Understanding Yamaguchi's Layout
Yamaguchi is the capital city of Yamaguchi Prefecture, which sits at the westernmost edge of Japan's main Honshū island. For a visitor, the most important thing to grasp is that the city has two main train stations that serve very different purposes. Yamaguchi Station (山口駅) is centrally located, while Shin-Yamaguchi Station (新山口駅) lies to the southwest and is the stop on the San'yō Shinkansen bullet train line. Regular trains link the two stations in roughly fifteen to twenty-five minutes, so your choice of arrival point shapes how you move around afterward.
Getting Around by Train
The JR Yamaguchi Line runs through the city and is the backbone of rail travel for sightseeing. The key stops for visitors are Yuda Onsen Station, which serves the Yuda Onsen hot spring area, and Yamaguchi Station itself. If you are heading to Joeiji Temple, note that it is closer to Miyano Station than to the central station.
Shin-Yamaguchi Station is the long-distance gateway. It is generally served each hour by a Nozomi or Sakura service plus an all-stations Kodama service. From here you can reach major cities by bullet train: Hiroshima and Fukuoka are both manageable in around an hour, Osaka takes a few hours, and Tokyo is a longer journey. If you hold a Japan Rail Pass, remember that you must travel on the Sakura and Hikari services rather than Nozomi, which take slightly longer, and a train change will usually be required if you are coming from east of Osaka.
Buses and Other Public Transport
Yamaguchi does not have a metro or tram network, so buses fill the gaps that trains leave. Bus operators such as Bocho Kotsu and Bocho Bus serve routes that reach destinations beyond the rail lines. A Bocho Bus runs to Akiyoshidai, the plateau known for its karst topography, and to Akiyoshido, the limestone cave beneath it; you can board this from Shin-Yamaguchi Station or Higashi-Hagi Station and get off at the Akiyoshido Bus Center. Another route bus connects Iwakuni Station to the famous Kintaikyo Bridge. Bocho Kotsu also operates a Yamaguchi–Tokyo line.
Some sights are not reachable by public transport at all. Motonosumi Shrine, with its row of red torii gates along a cliff in Nagato City, has no direct public transportation; the practical approach is to take a taxi for about twenty minutes from Hitomaru Station on the JR Sanin Main Line.
Taxis and Ride-Hailing
Taxis are the realistic option for places that buses and trains do not serve, such as Motonosumi Shrine.
Walking and Bicycles
Many of Yamaguchi's sites can be reached on foot, but the walks may be longer than many tourists would like. When a destination is too far to walk comfortably, the recommended alternatives are to take a bus or rent a bicycle. There is a rentacycle shop across the street from Yamaguchi Station, which makes cycling a convenient way to cover ground around the center.
Reaching the City from the Airport
Yamaguchi Ube Airport (UBJ) in Ube is the prefecture's largest airport, with domestic flights arriving from Tokyo Haneda Airport. To get into the city, shuttle buses connect the airport with Shin-Yamaguchi Station, the bullet train stop, in about thirty minutes for ¥910. From Shin-Yamaguchi you can then continue by regular train to central Yamaguchi Station or onward by Shinkansen to other destinations.