Located at the western extremity of Yamaguchi, Shimonoseki faces Moji Port on neighboring Kyushu Island, across the Kanmon Strait.
Located at the western extremity of Yamaguchi,
Shimonoseki faces Moji Port on neighboring Kyushu
Island, across the Kanmon Strait. Under the Kanmon
Strait runs the 3,461-meter-long Kanmon Tunnel
(780 meters of which runs beneath the sea). About
a 15-minute walk through the pedestrian tunnel
takes you to Mekari-jinja Shrine in Moji.
The Kanmon Strait is known as the scene of
an ancient battle leading to the fall of the Heike
clan (or Taira family). Dan-no-ura consists of the
whole area on the north shore of the Hayatomo-no-
Seto Canal, known for its rapid tides. This is the
place where the Emperor Antoku, the eight-year-old
grandson of Taira-no-Kiyomori, a warlord who fled
to Dan-no-ura, took his own life by drowning
himself. Located to the north of Dan-no-ura is
Akama-jingu Shrine, featuring a Dragon Palace-
style, it is consecrated to the tragic young
emperor and has Emperor Antoku's tomb in its
precincts.
In the eastern part of
Shimonoseki lies the 268-meter-tall Mt. Hi-no-
yama. The Hi-no-yama Ropeway takes you up to its
summit, where Hi-no-yama-koen Park is located. The
park is a first-rate beauty spot from which you
can enjoy an extensive view from the observation
spot of everything from the Kanmon Strait to as
far away as the Sea of Genkai. To the southeast of
Shimonoseki Station is the Kaikyo-Yume (dream
strait) Tower, the tallest tower in western Japan.
The tower complex houses permanent exhibition and
international conference halls, and from its
observation deck you can enjoy a 360-degree view
of the entire city and beyond.