Shimonoseki
Shimonoseki (下関) is in Yamaguchi prefecture at the southwestern tip of the main island of Honshu, Japan. Together with Kitakyushu it forms the Kanmon Straits area.
across the [[Kanmon Straits]]
Get in
By train
Shimonoseki's main train station is centrally located on the San'yo Main Line. A new station building will be under construction, as the old building was destroyed in an arson fire in January of 2006.
The bullet train station is Shin-Shimonoseki, located seven minutes away by train from the town center. Only the slower, all-stopping Kodama trains make stops in this area, as do three daily Hikari trains in each direction (toward Hakata in the morning, and from Hakata in the evening).
The best calculated option for central access is to actually take a Nozomi or Hikari train under the sea and into Kokura station on Kyushu, then backtrack to Shimonoseki's main station on the San'yo Main Line via Moji. By this route, Shimonoseki can be reached by Nozomi in about 5 1/2 hours from Tokyo (¥24600) and 2 1/2 hours from Osaka (¥16850).
If you don't mind starting your trip in Shimonoseki at the bullet train station, you can transfer to a Kodama train at Hiroshima or Shin-Yamaguchi.
Remember that you cannot use Nozomi trains with the Japan Rail Pass.
By bus
An overnight bus service, the Dream Fukufuku, runs from Tokyo and Yokohama to Shimonoseki. From Tokyo, the ride takes 15 1/2 hours and costs ¥13000 each way.
Another Fukufuku service departs nightly from Osaka Umeda station, running to Shimonoseki in about 10 hours at a cost of ¥9150 each way.
By ferry
Daily ferries run by Kampu Ferry (tel. +81-832-243000, =>) connect Shimonoseki to Busan in South Korea. At time of writing, ferries leave from both sides at 7 PM and arrive 8:30 AM the next morning. 2nd class one-way tickets cost ¥8500, making this the cheapest way to get from Japan to another country.
There are also twice-weekly connections to Qingdao, China on Orient Ferries (=>). The trip takes over 24 hours and 2nd class one-way costs ¥19,000.
Get around
- City buses
- JR trains
See
- The former British consulate which holds exhibitions from time to time. Tea house in the back of the consulate.
- The Shunpanro Hall => where the Treaty of Shimonoseki which ended the Sino-Japanese war was signed in 1895.
- Akama Jingu shrine, which has a museum and the statue of "Mimi nashi Hoichi" (earless Hoichi) who features in a story by Lafcadio Hearn.
- The site of the Battle of Dan-no-Ura in 1185 => and the Bombardment of Shimonoseki in 1864 =>. This is near the Kanmonkyo road bridge. Slightly tacky replica cannons which will produce smoke and the sound of explosions (for a small fee!) are positioned at the point where the allied troops came ashore.
- The old samurai houses of the Mori clan, Kozanji temple and General Nogi's shrine (Nogi Jinja) in Chofu which is a bus ride from JR Shimonoseki station.
Eat
- Fugu fish (globe fish) - Shomonoseki is the nation's number one place for this fish.
Get out
- Kitakyushu on Kyushu is a short train ride from Shimonoseki. You can also go by ferry, road tunnel and bridge. There is a tunnel for walkers at the narrowest point across the Kanmon straits too.
External links
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