A Beautiful Town with White-Walled Houses ~Yanai 柳井

Location; Yanai-tsu, Yanai City, Yamaguchi Prefecture
Access; From Tokyo, it takes just under two hours by plane to Iwakuni Kintaikyo Airport. From there, take a bus to Iwakuni Station, and it’s about 50 minutes to Yanai. From Osaka, take the bullet train (Shinkansen) to Hiroshima—it’s an hour and a half. From Hiroshima, it’s about an hour and a half by local train. From Hakata, take the bullet train to Tokuyama. From Tokuyama, it’s about 40 minutes.

This town has been designated as a Preservation District for Important Groups of Traditional Buildings.

Yanai city official https://www.city-yanai.jp/site/kanko/denkenchiku.html
Yamaguchi prefecture official https://yamaguchi-tourism.jp/spot/detail_15062.html

Now, let’s head to the town with its white-walled streets

Yamaguchi Prefecture is located at the westernmost tip of Honshu. If you’ve traveled here from Tokyo or Osaka, you’ll soon be leaving Honshu behind, with Kyushu just around the corner.
Get off at Yanai Station and walk for a short while, and you’ll come upon a town with a somewhat distinctive atmosphere.

Well, here we are at the entrance to the town of white walls.

If you come here, you’re sure to be dazzled by the brightness of the white walls.

A Town Where Goldfish Welcome You

Are you curious about this goldfish? It’s a traditional folk craft from Yanai called a “goldfish lantern.” It’s said to have been designed long ago, inspired by the “goldfish neputa” from the Neputa Festival in distant Aomori.
https://yanai-kankou.jp/en/souvenir/kingyo-chochin-goldfish-shaped-lanterns/

Kingyo neputa https://www.nebuta.jp/know/goldfish/about.html

The famous Kintaikyo Bridge and the streets of Hagi are right nearby. Why not immerse yourself in the white-walled streets while holding a “goldfish lantern” souvenir in one hand?
The goldfish will always be waiting for you.

Kintaikyou Bridge https://kankou.iwakuni-city.net/itn/
Hagi https://www.hagishi.com/en/