The Southern Seto region in eastern Yamaguchi Prefecture has the longest daylight hours in Japan, and is blessed with clear skies and temperate climate. It is also home to abundant beautiful nature scenery like the world famous beautiful Seto Inland Sea island chain and Obatake Seto eddies, and is also rich in unique and plentiful regional resources with treasures including historically rich city atmospheres, a bountiful food culture, and welcoming and friendly people. It is so amazing, it is known as a “cycling holy land” particularly among cyclists.
With cycle tourism that uses all of these elements as the flagship of tourism in this region, further environmental improvement and information supply efforts are needed.
In related efforts, the Yamaguchi prefectural government is promoting cycling sports under the project “Cycling Prefecture Yamaguchi.” Additionally, it is promoting the “Seto Brand Project” together with other prefectures in Seto. Furthermore, the “Southern Seto Long Ride in Yamaguchi” event in which participants circle Suo-Oshima and Murotsu Peninsula on bike has become an annual tradition, and interest in the Southern Seto region in eastern Yamaguchi Prefecture is growing amongst cyclists.
Against this backdrop, the Yanai Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Obatake Chamber of Commerce and Industry are investigating the possibility of expanding cycle tourism in the Southern Seto region. Firstly, we made a “Southern Seto Cycling Map” based on opinions we received from local cyclists and experts. We then made a website with even more detailed tourism information and varied model courses added in an effort to advertise the excitement of Southern Seto cycle tourism across the entire country.

We plan to continue working together with regional groups in an effort to further expand Southern Seto region cycle tourism as a leading Japanese “cycling holy land” and link that to a vitalization of the region. Most of all, we want even more people both from inside and outside of the prefecture, as well as people from other countries, to visit the Southern Seto region and experience the joy of cycling firsthand.

Yanai no Miryoku Tsutaetai / Yanai Tourism Promotion Committee
（Inside the Yanai Chamber of Commerce and Industry）