If you don't know what to do, check this out! A classic Kure model course. Must-visit places to visit when you come to Kure. Experience modern Japanese culture on a 2-day, 1-night trip around the Japanese heritage city of Kure.

If you visit Kure, you definitely want to visit the Yamato Museum. Kure was once Japan's largest naval arsenal town, where the gigantic battleship Yamato was built. Here, the shipbuilding technology of the time, a one-tenth scale model of the Yamato battleship, and an actual Zero fighter are all clearly displayed. The battleship Yamato is definitely worth seeing! Even though it has been scaled down, you'll be amazed at its sheer size. And even the smallest parts are faithfully reproduced with such realism that you'll find yourself fascinated. Kure as a naval port and a shipbuilding town. I was able to savor that history.

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Address: 5-20 Takaramachi, Kure City

Phone: 0823-25-3017

Business hours: 9:00-18:00 (entry until 17:30)

Closed on Tuesdays (or the following day if Tuesday is a public holiday) *Open during Golden Week (4/29-5/5), summer vacation (7/21-8/31), and New Year's (12/29-1/3)

Admission: 500 yen for adults, 300 yen for high school students, 200 yen for elementary and junior high school students. *Additional fees apply for special exhibitions and special exhibitions.

Parking: Approximately 65 cars (paid)

The big submarine in front of the Yamato Museum is a landmark of Kure. It's actually a real submarine. The Iron Whale Museum is a nickname, and its official name is the Kure Maritime Self-Defense Force Museum. You can see the history of the Maritime Self-Defense Force's activities, the exploits of minesweepers and submarines, and even the interior of the Akishio submarine, which was actually used by the Maritime Self-Defense Force from 1986 to 2004. You can see how life is on board and even look through the periscope. You can experience the activities of the submarine crew.

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Address: 5-32 Takaramachi, Kure City

Phone: 0823-21-6111

Business hours: 10:00-18:00 (entry until 17:30)

Closed on Tuesdays (if Tuesday falls on a national holiday, closed the following day), 12/29 - 1/3

Fee: Free

Parking: Parking lot next to Yamato Museum, etc. (paid)

The interior of the restaurant is modeled after the inside of a submarine, with music played by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force band and staff dressed as Self-Defense Force members. It's a somewhat extraordinary atmosphere.

At Kure Haikara Shokudo, they faithfully recreate the curry that the crew of the Maritime Self-Defense Force submarine "Soryu" eat on Fridays. What's more, it's a special curry that has been certified by the captain as "Soryu curry!"

Today I had the Kure JMSDF Curry "Soryu Teppan Curry (1,600 yen including tax)". The metal tableware is actually used by the JMSDF members. It comes with the Navy's meat and potato stew, whale cutlet, salad, and milk. I chose the "Soryu" curry, which is the spiciness level 1.

As expected from something supervised by members of the Self-Defense Forces, eating it will fill you with energy! Self-Defense Force goods are also sold outside the store.

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Address: 2nd floor, Marine Building 3, 4-21 Takaramachi, Kure City

Phone: 0823-32-3108

Business hours: 11:00-15:30 (last orders 15:00)

Closed on Tuesdays

Parking: Marine Building No. 3 Parking Lot (paid)

There are many different types of ships anchored at Alley Karasukojima, including submarines and escort ships. You can view them from land, but we recommend boarding a boat to get a closer look at the ships!

So we boarded the "Kure Bay Ship Tour."

Departure and arrival are from Kure Chuo Pier Terminal in Kure Port. Cruise on a sightseeing boat with an open rooftop deck accompanied by a former Self-Defense Forces officer. It's very impressive as you get up close to the large ships!

I was also able to get a good understanding of how the members of the Maritime Self-Defense Force work.

Ship cruises operate several times a day.

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Address: 4-44 Takaramachi, Kure City, Kure Central Pier Terminal

Phone: 082-251-4354 (Bunker Supply Co., Ltd.) 9:00-18:00

Operating days and times: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday 10:00, 11:00, 13:00, 14:00

Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays 10:00, 11:00, 12:00, 13:00, 14:00

Special Cruise (Yu-kure Cruise)

Departure 15 minutes before sunset

・Reservations must be made two days prior to boarding.

・Sunset and departure times are different each day, so please contact us for details.

※Notes

Special flights may be operated on a charter basis.

The service may be suspended suddenly due to weather conditions.

Duration 35 minutes

Closed on Tuesdays and during bad weather such as typhoons

Admission fee: 1,700 yen for adults, 500 yen for children (prices revised on April 1, 2024)

About a 10-minute walk east from JR Kure Station, the Saiwai-cho area is home to many facilities and historical buildings related to the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force.

The Aoyama Club was built in 1903 as a meeting place for naval non-commissioned officers. After the war, Australian troops were stationed here and it was also called Kure House. In recent years, the building has also appeared in the animated film "In This Corner of the World," released in 2016.

It has the atmosphere of a modern Western-style building and would look great in photos.

If you walk past Aoyama Club and towards the pine forest, you will come to an area where you can feel the culture and history of Kure, along with the Kure Municipal Museum of Art. In one corner of the area, the Irifuneyama Memorial Hall is located, centered around the former Kure Naval District Commander-in-Chief's official residence (designated as a National Important Cultural Property in 1998), and includes the detached room of the house where Togo Heihachiro lived (the former Togo family residence), the former Kure Naval Arsenal tower clock, the local museum, and the history and folklore museum, forming a historical zone.

This area, which is a collection of Kure's culture and history, has been designated a Japanese Heritage Site. Surrounded by greenery, you can feel the scent of culture and history in the tranquility even though it is in the city.

