Yanai: Goldfish Lanterns Swimming Through a White-Walled Town and Soy Sauce Culture

Yanai: White-Walled Merchant Town and Goldfish Lanterns

Yanai City in Yamaguchi Prefecture is appealing for its white-walled streetscapes retaining the atmosphere of a merchant town that prospered through Seto Inland Sea trade in the Edo period. Designated as a national "Important Preservation District for Historic Buildings" as "Yanai City White-Walled Townscape," approximately 200 meters of white plastered merchant houses line the streets.

Goldfish Lantern Festival

The "Yanai Goldfish Lantern Festival" held during Obon in August every year is a fantastical festival where handmade lanterns in the shape of red goldfish color the town. The sight of countless goldfish lanterns hung at the eaves of merchant houses and homes throughout the town illuminated at night captivates all who see it.

Sweet Soy Sauce Culture

Yanai is nationally known as a production area for "kanro shoyu" (re-brewed soy sauce). The rich flavor born from a brewing method using twice the normal amount of soy sauce is ideal for sashimi and dipping sauce. Facilities offering tours of soy sauce breweries are also available.

Lantern Workshop Experience

Workshops offering hands-on goldfish lantern making are also popular with tourists. Traditional crafts using Japanese paper and bamboo can be experienced.

Access

Approximately 5 minutes on foot from JR Yanai Station to the white-walled townscape. Accessible by train from Hiroshima and Iwakuni in approximately 40 minutes to 1 hour.