Just 30 minutes from HiroshimaStation.
1-Day Trip Plan in Kure City, the Photo-worthy Port City!

If you head across the walkway you’ll find the Kure Sightseeing Information Plaza along the way, a convenient place to drop in to pick up pamphlets and other travel tips. We recommend swinging by here before heading out into the city.

Kure was once a known around the world as a military port city. Even the “Yamato” one of the worlds largest warships was built here in secret. Inside the museum you can find a 1/10th scale model of the Yamato warship, as well as historic blueprints and documents relating to the ship. There are also displays detailing the “Kaiten” human torpedoes, exhibits of real A6M “Zero” fighter planes and memorials that emphasize the importance of peace and respecting life. You’ll find so many areas that depict the best of Kure local tourism, offering a look into the city’s history and engineering prowess in shipbuilding.

Just outside the Yamato Museum sits a wooden deck area and terrace with calm, easy views over the Kure bay waters. It’s a great spot to enjoy the view while imagining how the Navy Arsenal and Kure Naval District was founded in the same spot in 1889. Today you’ll find docks of shipbuilding and repair companies, as well as unmatched views of ships and submarines docked at port.

Here is the Akishio, a submarine that once ran in commission from 1986 to 2004. When it was moved from the ocean to this resting spot it was moved across the road! This is apparently the only submarine known to have travelled across a public highway. Once inside the museum you can enjoy a rare chance to see the underside of the submarine. You’ll find that even the submarine is home to a few classified secrets, but knowing that they’re there, even while hidden for the exhibit, is part of the fun.

On the 1st and 2nd floor of the museum you’ll find exhibits that detail Kure’s naval fleet and maritime history, displays about safety when traveling the world’s oceans and de-mining efforts conducted by the Maritime Self-Defense Force. On the 3rd floor you can walk through replicas of a submarine interior at actual size, learn all the ins and outs of submarines, and then get ready to walk inside the “Akishio” itself! The inside is said to be pretty much untouched since its days in commission, allowing you a rare, one-of-a-kind chance to see every nook and cranny of what’s inside. The sounds of thrilled “oohs” and “ahs” are sure to be found echoing off its walls.

“Friday lunches are for curry!” or so goes the saying among many a sailor. The tradition comes from a tradition that helped sailors mark a specific day when at sea for long stints. One fact to know is that every vessel was known to have its own recipe. Shops around have studied the different original recipes, serving up curry that’s veritable flavor is good enough for it to be stamped with the captain or commander’s seal of approval. As of 2022, there are 20 places in Kure where you can try it for yourself.
The tourist information center has a handful of guides showing where to try Kure Naval Curry in case you need a few pointers on where to go.

The Former Official Residence of the Commander-in-Chief of the Kure Naval Station was opened along with the Kure Naval District in 1889 as lodging for the Commander-in-Chief (currently the 2nd) on a hill that over looks the city of Kure. It also served as the commander’s office, including a western building for welcoming official figures from in and outside of Japan, as well as a Japanese style annex for the commander and his family. Together this building has been registered as a National Important Cultural Asset.

The retro-chic building just begs to be photographed! With English stained glass, and a “Kinkara” gold-embossed ceiling that changes pattern in every room there’s plenty to enjoy while looking around. Directly connected to the residence sits a History and Folk Heritage Museum that includes exhibits of the woodblocks used when recreating the kinkara gold-embossing.

Alley-Karasukojima is a charming red-brick district with plenty of old world vibes that once flourished in Kure’s heyday as a naval district and port city. Today it serves as a public park, known across Japan as a rare spot to see real naval ships and submarines up close as they sit at the port.

The official name is Kure Nakadori Shopping Street. “Rengadori” is the local moniker for this 420-meter arcade and shopping street. Perfect for snack time, starting at 3pm, you’ll find a regional Kure sweet, the Fukuzumi Fried Cake. This deep fried manju is a long-staying favorite, featuring an unbelievably light bite you’re sure to love! The anko inside is only lightly sweet, making it easy to just eat a number of them at once. Some locals even swing by to buy them 10 or 20 at a time. The freshly fried cakes are wonderfully delicious, but the locals are known to enjoy them even from the refrigerator as a chilled treat.

After picking up a fried cake, you’ve got to try a wonderfully aromatic coffee from Subaru Coffee. For a take away souvenir you won’t want to miss the “Sailor’s Coffee” from the home-brewed roastery. You can buy a fresh cup of joe at the shopfront. The coffee roast changes per the season, allowing you to enjoy a perfectly brewed cup of delicious coffee throughout the year. This time we’ll show you a fresh Café au Lait. It’s made with fresh-brewed coffee that’s then mixed with milk for a sweet and creamy finish.♪ The coffee is sold in a bottle so you can easily take it along your street eats adventure.

The Kure Kansen Meguri cruise tour is an especially popular, absolute must that runs 4-5 times per day. This time we picked the “Sunset Cruise” that starts just before evening (must be booked at least 2 days in advance). The total cruise is about 35 minutes long, offering close up views of the submarines and ships that sit docked along the Kure bay waters.

One particular highlight of the sunset cruise is the ceremony of the Naval Fleet. It includes a special fanfare and a lowering of the naval flag with full pump and circumstance. The boats while seem almost magical under the glow of the setting sun, making for a perfect spot to shoot a video. The best part of this cruise boat is all the stops along the way, making sure you can get all the best shots without any hassle.