Kure: The Port Town of the Battleship Yamato and the Navy

This walking and local bus tour explores Kure, a naval port town where the battleship Yamato was constructed. Begin near the station at the Yamato Museum and JMSDF Kure Museum to discover the maritime history of Kure, and trace the path of this naval port town to the official residence of the naval district's Commander-in-Chief, a hill overlooking the former site of the dock where Yamato was built, and a coastal park where submarines moor.

History and Local Charm

During the Meiji era, the navy established the Kure Naval District here, purchased much of the coast, and built naval facilities and an arsenal. At the opening ceremony of the Kure Naval District in 1890 (Meiji 23), a building at Irifuneyama served as the temporary imperial residence (anzaisho) for Emperor Meiji. Kure became a center of warship-building technology, and the battleship Yamato, completed in 1941 (Showa 16), was constructed at the Kure Naval Arsenal.

After the war, landmark large oil tankers and other vessels were constructed on the former site of the naval arsenal. Today, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force maintains a base in the port, where submarines and escort ships are moored. The Commander-in-Chief's official residence, the hill overlooking the site where Yamato was built, and the remnants of the naval arsenal's quay wall are cultural properties that constitute the Japan Heritage "The Four Dynamic Coastal Cities of Yokosuka, Kure, Sasebo, and Maizuru." Sites reflecting the history of manufacturing, war, and peace intersect throughout the town.

Key Highlights

• ​Yamato Museum​​: A museum whose official name is the Kure Maritime Museum. Following a closure of over a year and major renovations, it opened in its new form in April 2026 (Reiwa 8). On the first floor at "Yamato Hiroba," there is a 1/10-scale model of the battleship Yamato measuring 26.3 meters in length. At the adjoining seaside Yamato Wharf (Yamato Hatoba), visitors can walk across an open space that reproduces a portion of the deck at actual size.
• ​JMSDF Kure Museum​​: A museum affectionately nicknamed "Iron Whale Museum" (Tetsu no Kujira-kan). Visitors can enter the interior of the actual submarine Akishio stationed alongside the museum from the third floor, view the captain's cabin and the control room, and look through a periscope. The second floor introduces the activities of the minesweeping units that cleared mines from shipping lanes after the war.
• ​Irifuneyama Memorial Museum​​: The central structure is the Former Official Residence of the Commander-in-Chief of the Kure Naval District, designated as a National Important Cultural Property. The building connects a Western-style building in the front with a Japanese-style building in the back; the walls and ceilings of the Western-style section are adorned with ornate kinkarakami (embossed gilded paper). A clock tower that kept time at the Kure Naval Arsenal also remains on the grounds.
• ​Rekishi-no-Mieru-Oka Hill​​: An elevated park offering a panoramic view of the history of Kure. The shipyard below the hill is the former site of the Kure Naval Arsenal, and visitors can look down upon the large roof that still stands, originally erected to conceal the construction of Yamato from view. The park also features the Aa Senkan Yamato-no-To Monument, modeled after Yamato's bridge, and a haiku monument dedicated to Masaoka Shiki.
• ​Alley Karasukojima​​: A seaside park located right next to the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Kure Base. Visitors can view submarines and escort ships moored at the quay across the water up close. Stone revetments built in 1895 (Meiji 28) and a British-made crane used for loading and unloading torpedoes remain, and brick warehouses dating from the Meiji 30s (circa 1897–1906) line the park.

Recommended Route and Duration

The recommended time is approximately 6 hours. It is about a 5-minute walk from JR Kure Station to the JMSDF Kure Museum, with the Yamato Museum situated right across from it. After touring these two facilities, walk about 800 meters east toward the Irifuneyama Memorial Museum. From the Irifuneyama Memorial Museum to Rekishi-no-Mieru-Oka Hill is about 900 meters south, and from the hill to Alley Karasukojima is about 1.3 kilometers southwest.

When walking is difficult, use the local buses. The nearest bus stop for Irifuneyama Memorial Museum is "Irifuneyama Koen," for Rekishi-no-Mieru-Oka Hill is "Shiki Kuhi-mae," and for Alley Karasukojima is "Sensuitai-mae." For the return journey, buses bound for Kure Station are available from the Sensuitai-mae bus stop. Passageways inside the submarine at the JMSDF Kure Museum are narrow, so wear comfortable walking shoes and clothing that is easy to move in. The vessels moored at Alley Karasukojima vary by day, and since entry into the base is not permitted, please view them from the park.

Summary of Experience

A 1/10-scale Yamato and an actual submarine, a Meiji-era official residence, the massive roof that sheltered Yamato's construction, and the quayside where naval vessels line the waterfront today. Spend a full day strolling through the town to trace the history of Kure as a naval port and the manufacturing techniques nurtured here.