A prefecture in Japan is marketing itself as the new Australia because it has a similar shape, complete with a would-be Tasmania.

About 1.5 million people live in Yamaguchi prefecture, located on the southern tip of Japan's main island of Honshu.

Yamaguchi's local council is hoping to attract Japanese tourists, who cannot afford to travel to Australia, to come and see the sights much closer to home.

"For people who can't go to Australia, let's enjoy the mood of Australia in Yamaguchi," the Yamaguchi prefectural website said.

The website compares many famous Australian landmarks to its local landmarks and says tourists can have a "fantasy trip to Australia in Yamaguchi".

While Australia has the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Yamaguchi has a similar icon - the Kintai Bridge, a 300-year-old wooden bridge which spans the Nishiki River.

Sydney Harbour Bridge and Yamaguchi's Kintai Bridge in Japan. ( ABC/Wikipedia )

Yamaguchi does not quite match Australia when it comes to size.

It would only take a bit over an hour to drive from east to west, but Yamaguchi's marketing department sees this as a positive.

The mini-tour of mini-Australia could take in the rock formations of the Akiyoshidai plateau, which Yamaguchi council sees as not dissimilar from Australia's iconic Uluru.

Australia's iconic Uluru and rock formations of the Akiyoshidai plateau, Yamaguchi. ( ABC/www.pref.yamaguchi.jp )

And the similarities do not stop there.

The distinctive boab tree of Western Australia and the Northern Territory also has a Japanese counterpart.

Yamaguchi has a camphor tree that is over 1,000 years old.

A boabab tree in Western Australia and an ancient camphor tree in Yamaguchi. ( Hamiltonstone/hifumi.sakura.ne.jp )

The Great Barrier Reef, one of the seven wonders of the natural world, now has a rival - the world's largest colony of Japanese Daisy Coral is found in Yamaguchi.

A spokesman for the Yamaguchi council said the idea came up about four years ago, but the website has received extra traffic recently as a result of Twitter.