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Major city · Japan

Yanai柳井市

Go for half a day, not a night: the white-walled street is 15 min on foot from JR Yanai and done in 2–3 h. Sleep in Hiroshima, Iwakuni or Hikari instead.

Weather
see forecast
Currency
JPY
Best months
Mar–May, Oct–Nov
avoid Jul–Aug (hot and humid), mid-Aug festival crowds
Airports
HIJ · IWK · FUK
Nights
0–1
Not field-verifiedbasic guide
Print / PDF guide
3 pages, for the metro and roaming-off days
Map
Google Maps Apple Maps Street View
Rules in force · 5
  • East Asia ↗Every border in East Asia is a full international border, Hong Kong and Macau included: an entry permission for one never covers the next.
  • East Asia ↗Ferries between Korea, Japan and China cancel in rough seas and typhoons; keep a flight or a spare day behind every sea leg.
  • Japan ↗IC cards (ICOCA/Suica) are topped up with cash at station machines.
  • Japan ↗Smoking while walking is banned in most city centres; use designated areas.
  • Japan ↗Shinkansen bags 160–250 cm (L+W+H) need a seat reserved with the oversized-baggage area.

Yanai is a small Seto Inland Sea town in eastern Yamaguchi, about 70 km southwest of Hiroshima, known for one preserved Edo-period merchant street, Shirakabe no Machi, and for paper goldfish lanterns. It is a half-day stop on the JR Sanyo line between Hiroshima and Iwakuni, not a base: the sights are few, spread out, and the town empties in the evening. Come for the street, the soy sauce brewery and a bowl of udon, then move on.

Essentials

Quick answers and what things cost

Quick answers

The questions people ask first about Yanai, one line each. Tap a card for the full answer.

Cost cheat-sheet

2026 desk estimate · check

Typical prices for the everyday things, as ranges. Your currency is shown next to the local price.

  • CoffeeCoffee or tea in a café¥400–700 (≈ US$3–5)
  • Beercan at a convenience store / draught in a bar¥250–350 (≈ US$2–3)¥500–750 (≈ US$4–6)
  • Taxi, about 5 km5 km taxiLate-night surcharge after 22:00.¥1,800–2,300 (≈ US$13–16)
  • SIM or eSIM, a weekeSIM or data SIM, about a week¥2,000–4,000 (≈ US$14–30)
  • Museum or sight ticketKunimori house admission¥200 (≈ US$2) adults¥100 (≈ under US$1) children
  • Budget bedHostel or guesthouse bed, a night, per person¥3,000 (≈ US$25)
  • Mid-range bedBusiness-hotel double room, a night, per room¥12,000 (≈ US$85)
  • High-end bedBusiness-hotel double room, a night, per room¥22,000 (≈ US$150)

A day, not counting the bed: Budget ¥6,000 (≈ US$45) · Mid ¥11,000 (≈ US$75) · High ¥20,000 (≈ US$140)

Local prices, with USD next to them (rates 2026-09 (approximate); change it in the header). Ranges are desk estimates: check locally. Every price and the budget calculator →

Decide

What it is known for, and when the weather works

At a glance

What the city is known for, how you fly in, and where to find the phrases.

Shirakabe no Machi white-walled merchant streetPaper goldfish lanterns (kingyo chōchin)Kanro soy sauceMuroyama no Sono merchant residence
Airports
HIJ Hiroshima Airport (About 1 h 30 min to Yanai by bus and JR Sanyo line; check connections) · IWK Iwakuni Kintaikyo Airport (Closer, but few flights; about 40 min by JR Sanyo line from Iwakuni) · FUK Fukuoka Airport (Shinkansen to Tokuyama or Hiroshima, then JR Sanyo line; 3 h+)

Weather and climate

Forecast from Open-Meteo · averages rounded

Yanai: next 7 days

Loading forecast…

Forecast: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0), model data for this point.

Air quality

Loading…

Model estimate (CAMS via Open-Meteo), not a street-level station; readings near busy roads run higher.

