Introducing Kure City Tourism Videos

0:00:00～

Mount Noro/Starry Observatory

[Melon bread]

When you hear the word "melon bread," what kind of bread comes to mind? When you think of melon bread in Kure, this is it. You can't think of anything other than this rugby ball-shaped bread filled with a generous amount of special cream. By the way, the round bread commonly called "melon bread," which is baked with a sweet cookie dough on top, is called "koppepan" in Kure. So, what is the spindle-shaped, flat-bottomed bread commonly called "koppepan" called? The answer is "school lunch bread."

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00:17～

Brick Street Shopping District and Yamato Wharf

[Igamochi]

This is one of Kure's classic sweets, made by wrapping red bean paste in a skin made from glutinous rice or rice flour, topping it with glutinous rice and steaming it. It is sold at confectionery shops and food stalls during the autumn festival, and has been popular among Kure residents for a long time. It seems to be eaten in multiple regions, but what makes it unique to Kure is that the glutinous rice on top is colorfully colored, such as pink and green.

[Surprise Manju]

Imagawayaki, obanyaki, kaitenyaki, fuyuyaki, there are various names depending on the region, but when you think of Kure, you think of this. The surprisingly delicious "Bikkuri Manju". You can choose from three types: red bean paste, white bean paste, and cream. The manju with one belly button has red bean paste, two has white bean paste, and no belly button has cream bean paste.

[Fried cake]

Deep-fried buns made with a secret recipe dough and finished with a crispy finish in rapeseed oil. If you buy a hot one at the store and bite into it, it's filled with just the right amount of sweet bean paste. It's a taste of home that Kure people have been familiar with since childhood. Some connoisseurs eat it chilled in the refrigerator.

[Horimantou]

"Fengli" means pineapple in Chinese, and "wantou" means sweets. The outside has a soft cookie-like texture, and the inside is filled with pineapple jam that spreads a sweet and sour aroma. Many business people in Kure bring them as gifts on business trips. There is also a lemon flavor, a specialty of Kure.

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00:29～

Brick Street Shopping District

[Pork cutlet rice bowl, meat and potatoes]

Iseya, a country Western restaurant known for its katsudon and nikujaga, was founded in 1921 (Taisho 10). The katsudon here has a unique taste, with beef cutlet topped with demi-glace sauce. The founder was a head chef in the Imperial Japanese Navy, and apparently served on the battleship "Asama" during the Russo-Japanese War. Kure City insists that the nikujaga, a dish directly taught by the Navy, originated in Kure (there are various theories). In addition, dishes cooked based on recipes provided by the former navy, such as this nikujaga, and products related to the navy are called "Kure Navy Gourmet." In addition to nikujaga, a wide variety of gourmet dishes are served at various stores in the city, such as battleship Yamato omelet rice, whale meat cutlet, and roast beef roll cabbage, so please give them a try!

[Thin udon]

Since the Meiji period, the port city of Kure has housed the Kure Naval Base and Kure Naval Arsenal, which were the bases of the navy. Naval personnel and naval arsenal workers from all over the country flocked to the city, and by 1943, it had become a large city of over 400,000 people. People working in port cities were very busy, so udon noodles, which could be eaten quickly in the limited time they had, became popular. It is said that in order to serve the noodles even more quickly, the noodles were cut thin, boiled quickly, and mixed with lots of broth. After the war, thin udon noodles were also used in okonomiyaki in Kure, and are served in local supermarkets and restaurants, so why not try a bowl as a memento of your trip?

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00:36～

[Kure JMSDF Curry]

Kure has long been a major naval base, and after the war, the Kure District Headquarters of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force was established there. Many units in the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force eat curry for lunch every Friday. One theory is that this is to ensure that crew members who have been at sea for a long time do not forget the days of the week (there are various theories). Kure JMSDF Curry is a delicious initiative in which you can eat the curry eaten on ships belonging to the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Kure Base at restaurants in Kure City. This special curry was made by learning how to make it directly from a chef in the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, faithfully recreating the taste, and was certified by the commander and captain of the ship as "This is our curry!"

