Rurikoji Temple, photos by Takahiro Takiguchi ()
Yamaguchi City is renowned for its stunning scenery, incredible temples and soothing hot springs. This year, however, the New York Times has named it one of the “52 places to go in 2024.”
The capital city is a political, cultural and business hub in the westernmost part of Japan's main island and earned the No.3 spot on the list after the North American Path of Totality and Paris.
The New York Times describes Yamaguchi City as the “Kyoto of the West” thanks to its less crowded attractions. The city is only a 2-hour drive from MCAS Iwakuni and is home to Rurikoji, a majestic Zen temple with a beautiful five-story pagoda, St. Francis Xavier Memorial Church, a Catholic church dedicated to the memory of a Spanish saint, and Yuda Onsen, an 800-year-old onsen.
Learn more about this internationally-recognized city here.
Yamaguchi City URL Tel: 083-933-0088 (Yamaguchi Tourism Convention Association)
(Left) Main Gate of Former Yamaguchi Han Government, (Right) Yamaguchi Prefectural Goverment Museum
Rurikoji Temple
Yuda Onsen SPA
St. Francis Xavier Memorial Church
