This guide covers Motonosumi Shrine, Senzaki, the Omijima boats, Nagatoyumoto Onsen and the practical details of a day trip to Nagato.
At Motonosumi Shrine you can look out over the one hundred twenty-three torii gates that the guidebook states stand in the shrine grounds, leading toward the sea. The shrine is partially closed to worshippers on Saturdays, Sundays and national holidays from March to November twenty twenty-six.
An old gazetteer records that islands including Omijima, Oshima and Sasashima lie in a row facing Senzaki Bay. The full course on the Omijima sightseeing boat takes about one hour and twenty minutes to go around the island. Back on shore in Senzaki, the dining room Kiraku recommends its live squid set meal to visitors.
Motonosumi Shrine
Motonosumi Shrine keeps visiting hours from half past nine to half past four in the afternoon. A taxi from JR Hitomaru Station reaches the shrine in about twenty minutes. From JR Nagato Station, the taxi ride to Motonosumi Shrine takes about forty minutes. Check official information before visiting, including the latest notice on Nagato City's tourism site.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Motonosumi Shrine partial closure to worshippers | Saturdays, Sundays and national holidays, March to November 2026 |
| Motonosumi Shrine visiting hours | 9:30 to 16:30 |
| Motonosumi Shrine parking, passenger car | 300 yen per hour (100 yen for each additional hour, up to 500 yen) |
| Motonosumi Shrine parking, motorcycle | 100 yen per visit |
| Taxi from JR Nagato-Furuichi Station to Motonosumi Shrine, one way | about 3,000 yen (about 20 minutes) |
The guidebook notes that the coast beyond the torii gates is a scenic spot called the Ryugu no Shiofuki, where sea spray sometimes shoots high into the air. A regional guidebook puts the founding of the shrine in nineteen fifty-five. Guidebooks describe five designs of the shrine's pilgrim stamp, two of which carry a drawing of a fox cub.
Senzaki and the Kaneko Misuzu Memorial Hall
The Kaneko Misuzu Memorial Hall stands about five minutes on foot from JR Senzaki Station. It opens from nine in the morning until five in the afternoon, and the last admission is at half past four. Admission prices for adults and for students are set out in the table below, and the hall is the natural first stop in Senzaki.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Kaneko Misuzu Memorial Hall opening hours | 9:00 to 17:00 (last admission 16:30) |
| Kaneko Misuzu Memorial Hall admission | general 500 yen; elementary, junior high and high school students 200 yen |
Kiraku, a dining room in Senzaki, also puts sea urchin rice on its recommended list. A national food-heritage page names Nagato and Shimonoseki as the main areas where the whale-meat nanban stew has been handed down. An old gazetteer records that the shores of Senzaki Bay and the waters between its islands flourished in whaling since early times.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Kiraku live squid set meal | 2,940 yen |
| Kiraku sea urchin rice | 2,730 yen |
| Kiraku business hours | 11:00 to 14:00 and 17:30 to 20:00 (advance booking needed for the evening) |
| Kiraku on foot from JR Senzaki Station | about 5 minutes |
| Senzaki Honmaru business hours | 11:00 to 21:00 |
| Senzaki Honmaru all-you-can-taste set meal | 1,980 yen |
Where to stay
Places to stay near Nagato, Yamaguchi, Japan →
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Omijima Sightseeing Boats
Omijima lies about twenty minutes by bus from JR Nagato Station. The boarding point for the Omijima sightseeing boat is about eight minutes on foot from JR Senzaki Station. The boat office keeps opening hours from nine in the morning to four in the afternoon. The courses, their running times and their fares are listed in the table below.
| Course | Price |
|---|---|
| Omijima sightseeing boat full course (about 1 hour 20 minutes) | adult 2,800 yen; child 1,400 yen |
| Omijima sightseeing boat Kannondo course (about 1 hour) | adult 2,400 yen; child 1,200 yen |
| Omijima sightseeing boat Oshima course (about 1 hour) | adult 2,200 yen; child 1,100 yen |
| Omijima sightseeing boat Akase course (about 50 minutes) | adult 2,200 yen; child 1,100 yen |
| Omijima sightseeing boat Hanazuura-Shizuura course (about 50 minutes) | adult 2,000 yen; child 1,000 yen |
| Omijima sightseeing boat scheduled service, March 1 to the end of November | departures at 9:40, 10:40, 11:40, 13:30 and 14:40 |
If you would rather see the island on foot, a nature study trail lies about three minutes on foot from the Sanden Kotsu bus stop at Shizugaura. The ride on the Sanden Kotsu bus bound for Kayoi from JR Nagato Station to Omijima takes about twenty minutes. Parking for those arriving by car is noted below.
- Omijima parking for passenger cars, standard and kei cars: 500 yen per entry
Nagatoyumoto Onsen and Staying Overnight
The Onto bath at Nagatoyumoto Onsen is open from ten in the morning until ten at night. Day visitors pay different adult rates on weekdays, on weekends and on specified peak days, as set out in the table. Children aged three and under bathe free of charge, and the rate for older children is also listed.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Onto day-trip bath admission, adult | 700 yen on weekdays; 800 yen on weekends and holidays; 900 yen on specified peak days |
| Onto day-trip bath admission, child (ages 4 to 12) | 400 yen |
| Onto day-trip bath admission, children aged 3 and under | free |
| Onto day-trip bath hours | 10:00 to 22:00 |
Older descriptions of the spring water survive as well. An old gazetteer records that the hot spring at Fukagawa rises from gaps in volcanic rock exposed at the foot of the hills upstream. An old guidebook describes the water there as a simple hot spring, with its source at ninety-two degrees.
Staying the night in Nagatoyumoto Onsen is an option if you would rather end the day at the bath than on the road. For more of the prefecture, see Hagi and Iwakuni in Yamaguchi Prefecture. If you would like more time around Nagatoyumoto Onsen, browse places to stay in Nagato.
Getting to Nagato and Getting Around
A direct bus from Shin-Yamaguchi Station to Nagato costs three thousand yen for an adult. From Fukuoka, the Nishitetsu direct bus to Nagatoyumoto Onsen is four thousand yen one way. Reduced fares for children and the web-only round trip from Fukuoka are listed in the table below, so compare them before you book.
| Ticket | Price |
|---|---|
| Shin-Yamaguchi Station to Nagato direct bus, adult | 3,000 yen |
| Shin-Yamaguchi Station to Nagato direct bus, child (preschooler aged 3 or over) | 1,500 yen |
| Shin-Yamaguchi Station to Nagato direct bus, person with a disability (card holder only) | 2,000 yen |
| Shin-Yamaguchi Station to Nagato direct bus, preschool children under 3 | free |
| Nishitetsu direct bus, Fukuoka to Nagatoyumoto Onsen, one way | 4,000 yen |
| Nishitetsu direct bus, Fukuoka to Nagatoyumoto Onsen, round trip (web sales only) | 7,000 yen |
Within the city, a bus from JR Nagato Station reaches a stop in Senzaki in about six minutes. Taxi times to Motonosumi Shrine are given in the first section above, and the boat courses in the third. Volunteer guides can be booked in advance for groups, at the rates in the table below.
| Service | Fee |
|---|---|
| Nagato volunteer guide, group of up to 10 people with a single guide | 2,000 yen |
| Nagato volunteer guide, 11 to 20 people with a single guide | 3,000 yen |
| Nagato volunteer guide, 21 to 40 people with two guides | 5,000 yen |
| Nagato volunteer guide hours | 9:00 to 17:00, advance booking needed |