Shimonoseki

Guarding the entrance to the Kanmon Straits that separate Honshu from Kyushu, the strategically located "Lower Barrier" played a role in three battles that triggered major changes in Japanese history. In 1185, the Battle of Dan-no-ura took place in the Straits, ending in a decisive victory for the Minamoto clan; the victory brought the Genpei War to a close, and with it the classical Heian period of Japanese culture. Shortly afterward, a new shogunate was established in Kamakura.

In 1863, another battle thrust Shimonoseki onto the world stage. Fueled by disgust with the terms of the treaty that opened Japanese ports to Western nations, warriors of the Choshu domain rebelled, expelling foreigners and blocking the passage of trade ships through the Kanmon Straits. The Bombardment of Shimonoseki was conducted twice by a fleet of warships from England, the Netherlands, France, and the United States (in the midst of its own civil war), in July 1863 and September 1864, and forced the Choshu domain to surrender. Their open defiance served to undermine the Tokugawa shogunate, however, which fell only three years later.

Although the fighting took place elsewhere, the treaty that ended the First Sino-Japanese War in 1895 was signed in Shimonoseki, marking a stage in the ascent of the newly-modernized Japanese Navy — and the nation as a major regional military power. The treaty also ceded Taiwan to Japan, and it was not returned to China until Japan's defeat in World War II. The treaty also forced China to give up control over its vassal state Korea, thus paving the way for Japan to colonize Korea outright in 1910.

Today, Shimonoseki has a busy international port, with frequent traffic from China and South Korea, among others. It faces Kitakyushu across the Kanmon Straits, forming one of the world's busiest lanes of maritime shipping.

Tourist information:

Tourist information is available at JR Shimonoseki Station and JR Shin-Shimonoseki Station.

By train:

1 JR Shimonoseki Station (下関駅), Takezakichō 4-3, ☏ +81 83-232-8383. 09:00-19:00. The next-to-last stop on the San'yo Main Line and the last stop on the San'in Main Line.

2 JR Shin-Shimonoseki Station (新下関駅) (Seven minutes away from JR Shimonoseki Station by local trains and buses.), ☏ +81 83-256-3422. 09:00-19:00. The local shinakansen stop. Only the all-stops Kodama trains stop at Shin-Shimonoseki, along with three daily Hikari trains in each direction (toward Hakata in the morning, from Hakata in the evening).

If you're coming from a long distance, the best option is to take a Nozomi or Hikari train to Kokura on Kyushu, and then backtrack on the San'yo Main Line via Moji Station in Kitakyushu. By this route, Shimonoseki can be reached by Nozomi in about 5 1/2 hours from Tokyo and 2 1/2 hours from Osaka.

By bus:

The Dream Fukufuku bus runs overnight from Tokyo and Yokohama (15 1/2 hours, ¥13000). Another Fukufuku departs nightly from Osaka Umeda (10 hours, ¥9150).

By ferry:

3 Shimonoseki Port (下関市港湾局), Higashiyamatomachi 1-10-50 (a short walk from JR Shimonoseki Station), ☏ +81 83-231-1390. There are high-speed ferries throughout the day from Moji Port in Kitakyushu. (updated Feb 2018)

Busan-Shimonoseki:

Kampu Ferry, ☏ +81 83 224-3000 (Japan), +82 51 464-2700 (Korea). daily service. 13½ hr; from ¥9,000. Ferries leave Busan at 20:00 and arrive in Shimonoseki at 08:00 the next morning, and leave Shimonoseki at 19:00 for an 08:30 arrival in Busan (08:00 on Monday). 2nd class one-way tickets cost ¥9000, making this the cheapest way to get from Japan to another country. Arrive a few hours early for visa inspection, though!

By car:

For those travelling the expressways and only wanting a bit of fugu, even the Nexco Parking Areas either side of the Kanmon Bridge offer it in a variety of pre-prepared forms including frozen sashimi omiyage platters. The views are rather nice too making it a worthwhile break regardless.