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Yanai (柳井市 Yanai-shi) is a city in Yamaguchi Prefecture approximately 70 km southwest of Hiroshima.

Understand

While not a major tourist destination, Yanai offers a variety of sites and activities that make this a good day trip from Miyajima or Hiroshima.

Get in

Rail

Yanai can be reached via the JR Sanyo Rail from Hiroshima (Westbound) or Tokuyama (Eastbound). Travelers on the shinkansen must disembark at either JR Tokuyama Station or Hiroshima Station.

Ferry

Regular ferry services connects Yanai by way of Yanai Minato JR Station to Mitsu, a suburb of Matsuyama (Ehime) and Beppu (Oita).

Car

Yanai can be reached by exiting the Sanyo Expressway at Kuga and proceeding Southbound on Prefectural Road 70.

Get around

See

District called "Shirakabe no Machi (Town with white walls)"

Yanai's most famous attribute is the charming and picturesque Shirakabe No Machi located approximately 1 km north of the Yanai JR station. Most of the homes and buildings in the district date back to the Edo Period (1600-1867). There are many shops specializing in local handicrafts as well as a locally famous Soy Sauce factory.

Located in Shirakabe no Machi is the large and culturally important House of Kunimori Family. the house, built in the late 18th century is a good example of a typical merchant class residence from the mid-Edo period. Admission is ¥200 for adults and ¥100 for children.

A much larger museum and old merchant residence is Muroyama no Sono. The residence was constructed by the Oda family around 1702 from revenues generated from the family's control of the lucrative rapeseed oil trade in Western Japan. The complex, which has been faithfully preserved, includes several warehouses and ancestral home that showcase various antiques from the Edo period as well as items from the Meiji and Showa eras. An elderly man, who is a descendant of the Oda family, is the curator and can provide a wonderful insight into the building and many of its contents. Admission fee is ¥350 for adults and ¥200 for children. The museum is open from 09:00-17:00 every day except Wednesdays.

The Shoko-an Temple grounds hosts a small well with nearby willow tree that is reputed to be the origin of name of Yanai (Well of the Willow Tree in Japanese). According to legend, a princess traveling through the region 1400 years ago is said to have briefly stopped at the well to quench her thirst. A toothpick discarded near the well during this brief stop is said to have grown into the large willow tree that is now there.

Do

Events

Paper Goldfish Festival
Paper Goldfish Festival and fireworks

Yanai has several unique local festivals each year.

  • Paper Goldfish Festival (金魚提灯祭り Kingyo Chōchin Matsuri). Aug 13. The festival is in honor of Yanai's most famous and noteworthy product: the goldfish lantern. Various teams compete to parade and spin large versions of the lanterns to the beat of a Taiko (Japanese Drum) and chorus. A large firework display concludes the festival. (updated Feb 2018)
  • Yanai Daishi Ennichi (柳井大師縁日) (At the Kongou Temple. 20 minutes' walk from JR Yanai Station.). Mar 21. This event is a day when memorial services are held for Kouboudaishi. On festival day, about 20 markets are held. (updated Feb 2018)

Golf

There are several golf courses surrounding Yanai:

  • 1 Yanai Country Club (柳井カントリー倶楽部), Hizumi 12372-1 (Between Route 149 and Route 153.), ☏ +81 820-28-1111. 18 holes. (updated Feb 2018)
  • 2 Iwakuni Country Club (岩国カントリー倶楽部), 1000 Yuumachi (Route 149 near Highway 437.), ☏ +81 827-63-0331. 18 holes. (updated Feb 2018)
  • 3 Heizei Seaside Golf Club (平生シーサイドゴルフクラブ), 452-3 Sone, Hirao-chō (In neighboring Hirao, on Route 23.), ☏ +81 820-56-2358. 9 holes. (updated Feb 2018)
  • 4 Iwakuni Century Golf Club (岩国センチュリーゴルフクラブ), Tsuzu 24-70 (On Route 115.), ☏ +81 827-38-1177. 18 holes. (updated Feb 2018)

