Shunan

Shunan is a large city in Yamaguchi Prefecture on the southern coast of Honshu Island, where industrial areas along the bay alternate with forested hills inland. The railway line runs parallel to the coast and connects several centers that were once independent municipalities and now belong together.

Several villages and towns merged during the Meiji period into larger units, until the present city emerged from this final fusion in 2003. In earlier centuries local feudal lords controlled these coastal areas and used the access to water for trade and transport.

The Tokuyama Bridge connects industrial zones with residential neighborhoods and carries the name of the former city that once stood here. On clear days you can see the islands of the Seto Inland Sea from the coast, while fishermen cast their nets where rice paddies used to be.

The train station is centrally located and offers connections both toward Hiroshima and to Hakata, while long-distance buses reach the less developed areas in the north. Many visitors use the city as a stopover on longer journeys along the coast or as a starting point for hikes in the forested uplands.

During winter months the coast is illuminated at night by the flames of the chemical plants, a sight that some photographers seek out deliberately. The facility runs around the clock and its lights reflect in the calm waters of the bay.