A deep solo trip to immerse yourself in the history of Kure

Kure City has a Maritime Self-Defense Force facility close to the city center. One of these facilities, Alley Karasukojima, where you can see warships and submarines up close, is a famous tourist spot in Kure.

But I want to enjoy the ships up close more!

Today, I participated in the public open day held by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Kure Base as a public relations activity. The open day is held twice a day, on Saturdays and Sundays.

After checking in, we finally enter the base. A staff member will guide us to the pier. We can actually board the ship. It is OK to take photos of the exterior. We can walk on the deck and look at the equipment. We can also see ships and submarines that are not included in the tour up close, and the power and unique tension are irresistible!

This is a valuable experience that can only be had here.

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Address: 5-2 Showa-cho, Kure City, Hiroshima Prefecture

Opening days: Saturday and Sunday

Telephone number: 0823-22-5511 (ext. 2702, 2259) (Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Kure District Headquarters Public Relations Promotion Office)

https://www.mod.go.jp/msdf/kure/

*There are safety and other conditions, so please check the link above for details.

*No parking available

*5 minutes walk from Alley Karasukojima Parking Lot

*If bad weather is expected, events, training, etc. may be canceled.

Needless to say, Kure City is a naval town. Dishes such as curry and meat and potatoes, which are said to have originated from the navy, are one of Kure's specialties. For lunch, we went to "Iseya," a long-established restaurant in Kure City.

This restaurant was founded in 1921 (Taisho 10). You can eat "Navy's Nikujaga" (meat and potatoes) and "Navy Curry" that are said to have been made using a navy recipe. Another specialty here is the "Iseya Special Pork Cutlet Bowl."

What makes this different from a regular katsudon is that it contains beef katsu and is topped with a special demi-glace sauce. It is eaten with a fork. The innovative yet nostalgic taste is definitely worth trying!

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Address: 4-12-16 Nakadori, Kure City

Telephone number 0823-21-3817

Business hours: 11:00-15:00 / 17:00-20:00 (last order 19:30) *Only open from 11:00-15:00 on Wednesdays

Closed Thursday

Parking: No

One of the places I definitely wanted to visit when I came to Kure was the Yamato Museum. Its official name is the Kure Maritime History and Science Museum. Here, a 1/10 scale replica of the battleship Yamato is on display.

Even though it is 1/10 scale, the overall length is 26.3m! It has been faithfully reproduced based on blueprints and photographs, so it has a realism and impact.

You can also learn about the history of Kure, which flourished as a navy and arsenal, shipbuilding technology and future science, such as the Yarrow boiler installed on the battleship Kongo and an actual Zero fighter. The horrors of war and the history of Kure were engraved in my heart.

Opposite the Yamato Museum is the Kure Maritime Self-Defense Force Museum. It is also known as the Iron Whale Museum. You can board a submarine that was in operation. It was a valuable experience to see the activities of the Maritime Self-Defense Force and the inside of a submarine.

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Kure City Maritime History and Science Museum (Yamato Museum)

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: Adults (university students and above) 500 yen, high school students 300 yen, elementary and junior high school students 200 yen *Additional fees apply for special exhibitions

Parking: Approximately 65 cars (paid)

Kure Maritime Self-Defense Force Museum (Iron Whale Museum)

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)

If you go around to the sea side of the Yamato Museum, you will find a spacious wooden deck-like space.

This park is modeled after a quarter of the front deck of the battleship Yamato, and offers views of the shipyard, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Kure Base, and in the distance, the Ondo Strait, where the legend of Kiyomori is based. The Yamato Bell in the park is modeled after the bell that was rung every 30 minutes as a clock while the battleship was in service.

While watching the ferries arriving and departing from Kure Port, you can reflect on the history of the city of Kure.

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Address: 5-20 Takaramachi, Kure City

Miyake Honten, the brewery of the Japanese sake brand "Senpuku," was founded in 1856 in Kure City.

We produce sake, gin, and whiskey with the concept of "continuing to pursue the best taste."

At the attached direct store, you can sample alcohol for a fee and purchase limited edition sake and merchandise.

We are also currently running a "Factory Tour and Sake Tasting Tour" (reservations required by phone at least two days in advance).

Be sure to find your favorite drink!

