Inoue Park, Yamaguchi

Inoue Park stands on the birthplace of Kaoru Inoue, a prominent Meiji-era statesman born in Yuda in 1836. As one of Japan's elder statesmen (genro), Inoue held crucial positions in the ministries of finance, industry, and foreign affairs during the Meiji period (1868–1912). He was a close childhood friend of Itō Hirobumi, Japan's first prime minister, and secretly traveled to study at University College London in 1863 as part of the Chōshū Five. After the Meiji Restoration, he became Japan's first Foreign Minister in 1885 and maintained close connections with the Mitsui zaibatsu.

The site also served as lodging for seven feudal lords, including Sanetomi Sanjo, who fled Kyoto during political upheavals at the end of the Edo period. The park now commemorates this historical significance with several monuments. Visitors will find a bronze statue of Kaoru Inoue and Ken-tei, a replica building where Sanjo once resided. Literary monuments include inscriptions from Chuya Nakahara, a poet born in Yuda Onsen, and haiku by Santouka Taneda, a haiku poet who lived in the area.

The park offers a free footbath popular with both tourists and locals, embodying the therapeutic hot spring culture of Yuda Onsen. Playground equipment shaped like white foxes reflects the local legend of the wounded fox that discovered Yuda Onsen's healing waters. The park has become a gathering space where the sounds of children playing blend with the area's historical atmosphere.

From Tokyo, take the Shinkansen directly to Shin-Yamaguchi Station (approximately 4.5 hours), then a local train to Yuda Onsen Station (less than 20 minutes). The park is approximately a 10-minute walk from Yuda Onsen Station. The park's rest area operates with seasonal hours and closes on Wednesdays and during holidays including August 13-15 and December 28-January 3. Admission to the park and footbath is free.