Yanai Guide
Yanai is a charming, small, historical town on the south coast of Yamaguchi Prefecture and well worth a day trip from Hiroshima, or a stop on the way down to Kyushu. Yanai is known for its Edo Period buildings and unique Goldfish Lantern Festival in August.
- Shirakabe Street
- Yanai Machinami Museum
- Kunimori House
- Kanro Joyu Soy Sauce Museum
- Shirakabe Gakuyukan
- Yanai Nishikura
- Access
Yanai Guide 柳井
Jake Davies
Yanai is a charming, small, historical town on the south coast of Yamaguchi Prefecture and well worth a day trip from Hiroshima, or a stop on the way down to Kyushu.
Located near the mouth of a tidal river that empties into the Seto Inland Sea, this favorable location along the main trade route of Edo Period Japan led to its growth as a major merchant town and trading center.
Shirakabe Street in Yanai, YamaguchiThe stone embankment and steps along the river in Yanai where boats would load and unload their cargoes
Shirakabe Street
The heart of the tourist area is Shirakabe Street, a street of preserved Edo Period, white-walled merchant homes, shops, and storehouses. Such streets do exist elsewhere in Japan, but what makes Yanai somewhat special are the colorful red and white lanterns strung along the streets. These are Kingyo Chochin and are unique to Yanai. Made of Japanese washi paper and bamboo, these goldfish-shaped lanterns really liven up the streets and make the area especially beautiful for a stroll in the evening. In August around the time of the Obon Festival a Kingyo Festival takes place here involving floats with huge lanterns.
From the main railway station the Shirakabe district is just a few minutes walk up the main street. When you reach the bridge over the river you can see the stone embankments and steps where boats would tie up and load and unload their cargoes.
Across the bridge you walk alongside the long, tall wall that encloses the Muroya-no-Sono Merchant House, one of the biggest Edo Period merchant residences still in existence in Japan. Its eleven buildings are open to the public and contain a massive collection of historical paraphernalia. The entrance is just on the right at the crossroads.
Goldfish Lanterns line the streets of Yanai in Yamaguchi
The former headquarters of the Suo Bank. Built in 1907 it now houses a small, free museum
Yanai Machinami Museum
Just across from the Muruya no Sono Museum is the Yanai Machinami Museum. Housed in the former Suo Bank headquarters, and built in 1907, the first floor has displays on Yanai and a large diorama of the town that can give you a bird's eye view of where the various tourist sites are. It is also a de facto tourist information office with lots of pamphlets and such you can pick up. The second floor is devoted to Utako Matsushima, a very popular singer from the pre- and post-war period who was born in Yanai.
Yanai Machinami Museum
4-42 Yanaitsu, Yanai-shi
Yamaguchi 742-0022
Tel: 0820 23 2137
Free entry
Open from 9am to 5pm. Closed Mondays and Thursdays.
From the crossroads the main Shirakabe Street runs along parallel to the river. Some of the buildings are still private residences, but many are gifts shops, restaurants and cafes, as well as a few places of interest to the visitor.
Kunimori House
The Kunimori House is another merchant residence belonging to a wealthy family, though not as big as the Muroya no Sono, it was built more than 250 years ago and the interior is as it was then. All the rooms are open and there are a lot of artworks like folding screens on display as well as objects from daily life and also the "office".
Kunimori House
467 Kanaya, Yanaitsu, Yanai-shi,
Yamaguchi 742-0022
Tel 0820 22 0177
Open from 9am to 5pm, closed Mondays and over the New Year.
Entry 200 yen, 100 yen for kids
Old merchant district in Yanai, Yamaguchi
Shirakabe Gakuyukan Folklore Museum has a wide range of displays on daily life in Yanai through the centuries
Kanro Joyu Soy Sauce Museum
Just up a side street is the Kanro Joyu Soy Sauce Museum. Making a sweet type of soy sauce that is a local specialty, inside the cavernous wooden building you can climb up and peer into the dozens of huge wooden vats where the black, bubbly, and smelly, sauce is being fermented. All around are examples of the equipment that used to be used in times gone by, and of course there is a well stocked gift shop for buying soy sauce.
Kanro Joyu Soy Sauce Museum
3708-1 Yanai, Yanai-shi,
Yamaguchi 742-0021
Tel: 0820 22 1830
Open from 8am to 5pm. No regular closing day.
Free entry
Shirakabe Gakuyukan
The Shirakabe Gakuyukan is a folklore museum that has changing exhibitions covering many different aspects of life in Yanai including up to the mid-20th century. A nice, small garden can be viewed from the covered walkway that connects the buildings.
Shirakabe Gakuyukan
495 Yanaitsu, Yanai-shi
Yamaguchi 742-0022
Tel: 0820 22 4518
Open 9am to 5pm, closed Tuesdays
Free entry
Yanai Nishikura
Housed in a former soy sauce warehouse, here you can try your hand at making the goldfish lanterns or dyeing and weaving the local style of textiles. With advance booking you can also rent and be fitted in a traditional kimono.
Yanai Nishikura
3700-8 Yanaitsu, Yanai-shi
Yamaguchi 742-0021
Tel: 0820 23 2490
Open from 9am to 5pm Closed Tuesdays.
Yanai Sightseeing Association
The main tourist information office is located at the western end of the historic district, furthest from the train station but close to the main parking area. With advance notice they can arrange for a free English-speaking guide.
3714-1 Furuichi, Yanaitsu, Yanai-shi, Yamaguchi 742-0021
Tel: 0820 23 3655
Open from 9am to 5pm
A map in English of Yanai and the Shirakabe area
kanko-yanai.com (downloadable PDF)
Nearby
A little to the east of the Shirakabe area is the Yanai Tenmangu Shrine which is quite colorful. At the end of April the shrine's festival includes a big procession of people in period costume.
In the mountains about 5km south of the station is Shinpozan Hannya Temple. Known for its impressive weeping cherry, the autumn colors are also worth a visit. The Niomon Gate is thatched, and from the temple you can catch glimpses of the Inland Sea and islands down below.
For those with an interest in ancient history, the Chausuyama Kofun Tumulus is a large burial mound where one of the largest bronze mirrors in Japan was excavated. There is a museum with excavated artifacts and displays about the mound.
Yamaguchi Flower Land is a large park which as the name suggest focuses on different displays of flowers throughout the year. There are also numerous entertainments and play areas for kids.
Accommodation in Yanai
Yanai has a full range of accommodation options including hotels, ryokan, and minshuku. Some recommended places to stay include the Yanai Grand Hotel, the Yanai Station Hotel and the Yanai City Hotel.
Access - Getting To Yanai
Yanai Station is on the Sanyo Main Line, 90 minutes from Hiroshima Station, or one hour from Shin Yamaguchi, both Sanyo Shinkansen stations. From Iwakuni, Yanai is 30 minutes.
There is a car ferry between Yanai Port and Matsuyama Port in Ehime Prefecture on Shikoku.
Kunimori House, an Edo Period residence of a wealthy merchant
Yanai Tenmangu Shrine