"Tour of the Japanese Navy's Heritage Sites" with Kure Tourism Volunteers

A hill where history can be seen

It is a representative place where you can feel the history since the establishment of Kure Naval District in 1889. You can see old naval facilities such as the Kure District Inspection Office of the Maritime Self-Defense Force (former Kure Naval District Office Building), which was built in 1906, and the remains of factories from the old naval factory era, including the dock where giant ships such as the battleship Yamato were built.

Array Karasu Kojima

Submarines and escort ships belonging to the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force's Kure Base are anchored in Kure Bay, which spreads out before you, and you can also see the old torpedo lifting and lowering cranes up close. The surrounding area has a retro atmosphere with rows of brick buildings from the former naval arsenal, and the battleship Yamato was built in secrecy in a nearby dock. The name "Alley Karasukojima" comes from the name of a small island called "Karasukojima" (30-40m in circumference) in Kure Bay (filled in as a torpedo launching training ground during the Taisho era) and the English word "alley". Why not take a leisurely stroll through the alley (alley) surrounded by greenery and brick colors? If you go at sunrise or sunset, you can see the national flags of each ship and the Self-Defense Force flag being raised and lowered.

Irifuneyama Memorial Museum

This facility, which is centered around the former Kure Naval District Commander-in-Chief's official residence (designated as a national important cultural property in 1998), includes a local museum, a history and folk museum (modern document museum), and more, and allows visitors to trace the history of Kure. Together with the Kure Municipal Museum of Art, it forms the cultural zone of Irifuneyama Park. The former Kure Naval District Commander-in-Chief's official residence was restored to its original appearance after documents from its construction in 1905 were discovered, and it was designated as a national important cultural property in December 1998. The former Kure Naval Arsenal Tower Clock, one of the oldest electric parent-child impulse clocks made in Japan, which kept time together with the Kure Arsenal until the end of the war, is also preserved. Please check the website for admission fees and other information.