Jan

9°C

1°C

6 rd

Feb

10°C

1°C

7 rd

Mar

14°C

4°C

9 rd

Apr

19°C

9°C

9 rd

May

23°C

14°C

9 rd

Jun

26°C

18°C

11 rd

Jul

30°C

23°C

10 rd

Aug

32°C

24°C

8 rd

Sep

28°C

20°C

9 rd

Oct

23°C

14°C

7 rd

Nov

17°C

8°C

6 rd

Dec

12°C

3°C

6 rd

High / low °C · rd = rain days

Arrive & move

Airports are listed under At a glance; this is how to move once you are in

Getting around

Walk. JR Yanai Station to Shirakabe no Machi is about 1 km, 15 min on foot. Local buses run but are infrequent; taxis wait at the station. For Flower Land and the marine park you need a car or taxi. The JR Sanyo line links Yanai with Iwakuni (about 20 min), Tokuyama and Hiroshima; Shinkansen riders change at Hiroshima or Tokuyama.

See & do

Day-trips, door to door

Day-trips

Door-to-door, not ride time
Iwakunigo

Door to door: About 45 min

JR Sanyo line from JR Yanai, about 20 min

Kintaikyo bridge and the hilltop castle; a better half-day than Yanai itself.

Hagiovernight

Door to door: 2.5–3 h

JR Sanyo line to Asa or Shin-Yamaguchi, then JR Sanin line

Too far for a return day; sleep there.

Shimonosekicaution

Door to door: About 2 h

JR Sanyo line to Asa, then JR Sanin line

Doable but long; better as its own stop.

Suo-Oshima

go

Door to door: 1–1.5 h

Bus or car to the Yanai port, then ferry

Island beaches and citrus; check ferry times first.

Hofu

caution

Door to door: About 1 h

JR Sanyo line westbound

Temple and Tenmangu stop; pairs with Yamaguchi.

Yamaguchi

caution

Door to door: 1.5–2 h

JR Sanyo line to Shin-Yamaguchi, then bus

Ruriko-ji pagoda and the old town; a full day.

Mine

caution

Door to door: About 1.5 h

JR Sanyo line to Asa, then JR Mine line

Quiet mountain town; only if you have a reason.

Eat & sleep

Which area to sleep in

Where to sleep

Areas, not hotels: pick the one that fits your arrival time and plans.

Yanai Station area (Minamimachi)

Business hotels within a 5-min walk of JR Yanai; the practical choice if you must sleep here.

Shirakabe no Machi side (Chūō)

One larger hotel near the old street, NE of the station; quieter, fewer food options at night.

Iwakuni or Hikari

Better beds and more to do; 20–40 min by JR Sanyo line. Most travellers sleep here instead.

Practical

What a day costs, what to watch out for, and the pocket card

Cost per day

2026 estimate, excluding the bed unless stated
Budget
¥6,000–10,000 (≈ US$45–70) excl. bed
Mid
¥10,000–16,000 (≈ US$70–110) excl. bed
High
¥16,000 (≈ US$110)+ excl. bed

Trip budget

2026 estimate · converts to your currency
Business-hotel double room1 × 1 night × ¥12,000¥12,000
Food, local transport, entries2 × 1 day × ¥11,000¥22,000
JR Sanyo line, Hiroshima to Yanai, both ways2 × ¥2,400¥4,800
Local bus or taxi around town, one day2 × ¥1,500¥3,000
eSIM, about a week of data2 × ¥2,500¥5,000
Buffer 10%Price creep, a taxi you did not plan, one splurge¥4,680
Trip total≈ ¥25,740 per person per day, bed included¥51,480≈ US$350

2026 estimate in yen; flights and rail passes excluded. Your choices stay in this browser.