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Address: 7-7-1 Hondori, Kure City

Telephone number: 0823-22-3838

Business hours: 12:00-16:00 (weekdays only)

Closed on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays

Parking: 3 spaces

For dinner, we went to "Navy Restaurant Satsukiso." This is a long-established restaurant that has been in business since the Meiji era and is one of the restaurants that the Navy purveyors to. An official document remaining within the Self-Defense Forces also contains a sentence to the effect that "submarine units mainly favored this restaurant," so you can't help but feel the history. The "Navy Gozen" (3,300 yen including tax), which includes whale small cutlets made with whale meat, a recipe that recreates the recipe from the battleship Nagato, and the Kure Navy's meat and potato stew, is perfect for a trip that feels like history.

The menu is mainly Japanese food, all of which have a gentle and elegant taste. The ingredients used are carefully selected, including local seafood and the highest quality Hiroshima beef.

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Address: 2-4-10 Hondori, Kure City

Telephone number 0823-21-5121

Business hours: 11:30-14:30 (last orders 14:00), 17:00-21:30 (last orders 21:00)

Closed on Tuesdays

Parking: No

On the second day, we rented a car and headed to Yasuura Town.

First, we went to the concrete ship Takechi Maru, which I had wanted to see for a long time.

During the Pacific War, Japan was short of metal. This concrete ship was built as a last resort. At the time, Japan had no experience building ships out of concrete, but it was completed as a durable enough ship. It is now a breakwater in Mitsuguchi Bay in Yasuura Town. This breakwater, which looks like two ships connected together, allows you to walk on the ship (the breakwater). The deteriorated look is also cool, and you won't be able to stop taking photos!

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Address: Mitsuguchioki, Yasuura-cho, Kure City

One of Japan's leading modern Western-style painters, Minami Kunzo, was born in a renovated house and studio that was turned into a museum in Yasuura Town.

Not only the works of painter Minami Kunzo, but also his art materials and favorite items are on display. The main house was built in the late Edo period, and some rooms and earthen floors have been left as they were, making it a fascinating space for architecture lovers. The displays of farm tools and daily necessities from that time give a glimpse into how people lived in those days.

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Address: 2-13-10 Uchiumi Minami, Yasuura-cho, Kure City

Telephone number 0823-84-6421

Business hours: 9:00〜16:30

Closed every Tuesday (if Tuesday is a public holiday, the following day will be closed), New Year's holiday

Admission fee: Adults 200 yen (160 yen)

High school students 120 yen (100 yen)

Elementary and junior high school students: 80 yen (60 yen)

*Prices in parentheses are for groups of 20 or more

Parking: 10 cars (free)

We had lunch at Udon Restaurant Yamaki Shoyuzo. Founded 80 years ago, this udon restaurant is run by a soy sauce manufacturer in Yasuura Town and is proud of its homemade noodles and broth. The restaurant was renovated from a soy sauce storehouse, and wooden soy sauce barrels and one-sho bottles are displayed inside. We ordered a set of tempura and kamaage udon. They also serve nabeyaki udon in winter and cold udon in summer, and it seems that the slightly thin udon is a characteristic of Kure. There is a wide variety of dishes on the menu, including rice bowls and fried foods.

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Address: 1-3-14, Yasuura-cho Chuo, Kure City

Telephone number 0823-84-5777

Business hours 11:00~15:00

Closed Thursday

Parking: 20 cars (free)

Drive to the summit of Mt. Noro, a representative tourist spot in Kawajiri Town. The middle of the mountain has been developed as the "Sazanami Skyline", and the views are outstanding. Mt. Noro is an object of worship as it is the mountain where Kobo Daishi (Kukai) once entered to practice asceticism, and there is also Kobo-ji Temple at the summit. From the summit, which is 839m above sea level, you can see the calm waters of the Seto Inland Sea and the beauty of the many islands of the Tobishima Kaido! In spring, cherry blossoms and azaleas bloom along the road, making it very beautiful.

It looks like you can enjoy camping and hiking, so next time I come I'll bring my favorite camping gear.

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Address: 5502-37 Itayasu, Kawajiri-cho, Kure City (Noro Kogen Lodge)

Parking available (free) ※Noro Kogen Lodge Parking Lot

A deep solo trip to immerse yourself in the history of Kure