Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi

Encyclopedia : S : SH : SHI : Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi

is a city located in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. It is at the southwestern tip of Honshu, facing the Sea of Japan and also Kitakyushu across the Kanmon Straits.

The city was founded on April 1, 1889. It is known for fugu, as this is where the largest catch of these fish is taken in Japan each year. The city has a population of 244,494 (1.1.2006) with a density of 406.1 persons per km². The total area is 715.89 km². Shimonoseki city merged with Toyoura District on February 13, 2005 to replace the old city of Shimonseki.

Captured battery at Shimonoseki, 1864.

The geographical position of Shimonoseki has given it historical importance, especially with the Bombardment of Shimonoseki in 1864 and the Treaty of Shimonoseki, where a defeated China handed over Taiwan, the Pescadores, and Port Arthur to the victorious Japanese in 1895. The Heike and Genji fought at Dan-no-ura near the present Kanmonkyo Bridge.

On January 7, 2006, the wooden station building at Shimonoseki station, which had dated back to 1942, was destroyed in a fire, the cause of which is suspected arson.

Kanmon Straits seen from space, Shimonoseki on the right, Kitakyushu on the left

Contents

1 Main sightseeing spots and institutions

1.1 JR Shimonoseki station and Karato
1.2 Castle town Chofu
1.3 Toyoura
1.4 Houhoku

2 Transportation

2.1 Ferries from Shimonoseki Port International Terminal
2.2 Trains
2.3 Buses
2.4 Expressway
2.5 Airports

3 People
4 External links

Main sightseeing spots and institutions

JR Shimonoseki station and Karato

The Shimonoseki aquarium (Kaikyokan) with the Kanmon Straits and Moji-ku, Kitakyushu in the background.

Kaikyokan (Aquarium)
Karato Market
Nagato Market
Green Mall (or Little Busan. The shopping arcade of the South Korean style.)
Sea Mall Shimonoseki(The largest shopping center in West Japan when it was built.)
Kaikyo Yume Tower (Kaikyo Messe Shimonoseki)
Shimonoseki Port International Terminal
Shimonoseki Port
Yamaguchi Bank Co.,Ltd. (The head office)
Hayashikane Sangyo Co.,Ltd. (The main office)
Mt. Hinoyama
Kamon Wharf
Former British Consulate
Akama Shrine

Castle town Chofu

Streets with earthen walls
Kozanji (Temple, National treasure)
Shimonoseki City Art Museum
Chofu Garden
Nogi jinja - a shrine dedicated to the memory of General Nogi Maresuke

Toyoura

Kawatana Onsen (Hot spring)

The last of Richard Henry Brunton's 26 lighthouses at Tsunoshima island, Hohoku, Shimonoseki

Houhoku

Tsunoshima (island)

Transportation

Ferries from Shimonoseki Port International Terminal

The Kanpu ferry to Pusan in South Korea regularly.
The Orient ferry to Qingdao in China regularly.
The Orient ferry to Shanghai in China regularly. (This route is a plan for 2005)

Trains

The main JR Nishi Nihon stations (Sanyo Main Line and San'in Main Line)
*Shimonoseki station
*Shin-shimonoseki station
*Hatabu station
*Ozuki station
*Kawatana-onsen station

The main JR stations (Sanyo Shinkansen)
*Shin-shimonoseki station

Buses

*Bus companies (A loop-line bus in the city.)
** Sanden Kohtsu Co.,Ltd.
** Blue Line Kohtsu Co.,Ltd.

*Intercity bus services (arrival and departure in Shimonoseki city) go to the following destinations: Tokyo, Osaka, Kobe, Hiroshima, Fukuoka, Fukuoka Airport, etc.

Expressway

(Chugoku jidousyadou)

*Shimonoseki interchange
*Ozuki interchange

Airports

Nearby airports
*New Kitakyushu Airport (Kitakyushu Airport)
*Yamaguchi-Ube airport (Only for domestic flights)
*Fukuoka Airport

People

External links

[Shimonoseki official website] in Japanese
[Shimonoseki official website] in English

From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.