Prices of common things

Coffee or tea in a café¥400–700 (≈ US$3–5)
Udon or soba bowl¥300–800 (≈ US$3–6)
Kunimori house admission¥200 (≈ US$2) adults / ¥100 (≈ under US$1) children
Muroyama no Sono admission¥350 (≈ US$3) adults / ¥200 (≈ US$2) children
Beer: can at a convenience store / draught in a bar¥250–350 (≈ US$2–3) / ¥500–750 (≈ US$4–6)
5 km taxiLate-night surcharge after 22:00.¥1,800–2,300 (≈ US$13–16)
eSIM or data SIM, about a week¥2,000–4,000 (≈ US$14–30)

2026 estimate; check locally.

Watch out

Safety

Yanai is quiet and low-risk; the real issues are infrequent buses, early closing hours and summer heat. Carry cash — small shops and the old houses may not take cards.
  • Shirakabe no Machi shops and the Kunimori house close early; arrive before mid-afternoon.
  • Muroyama no Sono is closed Wednesdays — check before travelling for it alone.
  • Few restaurants open in the evening; eat lunch in town or eat at your hotel.
  • English is limited outside hotels; carry the address in Japanese.
  • Summer heat and humidity are severe; the old street has little shade.

Emergency numbers

Police
110
Fire and ambulance
119
Japan Visitor Hotline (JNTO, 24 h, English)
050-3816-2787

Pocket card

One page · print or save as PDF

Fill in, then print or save as PDF

Stays in this browser only; nothing is sent anywhere.

Yanai柳井市

Pocket card · Voykit

My bed tonight

—

—

—

ここまでお願いしますTo this address, please

Emergency

  • Police110
  • Fire and ambulance119
  • Japan Visitor Hotline (24 h, English)050-3816-2787

Embassy

No embassies in Yanai; the US consulate is in Fukuoka and most embassies are in Tokyo. Check your own country's list before travelling.

My embassy: —

Fare anchors (2026 estimate)

  • JR Sanyo line, Hiroshima → Yanai: about ¥1,200 (≈ US$9), 1 h 10 min–1 h 30 min
  • JR Sanyo line, Iwakuni → Yanai: about ¥400 (≈ US$3), 20 min
  • Taxi, JR Yanai → Shirakabe no Machi: about ¥1,000–1,300 (≈ US$7–9), 5 min

Say or show

  • すみません — Excuse me / Sorry (sumimasen)
  • ありがとうございます — Thank you (arigatō gozaimasu)
  • いくらですか？ — How much is it? (ikura desu ka)
  • カードで払えますか？ — Can I pay by card? (kādo de haraemasu ka)
  • トイレはどこですか？ — Where is the toilet? (toire wa doko desu ka)
  • うどんを一つください — One udon, please (udon o hitotsu kudasai)

Deep dive

What this guide covers so far, and its sources

Not a trip line yet

This is a basic guide: no airport-to-bed contract, walking clusters or day plans are published for Yanai. Airport, fare and schedule details are unverified; check the operators before you fly.

What we know, and what is coming

On this page

  1. Best months: Mar–May, Oct–Nov · avoid Jul–Aug (hot and humid), mid-Aug festival crowds · month by month →
  2. 3 airports and 3 areas to sleep in
  3. Weather: a 7-day forecast and monthly averages
  4. Cost per day in 3 bands
  5. 7 day-trips, door to door
  6. 5 things to watch out for, with emergency numbers

Coming as the guide grows

  1. Airport-to-bed contract for HIJ and IWK: last JR Sanyo departures field-checked, taxi fallback, overnight rung.
  2. Two walking clusters with rescue anchors: JR Yanai Station and Minamimachi, then Shirakabe no Machi with the Kunimori house and the soy sauce brewery.
  3. Place pages with verified cutoffs (Kunimori house, Muroyama no Sono, Shoko-an, Flower Land) and eat pages with last orders.
  4. Festival fixtures for the Paper Goldfish Festival (Aug 13) and Yanai Daishi Ennichi (Mar 21) so gates A–D can go green.

Meanwhile

Back to Japan

Sources