Hagi, Coastal castle town in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan.
Hagi is a coastal town in Yamaguchi Prefecture on Honshu island, sitting between mountains and the Sea of Japan where the Abu River forms a delta. Streets follow the old castle town plan with distinct zones for samurai residences, merchant homes, and temple grounds that remain visible today.
The Mori clan built a castle on this coastal site in 1604, creating a center of power that shaped Japanese politics during the Edo period. During the 19th century, the town produced reformers who played a key role in opening the country under the Meiji government.
The town maintains more than 100 working kilns where potters shape Hagi ware, known for its rough surface and the way pieces change color over years of use. These workshops sit in residential neighborhoods, where visitors can watch craftspeople at work and see finished pieces displayed in small shops.
The town is easy to explore on foot, with marked routes connecting residential areas to temples and former samurai estates. Spring or autumn offer the most comfortable weather, when surrounding hills change color and paths remain pleasant to walk.
A grove holding more than 25,000 camellia trees grows on the slope of Mount Kasayama, where the trees bloom in late winter and early spring, covering the ground with red petals. This grove sits beside volcanic rock formations millions of years old that now serve as a natural outdoor museum.
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