Recently, The New York Times included the charming city of Yamaguchi city in the list of 52 Places to Go in Japan.
Located in the westernmost part of Japan’s Honshu Island, Yamaguchi City is a captivating destination that seamlessly blends cultural richness with natural beauty.
Yamaguchi unfolds an array of experiences that appeal to history enthusiasts, nature lovers, and those seeking authentic Japanese charm, a destination often missed by mainstream tourism.
Yamaguchi Prefecture proudly boasts a deep historical legacy that draws visitors into a bygone era.
The city of Yamaguchi itself, once the political and cultural center of the Choshu domain, preserves a wealth of historical sites such as the Ruriko-ji Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage site with a majestic five-story pagoda.
The temple, located in Kozan Park is surrounded by plum and cherry blossoms in spring and picturesque gardens and offers a serene retreat for contemplation and appreciation of ancient architectural marvels.
The New York Times also highlighted Yuda Onsen which offers a variety of traditional ryokans (Japanese inns) for travelers to visit, and the 600-year-old Yamaguchi Gion Festival which is smaller but just as historic as the more well-known Kyoto Gion Festival.
Visitors from Malaysia will also enjoy the surrounding areas within Yamaguchi Prefecture such as Shimonoseki, renowned as the ‘Fugu Capital’ of Japan which is home to the scenic Tsunoshima Bridge and Karato Market, a lively seafood market attracting fishermen from all over Japan.
Travelers who love Japanese culture will enjoy visiting historic Hagi, a well-preserved ancient castle town, and further north from Hagi lies a photogenic area around Motonosumi Shrine with hundreds of red torii gates leading to a cliff by the sea.
Japan National Tourism Organisation (JNTO) has released the figures for the number of visitors from Malaysia who have entered Japan in the year 2023.
In the second half of 2023, Japan welcomed over two million international visitors per month consecutively which shows that Japan is still a preferred destination by travelers.
JNTO’s preliminary figures show that over 25 million visitors entered Japan in 2023, demonstrating that the country is on its way to recovering to its pre-COVID levels where in 2019, over 31 million visitors entered the country.
For Malaysians entering Japan, the numbers remain strong and on track to matching up to 2019’s figures, with over 60,000 Malaysians visiting Japan during the wintery month of December compared to 78,250 in the same month in 2019.
The total number of Malaysian visitors to Japan in 2023 is 415,700. JNTO’s approximate figures for visitor arrivals from Malaysia to Japan are listed in the table below:
| Month | Arrivals | Month | Arrivals |
| January 2023 | 27,099 | July 2023 | 17,357 | |
| February 2023 | 31,992 | August 2023 | 19,206 | |
| March 2023 | 38,904 | September 2023 | 27,543 | |
| April 2023 | 40,244 | October 2023 | 45,162 | |
| May 2023 | 34,004 | November 2023 | 51,400 | |
| June 2023 | 22,009 | December 2023 | 60,800 |
Source: JNTO
JNTO is a non-profit governmental organization of Japan and JNTO Kuala Lumpur’s office is involved in a variety of activities in Malaysia to promote and encourage tourists from Malaysia to consider Japan as a top destination in their travel plans. For more information, visit https://www.japan.travel/en/my/
