Activities & Events Calendar

Every year, around late May to mid-June comes the season in which Genji fireflies grace the Otozure River that runs in front of Otani Sanso. Firefly Walking Tours will be offered (free for overnight guests at Otani Sanso, time requried approx. 30 minutes), for visitors to experience the charming scene that the Genji fireflies create over the Otozure River. Walks will be led by Otani Sanso staff, so that visitors can return home with memories of an early summer night in Nagato. The dancing light of the fireflies looks magical from a distance, but it's another type of special experience to see the fireflies up close as living creatures, as they begin to glow before your eyes. Nagato Yumoto Onsen's Otozure River has been designated a National Natural Monument, as it is the birthplace and natural habitat of the Genji fireflies. In Yamaguchi Prefecture, there are only two such locations, including Yamaguchi City.