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00:43～

Kurahashi/Katsurahama Beach

[Kurahashi Treasure Fritters]

A new staple of Kurahashi Island, developed by a popular Italian chef from Daikanyama with the hope of recovery from the disaster. Locally caught seafood and seasonal vegetables are covered in a batter containing dried small sardines and served with a tartar sauce flavored with Kurahashi lemon. It's a treasure box of carefully selected ingredients from the island!

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00:57～

Ondo Seto Park

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From 01:03

Ondo Tourism and Culture Hall Uzushio

【cream soda】

The crimson arched Ondo Bridge and the Second Ondo Bridge span the Ondo Strait, which is said to have been opened up in a day by Taira no Kiyomori. There are plenty of tourist spots in the area, including the Kiyomori Tomb, Ondo Seto Park, Yoshikawa Eiji Literature Monument, Takagarasudai, and the Sun-Maneki Statue. Once you cross the bridge, you'll find the townscape of Ondo, which has a retro Showa feel. If you get tired of walking, try a colorful, retro, and cute cream soda at the cafe inside the Ondo Tourism and Culture Center Uzushio, located under the bridge.

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01:12～

Ondo Alley

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From 01:14

Ondo Seto Park / Sun-beckoning statue

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01:18～

Mitarai Townscape Preservation District

[Drinks, sweets]

The Akinada Tobishima Kaido Cycling Course, which connects Kure City to Imabari City in Ehime Prefecture, is very popular as an easy course for beginners to ride, as it has few ups and downs and little traffic. The Mitarai district, where you arrive, is a port town that has flourished as a key point for maritime traffic since ancient times, and you can still feel the retro atmosphere of that time in the townscape. After a stroll through the townscape that feels like you've wandered into another world, why not enjoy juice and cake made with local specialties while looking out at the beautiful archipelago at a cafe that was once a boat lodge from the Edo period?

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From 01:31

Shimokamagari/Kajigahama/Sanno

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01:37～

Mount Noro

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From 01:46

[Kure cold noodles]

This is a representative local Kure dish, with its distinctive flat noodles and rich, sweet and sour sauce. It has been loved by the Kure people for many years, and is so popular that specialty shops in the city have lines even in winter. We recommend trying about half the default version first, and then customizing it to your liking by adding vinegared mustard or black vinegar from the table.

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From 01:55

[Kure-yaki]

Okonomiyaki has evolved in a unique way in Kure. Inside the half-moon shaped dough, in addition to cabbage, pork, and eggs, it is also commonly filled with the popular soba noodles or thin udon noodles, a Kure specialty. There are various theories about the origin of this shape, but it is said that by folding it in half to make a semicircular shape, it is easier to fit into rectangular takeaway containers. Ahead of the takeout culture!

There are also manhole covers designed with a Kure ware motif, so be sure to look for them.

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From 02:10

Ondo

【Japanese sake】

There are many sake breweries in Kure that continue to brew sake while preserving the ancient traditions and are loved by locals. There is a wide variety of sake, including sake made from crystal clear water that springs from the rich natural environment, Kijoshu, which is famous nationwide for being brewed using sake instead of water, and sake that was delivered to the battleship Yamato. When drinking sake with local food, local sake is the best. Try different varieties and find your favorite taste.

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02:26～

Mount Noro

[Wild boar rice bowl, wild boar burger]

At Noro Kogen Lodge, located on Mount Noro, where the filming took place, you can enjoy wild game dishes. In addition to wild boar rice bowls and wild boar hamburger set meals, the wild game lineup includes wild boar ramen, wild boar curry, and a wild boar set meal, leading you to a fascinating wild game lifestyle. Be sure to try the exquisite wild boar meat, which is cooked without any odor and is packed with flavor.

