Meiji

The Former Onoda Cement Manufacturing Company Vertical Kiln (Tokkuri-gama) in Sanyo-Onoda City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, is Japan's only surviving cement-firing vertical kiln, built in 1883. Designated as a National Important Cultural Property and registered as a Mirai Technology Heritage, this brick industrial monument tells the story of Japan's first private cement company and the nation's path to modernization. Free admission year-round.

Built in 1906, the Former British Consulate at Shimonoseki is Japan's oldest surviving consulate building, a Queen Anne design by British architect William Cowan.

Shikairō in Kaminoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, is a nationally designated Important Cultural Property — a rare four-story wooden pseudo-Western building constructed in 1879 by Meiji Restoration veteran Ogata Kenkurō. Featuring white plastered walls, French stained glass, and exquisite plaster relief sculptures of dragons and phoenixes, this free-admission gem offers a unique fusion of Japanese and Western artistry with panoramic Seto Inland Sea views from the top floor.

The Kase Tunnel in Hagi City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, is a stone road tunnel cut through the Kasega-saka Pass during the Meiji era. Construction began in 1883 and was completed in 1886. With a length of about 182 metres, a width of about 4.2 metres, and a height of about 3.9 metres, its andesite ashlar interior still preserves the atmosphere of early modern Japan. Recorded as the first Western-style stone road tunnel in Yamaguchi Prefecture and built as a symbol of Hagi's hopes for revival after the prefectural seat moved to Yamaguchi, it was registered as a National Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 1999.

Discover the Former Nomura Family Residence, a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in Yamaguchi City. Built in 1886 as a sake brewery, this beautifully preserved machiya now serves as the Manabi-kan museum, showcasing Ouchi lacquerware, Hagi pottery, and the traditional crafts of Japan's "Western Kyoto."

Discover the Former Nomura Family Residence Storehouse, a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in Yamaguchi City. This Meiji-era "nisan-no-kura" storehouse stands within the Yamaguchi Furusato Densho Center, offering a glimpse into the traditional sake-brewing heritage of western Honshu.

Kinunkaku is a tower-style ema hall (votive tablet hall) built in 1885 within Kikko Park in Iwakuni City, Yamaguchi Prefecture. Designed to resemble a feudal-era turret, this Registered Tangible Cultural Property of Japan stands gracefully at the edge of the old castle moat. Together with the iconic Kintai Bridge and Iwakuni Castle, it forms one of the most picturesque historical landscapes in western Japan.

The Former Mutsumi Village Office in Hagi City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, is a two-story wooden government building constructed in 1895 during the Meiji era. Registered as a national Tangible Cultural Property, it is the oldest surviving municipal office building in Yamaguchi Prefecture, having served as the seat of local government for over 90 years while retaining its original architectural form.

The Mutsumi Village Office Storehouse in Hagi City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, is a two-story earthen storehouse built in 1896 during the Meiji era. Featuring distinctive Sekishū tile roofing and white plaster walls, this remarkably well-preserved structure is registered as a National Tangible Cultural Property. Together with the adjacent former village office, it represents the oldest surviving municipal government architecture in Yamaguchi Prefecture.