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Address: 4-6, Saiwai-cho, Kure City

Phone: 0823-21-1037

Business hours: 9:00~17:00 *Entry until 16:30

Admission fee: 250 yen for adults, 150 yen for high school students, 100 yen for elementary and junior high school students

Closed on Tuesdays (or the following day if Tuesday is a public holiday), 12/29 - 1/3

Parking: 122 cars (paid) *Irifuneyama Park Parking

Kure was a small port town until the early Meiji period. After the Kure Naval District was opened in 1889, it developed significantly as a military port city with naval-related institutions such as naval yards, naval hospitals, and marine corps.

The Military Government Conference Hall and Suikosha were built on this site, and it was used as the official residence of the Commander-in-Chief of the Kure Naval District from 1892. It collapsed in the Geiyo earthquake of 1905, and was rebuilt in the same year using some of the salvage materials, resulting in the Commander-in-Chief's current residence.

There is a British-style Western-style building on the east side of the building, which is integrated with the Japanese-style building on the west side, creating a unique architectural style. "British stained glass is embedded around the entrance door, and the interior of the Western-style building features restored gold-leaf paper, giving it a chic and luxurious feel. It is a space that exudes romance.

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Address: 4-6 Saiwai-cho, Kure City (within the Irifuneyama Memorial Hall grounds)

Kuramoto Street is a 10-minute walk from Kure Station. This street becomes even more lively at night. It's the food stalls! Apparently, this street has water, sewage, and electricity for the food stalls! The red lanterns and shop curtains swaying in the night breeze are exciting.

There were a few food stalls selling ramen, oden, yakitori, and creative cuisine. The atmosphere was casual and welcoming, even for women. I visited the shops that caught my eye one by one, chatting with the shop staff and strangers standing next to me. It was an unforgettable and fun night.

On the second day, we head a little further out of the city to the Nagasako district, where you'll find Nagasako Park, which was developed as a burial ground for naval personnel during the Meiji period.

Along the slope of the hill, there is a monument to those who died in battle, including the Battleship Yamato War Dead Monument, 80 gravestones for those who died on submarines and aircraft carriers, and 169 gravestones erected before the war, creating a sacred atmosphere. At the top of the hill, there is an observation deck overlooking the city of Kure, where you can feel a sense of gratitude for the soldiers who died at a young age. This place was also used as a filming location for the movie "Otokotachi no Yamato/YAMATO."

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Address: Kaminagasakocho, Kure City

Phone: 0823-25-1362 (Kure Naval Cemetery Commemoration and Preservation Society)

Parking: 11 cars (free)

Kure City has a history of prosperity as a naval port city. Even today, it continues to make history as a shipbuilding town and a town of the Maritime Self-Defense Force. This "Hill with a View of History" is a hilltop where you can get a panoramic view of Kure's history. The shipyard with its rows of red and white cranes was once the dock where the warship "Yamato" was built. The surrounding mountains, the residential area built there, and Kure Port are a view that symbolizes "This is Kure!" On this hill, there are a staircase made from the walls of the former dock, a monument to a poem written by Masaoka Shiki when he visited at the end of the year, and a cornerstone memorial made from bricks from the government building at the time. The sunset between the cranes must be beautiful.

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Address: Miyahara 5-chome, Kure City

Phone: 0823-23-7845 (Kure City Tourist Information Center)

Parking: No

It's really surprising when you come here. You can see so many real submarines and ships so close! It's said that being this close is rare even in the world. "Alley" in "Alley Karasukojima" means "path" in English. "Karasukojima" comes from the name of a small island in Kure that is 30-40m in circumference. A promenade has been built so that you can enjoy the view at your leisure, and many people take photos there. In the surrounding area, there are a group of brick warehouses (Showa-cho Brick Warehouses) that were used to store electrical parts for the naval arsenal, and they have been designated as a Japanese Heritage Site. It was also chosen as a location for the movie "The Great War of Archimedes."

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Address: Showa-cho, Kure City

Parking: 28 cars, 10 bus spaces (free) *Alley Karasukojima Parking Lot

We went to a cafe right in front of "Alley Karasukojima." The most popular items here are the "Kure JMSDF Guns Burger" (620 yen including tax), which is a deep-fried fish paste sandwiched between the JMSDF's secret recipe "Guchotare," lettuce, perilla leaves, and plum paste, and the JMSDF's secret recipe Kure JMSDF curry "Kuroshio Special Hiroshima-style Soft Beef Tendon Curry" (1,250 yen including tax). The spicy, rich curry is delicious! In addition to the lunch menu, you can also eat as much pizza and drinks as you like. I'm already full.

Relax while watching the submarines and ships outside the window. This is the only cafe in Japan where you can watch ships.

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Address: 6-17 Showa-cho, Kure City, Seven-Eleven, 2nd floor

Phone: 0823-27-6855

Business hours: Monday, Wednesday to Saturday 11:00-19:00, Sundays and holidays 8:00-19:00 (last order 18:00)

Closed on Tuesdays

Parking: Approximately 15 cars (free)

We walked all the way to Ondo Strait.

This is the highest point in Ondo Seto Park, and the view of the two red Ondo Bridges and the Seto Inland Sea with floating oyster rafts is beautiful. On a clear day, you can see the Shikoku Mountains in the distance and even Hiroshima City to the north.

Legend has it that in 1165, Taira no Kiyomori used a fan to invite back the setting sun in order to speed up the Seto Inland Sea development project, and a statue (2.7m) of Kiyomori holding a fan has been erected here. Just before the summit is the site of the former Takagarasu Battery, built in the Meiji period, and the remains of stone barracks remain.

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Address: Kegoya, Kure City

Parking: Approximately 20 cars (free)

If you don't know what to do, check this out! A classic Kure model course. Must-visit places to visit when you come to Kure. Experience modern Japanese culture on a 2-day, 1-night trip around the Japanese heritage city of Kure.