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From 02:44

Ashigamine

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02:52～

[Oyster dishes]

Kure's shucked oyster production is among the highest in the country! Combining the producers' many years of experience and new techniques, these oysters are grown with love and packed with the rich nutrition and flavor of the Seto Inland Sea.

Even with simple cooking methods, they are delicious. Although they are all called Kure oysters, the appearance and taste vary slightly depending on the region, so we recommend trying them all.

[Chicken skin simmered in miso]

One dish that locals almost always order at izakayas in Kure is "miso-ni" (chicken skin stewed in miso). When you enter a bar, it's standard to order "beer and miso-ni" (chicken skin stewed in miso). The chicken skin is slowly stewed in a secret miso sauce that differs from bar to bar, making it plump and soft, and it makes you want to drink beer.

[Assorted Yakitori]

There are many yakitori restaurants in the downtown area of Kure city, and many of them have fish tanks where fresh fish from the Seto Inland Sea swim around happily. Many stores purchase directly from local fishermen, so if you want to eat fresh, seasonal fish, Kure is recommended. It is not uncommon for people to not eat yakitori at yakitori restaurants, but of course the yakitori is very delicious.

[Small sardine tempura]

In Kure, small sardines refer to Japanese anchovies. They are said to taste like sea bream if washed seven times. They are available at local supermarkets from June to August, and are a part of the local culture. I grew up eating them as sashimi or tempura, but when I went to an izakaya with people from other prefectures, they looked strange and surprised, which is a common thing in Kure.

[Assorted sashimi]

In the port city of Kure, you can enjoy fresh, seasonal fish all year round. Hairtail and whitebait are famous nationwide, but the catches of other fish such as horse mackerel, conger eel, flatfish, red sea bream, Spanish mackerel, flounder, and shrimp are among the best in the prefecture! We also recommend sashimi of okoze and small sardines, which are hard to find in other areas.

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03:23～

Mount Noro Campsite

[Gansu]

This local fish paste is made by kneading white fish paste, onions, and chili peppers, then coating the surface with breadcrumbs by hand before deep frying. It has been popular in the Hiro area of Kure City since the early Showa period. The name comes from the Hiroshima dialect "~de gansu (~de gosu)." It goes well with a variety of dishes, and is served at Kure food stalls as a crispy gansu lightly grilled on a hot plate, or as an ingredient in oden. Recently, there are signs of a new boom in "gansu udon," which is made by putting gansu inside thin udon noodles, a specialty of Kure.

[Citrus fruits]

The Kure Islands have long been a place for citrus cultivation, and in the past, it was said that citrus fields stretched all the way to the mountaintops, so much so that they were said to be "cultivated to reach the sky." Hiroshima Prefecture is also the number one producer of lemons in Japan, and Kure is said to be the birthplace of domestically produced lemons. Kure has its own brand of citrus fruits and lemons, which are distributed nationwide from Kure.

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03:42～

Back alley near Xintianjie

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From 03:44

【stand】

In Kure, the so-called "snack bars" are called "stands." You may have an image of them as sacred places for older men, but there are also many places where women can drink alone in peace. You can have a lively time with friends, or consult with a veteran hostess about your love troubles. Enjoy your time however you like. Please also refer to the stand guide "Night Map" published by the Stand Bar Association.

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From 04:00

Yayoi Street

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From 04:02

Kuramoto Street

【stall】

This street of food stalls is rare in Japan, with electricity and running water and sewage systems. From traditional, long-established restaurants serving oden, ramen, and pork trotters, to restaurants serving creative cuisine and teppanyaki dishes, and drinks such as draft beer and wine, there is a wide variety of shops with their own unique characteristics. Another attraction is the lively conversations that can be had between customers sitting next to each other.

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From 04:31

Photos filled with the charm of Kure, collected from everyone.

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[Special appearances]

Mr. Wu