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Shimonoseki
City in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan

Shimonoseki

Shimonoseki is a city located in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan.

Plan a trip to Shimonoseki→From Fukuoka

The city used to be referred to as Bakan (馬関). As of 30 June 2023, the city had an estimated population of 248,193 in 128,762 households and a population density of 350 persons per km2. The total area of the city is 716.18 square kilometres (276.52 sq mi). It is the largest city in Yamaguchi Prefecture and the fifth-largest city in the Chūgoku region in terms of population. It is nicknamed the 'home of Fugu' for the locally caught and cooked pufferfish, and is the largest harvester of the pufferfish in Japan.

Get in

Getting to Shimonoseki

  1. 01
    JR Shimonoseki Station

    The next-to-last stop on the San'yo Main Line and the last stop on the San'in Main Line.

  2. 02
    JR Shin-Shimonoseki Station
  3. 03
    Shimonoseki Port
See

Worth seeing

  1. 01
    Akama Jingū
  2. 02
    Ganryūjima

    This tiny island was the site of an epic samurai duel between Miyamoto Musashi and Sasaki Kojirō, two master swordsmen.

  3. 03
    Hinoyama

    At 268 meters high, Hinoyama offers good views of the Kanmon Straits.

  4. 04
    Kaikyokan Aquarium

    Dolphins, penguins, and sea lions join over 100 varieties of pufferfish, with four floors of exhibits about marine science and shows throughout the day.

  5. 05
    Kaikyō Yume Tower

    Standing 153 meters tall, the Kaikyou Yume Tower features an observation deck in the glass sphere at the top, with panoramic views over the city and the Kanmon Straits.

  6. 06
    Shunpanrō Hall

    The Treaty of Shimonoseki, which ended the First Sino-Japanese War, was signed on this site in 1895.

Do

Things to do

Although the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks and the Hiroshima Toyo Carp are geographically closer, many local baseball fans retain a loyalty to the Yokohama BayStars, which began in 1950 as the Shimonoseki-based Taiyo Whales. If you want to impress a native, pick up a blue and white BayStars jersey with "birthplace of the team: Shimonoseki" in Japanese (球団発祥の地 下関) on the back. Leaving already?

  1. 01
    Kanmon Straits Fireworks Festival

    One of Japan's largest fireworks festivals is held over the Kanmon Straits every year on August 13th, with over a million people in attendance and 13,000 hanabi to enjoy.

Eat

Where to eat

Even if you don't usually eat seafood, you may want to make an exception for Shimonoseki's most famous dish: fugu (ふぐ) (pronounced "fuku" in the local dialect). While the flesh and skin are often completely harmless, the internal organs of some species of pufferfish pack enough lethal toxins to paralyze every muscle in the human body.

  1. 01
    Karato Ichiba Fish Market
  2. 02
    Kamon Wharf

    There are almost two dozen restaurants and cafes on the first and second floors, with plenty of crab, sushi, and (of course) fugu, but also Korean food and okonomiyaki as well.

  3. 03
    Shunrakukan
  4. 04
    Taketsubo
  5. 05
    Kitagawa

    A popular fugu restaurant (since 1871) with locations in the Karato area (7-11 Nabe-cho, +81 83-232-3212) and a bit northeast, off Route 57 (4-9 Akama-cho, +81 83-232-3211).

How locals move

Getting around Shimonoseki the local way

  • Go nextIt's also reachable via ferry and bridge.

From Wikivoyage: Shimonoseki, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us. Last edited 2026-09.

Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Wikimedia Commons (see Commons), Wikimedia Commons.