurai residences are dotted among the beautiful streetscapes, such as Kikuya Yokocho with its white walls and namako walls, and Edoya Yokocho with its black board fences.

Hagi City Tourism Association website: Castle Town Area

2. Shizuki Park, ruins of Hagi Castle [World Heritage Site] (Hagi area)

This is the ruins of the main castle of the Mori clan, lords of Hagi. In spring, it is a famous cherry blossom spot, with approximately 600 Somei-Yoshino cherry trees in full bloom. There is also one Midori-Yoshino cherry tree in the garden, which is rare in that it has pure white petals. This precious cherry tree can only be seen in Hagi in Japan.

Hagi City Tourism Association website: Hagi Castle Ruins Shizuki Park

3. Kikugahama Beach (Hagi area)

Kikugahama Beach, with its impressive white sand and green pines, is a great spot to watch the sun sink into the horizon in summer!

Hagi City Tourism Association website: Kikugahama

4. Hagi Meirin Gakusha (Hagi area)

Hagi Meirinkan School is built on the former site of the Hagi Domain's Meirinkan school. The main building houses the former Hagi Domain School Meirinkan Exhibition Room, the Geopark Visitor Center, and a restaurant. The second building houses the World Heritage Site Visitor Center, which introduces the World Heritage Site "Sites of Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution," and the Bakumatsu Museum, where you can see about 500 rare and valuable items, including old Japanese guns.

Hagi City Tourism Association website: Hagi Meirin Gakusha

5. Shokasonjuku (World Heritage Site) (Hagi area)

A private school run by Yoshida Shoin during the late Edo period. Shoin accepted students regardless of social status or class, and although he was there for just over a year, he nurtured many talented people who became the driving force behind the Meiji Restoration and played active roles in the new Meiji government.

Hagi City Tourism Association website:  Shokasonjuku

6. Tokoji Temple (Hagi area)

Tokoji Temple is the family temple of the Mori clan, the feudal lords of the Hagi domain, and enshrines the couples of the odd-numbered feudal lords from the 3rd to the 11th generation. The highlight is the approximately 500 stone lanterns at the graveyard.

Hagi City Tourism Association website: Tokoji Temple

7. Unrinji Temple (Cat Temple) (Mutsumi Area)

Unrinji Temple is popularly known as the "Cat Temple" and is home to a variety of cat figurines of all sizes, as well as cat fortune-telling slips, cat amulets, and cat votive plaques.

Hagi City Tourism Association website: Unrinji Temple

8. Susa Hornfels (Susa area)

The symbol of the Susa region and a beautiful formation of nature, "Susa Hornfels" was formed 14 million years ago. It is characterized by its stripes that stand out clearly from the seabed as it is subjected to the rough waves of the Sea of Japan.

Hagi City Tourism Association website: Susa Hornfels

3 souvenirs from Hagi City

1. Hagi yaki pottery: a traditional craft with 400 years of history

Hagi yaki pottery boasts a history of over 400 years. It has been designated a traditional craft and is highly regarded both in Japan and overseas for its artistic quality. In recent years, many dishes for the dining table have been made using this　pottery, and its diversity is what makes it so appealing. There are many kilns in the city, and some even offer tours of the production process and hands-on experience. Why not find your favorite kiln?

Hagi City Tourism Association website:Hagi yaki pottery

2. Summer orange sweets - a classic Hagi souvenir that has been loved for many years

"Summer mandarins" are a specialty of Hagi City. Summer mandarin trees can be seen here and there in Hagi, and the sight of yellow summer mandarin fruits peeking out from the white walls and earthen walls is beloved as a view unique to Hagi.

Sweets made from summer mandarins are very popular as souvenirs! In particular, "pickled summer mandarins" are Japanese sweets made by hollowing out the flesh of a summer mandarin, pickling the skin in sugar, and pouring summer mandarin yokan into the inside. They have been loved by the people of Hagi for many years.

Hagi City Tourism Association website: Summer orange sweets

3. Kamaboko - "Yaki-nuki Kamaboko" made using a method unique to Yamaguchi Prefecture

Hagi is the birthplace of Yaki-nuki Kamaboko, made using a traditional method unique to Yamaguchi Prefecture. Kamaboko is generally made in Japan by placing fish paste on a board and steaming it to harden, but Hagi's kamaboko is unique in that it is not steamed but baked over low heat, as the name Yaki-nuki Kamaboko suggests. By slowly baking over low heat for a long period of time, it has a unique springy elasticity and a glossy skin. Fresh lizardfish and small sea bream caught in the Sea of Japan are processed into paste, so you can enjoy the original taste of the fish with an exquisite natural saltiness. The skill of the artisan shines through in each and every piece.

Hagi City Tourism Association website: Kamaboko