Experience the history of Kure City through a historical journey

The Sawahara family was a merchant family with the family name Sawadaya, and for generations they held important positions such as village headman. The former Sawahara family home, which they used as a residence, is located at the foot of the mountains north of Kure city, with residential land on either side of the road. The main house has three storehouses and a new storehouse on the east and west sides, with a front parlor, front gate and triangular storehouse to the south of the main house, and an original storehouse to the north. The high-quality Shoin-style front parlor and the three storehouses in a row are distinctive buildings that are rare in their own right. Many of the buildings have clear construction dates, and it is one of the largest merchant houses representing the Chugoku region.

*This is also one of the settings for the manga "In This Corner of the World," which is set in Kure during World War II. The scene where the main character, Suzu-san, walks in front of the storehouse is right here! Why not think of Suzu-san from "In This Corner of the World"?

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Address: 2-9 Naganoki-cho, Kure City

Phone: 0823-25-3462 (Kure City Cultural Promotion Division, Cultural Group)

Mitarai, which flourished as a port town where people waited for the tide or the wind during the Edo period, was designated by the government as an Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings in 1994. Because the land is small, it has been reclaimed several times, and the area is now a mixture of large and small merchant houses, teahouses, boathouses, houses, shrines, temples, etc., and is crisscrossed by a web of village central roads, village connecting roads, and village life roads (alleys). In addition, some civil engineering structures necessary for life in a port town, such as the large wharf, stone bridges, tall lanterns, stone revetments, and gangways, still remain as they were at the time.

*Japan Heritage is a story that tells the culture and traditions of our country through the historical charm and characteristics of a region and is recognized by the Agency for Cultural Affairs as "Japan Heritage."

It has been recognized as "another world woven from the dreams of men who crossed rough seas - a port of call for Kitamaebune ships and a shipowners' village."

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Address: Mitarai, Toyomachi, Kure City

Phone: 0823-67-2278 (Mitarai Rest Area)

Parking: Mitarai Parking Lot (5 cars, free), Mitarai Kamono Parking Lot (approximately 40 cars, free)

The Ondo Tourism and Culture Hall Uzushio, located at the foot of the Ondo Bridge, is the perfect spot for a break or a meal. The first floor is the information floor, where you can find the Specialty Goods Plaza, which sells local and surrounding specialty products, and Umi Cafe Uzushio, where you can enjoy a light meal while looking out over the Ondo Strait. The second floor is the Sea and Festival Museum, where you can learn about Ondo no Funauta, one of Japan's three great boat songs, and the Kiyomori Festival, which is held once every five years, through video materials and exhibits. The puppet procession that recreates a feudal lord's procession is popular. From the Canal Terrace, you can look out over the Seto Strait, where 1,000-ton ships pass by. Why not take a commemorative photo with Kiyomori?

The 4th floor is a Japanese restaurant with a view, where you can enjoy a panoramic view of the Seto Inland Sea below while savoring fresh fish and seafood grown in the fertile soil of Ondo, as well as seafood dishes made with an abundance of fresh seasonal ingredients.

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Address: 1-2-3 Iwashihama, Ondo-cho, Kure City

Phone: 0823-50-0321

Opening hours: 9:30-17:00 (free entry) Restaurant only: 11:00-20:00 (last order) Closed on weekdays from 14:30 to 17:00

Closed on Tuesdays (or the following day if Tuesday is a public holiday)

Parking: 5-6 spaces around the Uzushio building

Parking lot under Ondo Bridge: Approximately 30 cars (2 hours free for Uzushio visitors)

Koreans arrive in Japan and a feast is brought to you by a ship called Gyo-yeol (detail)

It is a tranquil garden with lush greenery and mainly pine trees, with the flow of the Sannose Strait as a backdrop. Within the garden are the Korean Envoys Museum Gochiso Ichibankan, the Ceramics Museum, the Light House, and the Kamagari Island Guardhouse, which introduce the history of Shimokamagari Island. The materials relating to the Korean Envoys are of the highest quality, attracting attention both from within Japan and overseas. The collection, centered on old Imari ware, is also impressive. Additionally, there are cultural facilities dotted around the area, such as the Ranshimakaku Museum of Art and the Sannose Gohonjin Art and Culture Museum, all of which can be visited on foot.

Must-see! Pictures registered in the UNESCO Memory of the World Register

One of the documents in Shotoen's collection, "Kakubizen Gochisousen Gyoyetu," depicts the Korean envoys and their fleet dispatched from the Joseon dynasty in 1748. It is a valuable historical record that shows the exchanges between different ethnic groups, where the two parties respected each other on an equal footing, and is one of the documents registered in the UNESCO Memory of the World Register.

