Hagi Castle Town

Hagi Castle Town, in Yamaguchi Prefecture, is home to well-preserved merchant and samurai districts. Built outside the moat of Hagi Castle, which dates to 1604, the streets follow the same neat grid layout established in the early Edo period. White-plastered walls, black wooden fences, and traditional namako earthenwork (a white grid pattern on black slate, meant to protect buildings) create an atmosphere unchanged for over 400 years.
Walking through the lanes, you’ll encounter stately residences such as the Kikuya Residence—one of the oldest surviving merchant homes in Japan—and the birthplace of some well-known historical figures, like Meiji Restoration leader Kido Takayosh. Hagi’s charm comes from its Edo-period atmosphere, visible in the “Yokocho” alleyways with their white-walled buildings and black wooden fences. It’s also the birthplace of key figures in the Meiji Restoration, including Japan’s first Prime Minister, Hirobumi Ito . The preserved Shokasonjuku Academy, where they studied, is a short trip from the castle town. Throughout Hagi, historical sites like the Toko-ji Temple, with its rows of stone lanterns, offer a glimpse into its rich past.
Hagi is also famous for its Hagi-yaki pottery, which you can try making yourself at a workshop, and Hagi summer oranges, symbols of the town often seen hanging over garden walls.