Hagi, An Atmospheric Japanese Castle Town

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Of the more than 10 million visitors to Japan, destinations like TokyoKyotoHiroshima. and Okinawa obviously rank among the better-known names. But there are small cities and towns spread among the beautiful islands of this singular country which are off the beaten tourist track, which show a less familiar, slower paced, in many ways more traditional side to this country. The charming small city (pop. 54,000) of Hagi, up the Yamaguchi prefecture in southwest Honshu, is a superb example.

A castle town on the inland Sea of Japan, this was the medieval capital of the feudal Yoshimi and then Mori clans, then later birthplace of a number of early modern Japanese prime ministers and other leaders (and in that sense has been called by some historians the cradle of Japan's all-important Meiji Restoration of the 1860s, which helped bring it into the modern era). Ironically, despite that, transportation issues and other factors led to relatively little industrial development around here.

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So today Hagi remains a low-key, even sleepy place with a central core that feels much like it must have centuries ago, although unfortunately the castle itself didn't survive the Meiji period, razed by modernizers (only the base and moats, above, remain). (Even today, Hagi can still be considered fairly remote; though just 478 miles from Tokyo, it takes 14 hours by bus, and train links are also not great; there's one flight a day, though, and that takes 90 minutes; I did it as a port of call on a Viking cruise).   


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Wandering through the lanes and alleyways of the Horiuchi, the old merchant/samurai nabe, you pass old gates, walled compounds, shrines, and temples - it feels like an open-air museum, but it's part of a living, working city. Over in the Shoin-jinja section are several temple shrines including Tokoji, that of the Mori (above), as well as the house of Japan's first prime minister, Hirobumi Ito, open to visitors. A couple of very good museums in the city, the Hagi Museum and the Hagi Prefectural Art Museum, do a good job displaying the relics, history, and culture of bygone Japan. 

Finally, visitors should not leave town without picking up an item of Hagi-yaki pottery among Japan's most prized, with its characteristic white glaze. You can buy it on busy Tamachi Mall, or go right to the source, such as Jo-Zan Kiln. 

As far as staying the night, there are options in various price ranges, but if you can swing it, I recommend Hokumon Yashiki, a luxury ryokan (traditional-style inn) right in the old Mori compound; if you can't manage 34,000+ yen (more than $300) a night, you could always stop in for a scrumptious meal. 

If you're interested in a particularly festive time to hit town, try late February through mid March for the Camelia Festival. But regardless, any time of year, this is a fascinating and serene spot to visit, and you can add time in other interesting local cities and towns like prefecture capital Yamaguchi ("Kyoto of the West") and Shimonoseki.


More information: HagiShi.com, JNTO.go.jpJapanVisitor.com.



images: opqr, ReggaemanSuhobei

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