Experience the best of Shimonoseki

Shimonoseki stands at the south-western tip of Honshu, where the narrow Kanmon Strait separates it from Kitakyushu and the island of Kyushu. A road bridge and tunnels cross the strait, and a pedestrian tunnel runs beneath the water. In 1185 the Heike clan was defeated at the sea battle of Dan-no-ura here, and the Akama shrine recalls the child emperor Antoku who drowned.

The Treaty of Shimonoseki, which ended the first Sino-Japanese war, was signed here in 1895. Ships pass through the Kanmon Strait all day, and walking paths follow the shore. Tsunoshima island, joined to the mainland by a long bridge, has a white lighthouse and sea views on its north coast.

Shimonoseki is Japan's fugu capital, where the pufferfish is eaten as thin sashimi, in hotpot and fried, and prepared only by licensed chefs. Karato Market sells fresh seafood and sushi beside the strait. Fugu is at its best in the cold months, and spring brings mild, breezy days along the shore.