Yamaguchi-ken is perhaps Chugoku's most appealing prefecture, but the coastal route further west from Iwakuni is undeniably blighted by heavy industry. Better to head inland to the hills, where an old-world atmosphere hangs over the sleepy prefectural capital, YAMAGUCHI , cut through by the narrow scenic river, Ichinosaka-gawa. It's a modern city, but one can see why it's also known as the "Kyoto of western Japan." The local highlights are the beguiling temple garden of Joei-ji , designed by the fifteenth-century artist and priest Sesshu; the handsome five-storey pagoda at Ruriko-ji ; and the recently reconstructed St Francis Xavier Memorial Cathedral , an ultra-contemporary church commemorating the first Christian missionary to Japan.

Many of the temples spread around Yamaguchi, not to mention its artistic sensibilities, date from the late fifteenth century, when war raged around Kyoto, and the city became an alternative capital for fleeing noblemen and their retinues. The tolerant ruling family of Ouchi Hiroyo , who settled in the area in 1360, allowed the missionary Francis Xavier to stay in Yamaguchi in 1549. By the Edo period, the Mori clan had gained power over the whole of western Japan and several of the Mori lords are buried in Kozan-koen, including Mori Takachika, who was a key figure in the overthrow of the Tokugawa government in 1867.

The closest of the surrounding attractions is the hot-spring resort Yuda Onsen , just one train-stop to the west of Yamaguchi, and practically a suburb of the city. Some 20km northwest are the intriguing caverns and rocky plateau of Akiyoshi-dai quasi-national park. The SL Yamaguchi-go , a highly popular steam train service, also passes through the city on its way to the delightful castle town of Tsuwano .