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Address: 2277-3 Shimo-Kamagari Shimomachi, Kure City

Phone: 0823-65-2900

Business hours: 9:00-17:00 *Last admission is at 16:30

Closed on Tuesdays (or the following day if Tuesday is a public holiday)

Admission fee: 800 yen for adults, 480 yen for high school students, 320 yen for elementary and junior high school students

Parking: In front of Shimokamagari Civic Center Free parking for approximately 50 cars (free)

This is a fully-fledged wooden art museum that pursues the beauty of Japanese architecture. The museum's name comes from the spring orchid that grew abundantly in Shimokamagari, and it has a quaint and solemn appearance. The museum exhibits works by leading Japanese modern painters such as Yokoyama Taikan, Fukuda Heihachiro, and Minami Kunzo, as well as artists with ties to the local area. Special exhibitions are held each session from the collection of approximately 2,200 pieces, including Japanese paintings, oil paintings, prints, and drawings. In addition, the Ranshimakaku Gallery Concert is held on the third Saturday of every month, allowing you to enjoy a collaboration of art and music.

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Address: 200-1 Sannose, Shimokamagari-cho, Kure City

Phone: 0823-65-3066

Business hours: 9:00-17:00 *Last admission is at 16:30

Closed on Tuesdays (or the following day if Tuesday is a public holiday)

Admission fee: 500 yen for adults, 300 yen for high school students, 200 yen for elementary and junior high school students

Parking: In front of Shimokamagari Civic Center Free parking for approximately 50 cars (free)

At the end of the Edo period, a wealthy farmer from Numakuma, Yamaji Kitani, relocated the building to his residence, and converted the Kikotei teahouse that his grandfather Shigeyoshi had run in Kurodani, Kyoto, into a two-story tower called "Hakusetsu-ro" to be used as a place for the study of Chinese classics. Later, Toshinao, the 9th head of the Yorii family, who had a deep attachment to the building, moved it to Takehara in 1892 and used it as his Ryushunkyo residence, which was donated to Shimokamagari town free of charge by the Takehara Yorii family (Shunpu-kan). The interior of the building features an elaborate architectural style, and the Japanese-style room on the first floor with movable walls is a rare example of a building that is rarely seen today.

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Address: 197 Sannose, Shimokamagari-cho, Kure City

Phone: 0823-65-3066

Business hours: 9:00-17:00 *Last admission is at 16:30

Closed on Tuesdays (or the following day if Tuesday is a public holiday)

Admission fee: 400 yen for adults, 240 yen for high school students, 160 yen for elementary and junior high school students

Parking: In front of Shimokamagari Civic Center Free parking for approximately 50 cars (free)

Sannose Gohonjin on Shimokamagari Island flourished as a key point of maritime traffic on the Seto Inland Sea since ancient times, and was established in the Edo period as a place of rest for feudal lords, shogunate officials, nobles, and other high-ranking people traveling between the islands. It was also used as a lodging for diplomatic missions and the Tsushima Domain, which acted as guides for Korean envoys. The long gangi (stone steps built to make it easier for people to get on and off ships) in front of the building is a vestige of the Edo period. The Sannose Gohonjin Art and Culture Museum is an art museum that has restored the building's original appearance. Inside the museum, you can view works by Suda Kunitaro, a master of Kyoto's Western-style painting scene, as well as works by other modern and contemporary Japanese artists.

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Address: 311 Sannose, Shimokamagari-cho, Kure City

Phone: 0823-70-8088

Business hours: 9:00-17:00 *Last admission is at 16:30

Closed on Tuesdays (or the following day if Tuesday is a public holiday)

Admission fee: 500 yen for adults, 300 yen for high school students, 200 yen for elementary and junior high school students

Parking: In front of Shimokamagari Civic Center Free parking for approximately 50 cars (free)

This is an exhibition hall where ancient earthenware salt-making ruins have been restored so that they can be viewed in the same condition as when they were excavated. The method of making "moshio", which is said to be the origin of salt production in Japan, is reproduced here. The "stone-paved furnace" used for heating is thought to have had stones about 20cm in size and 5cm thick laid inside. In the moshio-making experience, you can experience the ancient salt-making method of boiling concentrated brine made from seawater and seaweed (Hagawara) in earthenware. (Reservation required)

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Address: 7646-3 Oura, Kamagari-cho, Kure City

Telephone number: Exhibition Hall 0823-66-1040

Moshio making experience 080-6304-0197 (Moshio Association Experience Desk Matsuura)

*Reservations are required for the Moshio making experience (please make reservations by the morning of the 2nd day before. Cancellations after 12:00 the day before will incur a cancellation fee.

Business hours: 9:00 - 17:00 (last entry 16:00)

Admission: Free

Moshio making experience: 6,000 yen for up to 5 people, 1,200 yen for each additional person

Closed: Mondays and Tuesdays from April to November (open on national holidays and closed the following day), Mondays in August, and only Saturdays, Sundays and national holidays from December to March.

Parking: 50 cars (free) *Use Prefectural Hama Parking Lot