Buy

paper goldfish lantern

Yanai's most famous souvenir is a paper goldfish lantern (kingyo chouchin). It can be found at various shops in and around Yanai. Yanaijima fabric goods are notable for the vivid colored striped pattern and smooth texture. Kanro soy sauce is a high quality soy sauce brewed at the locally famous Sagawa Soy Sauce Brewery. Its method of brewing adds a sweet flavor that makes it prized for use with sushi and sashimi throughout the Chugoku and Kansai region.

  • 1 MadDope (マッドドープ), Minamimachi 1-3-3 (across the street from the HyperMerx Mall and a 3-minute walk from the Yanai JR station via the pedestrian underpass), ☏ +81 820-23-7654. An eclectic shop featuring locally produced Japanese hip-hop CDs and Japanese fashion. (updated Feb 2018)

Eat

There are many reasonably priced and delicious dining options in Yanai.

  • 1 Kamaya (釜屋), Minamimachi 7-2-5 (Across the street from Yanai City Hall and a 4 minute walk from the Yanai JR rail station.), ☏ +81 820-23-3141. A local family-run udon establishent featuring freshly made udon. Entrees ¥300-700. (updated Feb 2018)
  • 2 Shinatora (しなとら), Minamimachi 3-4-6 (3 minutes south of JR Yanai Station.). An excellent ramen noodle restaurant. What sets the restaurant apart from others is the insistence on using only homemade stock in all bowls. Around ¥800. (updated Feb 2018)
  • Murasaki (村さ来) (4 minutes east on foot from Shirakabe no Machi.). A quant and intimate izakaya. For those not familiar with the concept of an izakaya, this establishment serves as an excellent and Western-friendly point of introduction. (updated Feb 2018)
  • 3 Sanzoku (山賊, The Chicken Shack), Kugamachi 1380-1, Iwakuni (From Yanai by car, proceed North on Prefectural Route 70 to National Highway 2. Located on the left.), ☏ +81 827-82-3115. Literally translating as "Mountain Family", this establishment features coal roasted chicken and meat dishes with gift shop and koi pond located on a sprawling outdoor arboreal setting. (updated Feb 2018)
  • 4 Taiwanya (台湾), Nakano 447-1 (Near Shirakabe no Machi.), ☏ +81 820-22-0776. There is a long menu, but most regulars eat 'shiru-soba','shiru-bihun','yaki-soba'and 'yaki-bihun.' The restaurant is run by a man and his wife. Take-out available on request. (updated Feb 2018)

Drink

Sleep

Mid-range

  • 1 Yanai Station Hotel (柳井ステーションホテル), Minamimachi 1-5-1 (Across the tracks, SW of Yanai Station.), ☏ +81 820-22-2628. (updated Feb 2018)
  • 2 Yanai City Hotel (柳井シティホテル), Minamimachi 3-2-8 (Across the tracks, SW of Yanai Station.), ☏ +81 820-23-0111. (updated Feb 2018)
  • 3 Yanai Park Hotel (柳井パークホテル), Minamimachi 1-4-2 (Across the tracks, SW of Yanai Station.), ☏ +81 820-22-1175. (updated Feb 2018)
  • 4 Yanai Grand Hotel (柳井グランドホテル), Chūō 2-2-22 (Near Shirakabe, NE of Yanai Station.), ☏ +81 820-23-0030. (updated Feb 2018)

Splurge

  • 5 Yanai Cruise Hotel (柳井クルーズホテル), Minamimachi 4-1-1, ☏ +81 820-23-6000. The largest hotel in town, with large "Western"-size rooms. It has a café that serves a standard breakfast set for an additional fee. 

Go next

Routes through Yanai
Yamaguchi ← Hofu ←  W  E  → Iwakuni → Hiroshima


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