Ube-Yamaguchi City (Japan Yamaguchi, Nagato-Hagi-Hofu)

Yamaguchi City (Yamaguchi-shi) is the capital of Japan's Yamaguchi Prefecture (Chugoku Region), with population around 200,000. As cruise ports for Yamaguchi-shi are used mainly Port Hagi (approx 25 km / 16 mi to the north) and Port Ube (Prefecture's principal seaport, locode JPUBJ, approx 33 km / 21 mi to the south-west).

Alternatively, cruise ships may access the City via Port Nagato (approx 35 km / 21 mi to the north-west) or Port Hofu (approx 17 km / 11 mi to the south).

• Hagi-shi (Hagi City, population around 50,000) is served by Iwami Airport (in Masuda) and is best-known for Hagiyaki (Hagi ware/Japanese pottery dating from the early-17th-century).
• Nagato-shi (Nagato City, population around 35,000) is best-known for Yumoto's onsen (hot springs). Senzaki Eki (train station) is on the Sanin Main Line (served by JR West) that links Kyoto and Shimonoseki.
• Ube-shi (Ube City, population around 170,000) has the Prefecture's only airport (Yamaguchi-Ube) serving daily flights linking with Tokyo. Bullet trains (Shinkansen/operated by JR West) serve three of the Prefecture's railway lines (Sanyo Main Line, Ube Line, Onoda Line). Ube is the Prefecture's principal seaport and largest industrial/manufacturing center. Next photo shows Port Ube.

Yamaguchi City (1929-founded) covers total area approx 1023 km2 (395 mi2). It was formed in the period 1889-2010 via mergers with neighboring towns and villages. Among domestic tourists, the City is best-known for the Ruriko-ji (Japan's National Treasure/kokuho-listed temple featuring a 5-story pagoda), Yamaguchi Xavier Memorial Church (a Roman Catholic cathedral named after St Francis Xavier/associated with Christianity's introduction to Japan in the mid-16th-century), Prefectural Art Museum, Ouchi-shi Yakata (ruins of Ouchi clan's fortified residence), Konomine-jo (16th-century castle), Yuda Onsen (alkaline hot springs).

Yamaguchi-Ube Airport connects with Tokyo (Haneda Airport) via regularly scheduled daily flights operated by Japan Airlines, ANA-All Nippon Airways (Zennikku), and StarFlyer. Yamaguchi Airport is directly linked to two railway stations: Shin-Yamaguchi-eki (the terminus of Yamaguchi Line and Ube Line/both operated by JR West) and Shimonoseki-eki (on the Sanyo Main Line/served by JR West, JR Kyushu, JR Freight).

Regular passenger ferries from Port Shimonoseki (approx 75 km / 47 mi to the south-west) link to South Korea (Busan) and China (Shanghai and Qingdao).