Mietsu Naval Dock Site

Mietsu Naval Dock is registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site under the designation of one of the sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution: Iron and Steel, Shipbuilding and Coal Mining. The naval dock served as a building and repair yard for ships of the Saga domain’s westernized navy at the end of the Tokugawa Period. The wooden remains of the dry-dock (that facilitated ship repairs) show a fused construction of both Japanese and Western influences, a rare feat of Japanese building-style that still remains today.

Just steps from here you’ll even find the Sano Tsunetami and Mietsu Naval Dock Historical Museum, newly opened in September 2021! Inside you’ll find a collection of exhibits displaying Tsunetami Sano’s achievements, which include great contributions to the modernization of Japan with acts such as founding Mietsu Naval Dock and Hakuaisha, the predecessor to the Japanese Red Cross Society.

You won’t want to miss the unforgettable big-screen recreations, as well as full-size model recreations of the wooden dry dock, whose original form was buried beneath the earth for preservation.

Inside you can borrow a free iPad, or use your own smartphone or tablet to use Rekinabi, the free guidance app that provides CG recreations of the historic ruins and details of the exhibits right before your eyes.