Getting Oriented

Western Honshu is bisected by a chain of picturesque, rugged mountains called the Chugoku San-chi. These mountains run east-west, making north-south travel a difficult proposition. Keep in mind that travel along the north coast, or San-in, is incredibly slow—local trains still plod from village to village—so if you are pressed for time to get to Hagi or Tsuwano, use Yamaguchi as your base; for Matsue, Kurashiki and Okayama work best.