Experience

Kure Harbor Shipyard Cruise (呉湾艦船めぐり)

Once referred to as “The Number-One Port in the Pacific,” Kure Harbor has flourished since the days of old, and even in the present day is a tourist attraction where a titanic chunk of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s battleships, submarines, and such can be seen. On the Kure Harbor Shipyard Cruise, visitors can enjoy cruising in the vicinity of destroyers and submarines and observing the SDF officers as they live out their daily lives. There are two types of cruises offered: daytime and twilight (reservations required), and every departure is amply packed with tourists.

Moment of Joy

During the Kure Harbor Shipyard Cruise, tourists board the “Kurenai 5,” a rented tourist boat that allows for views of large boats such as submarines and destroyers from sea level. Because the explanations are given by a retired JMSDF sailor, tourists can get to know about Kure and the ships on a deeper level. In addition, the Kure Central Pier Terminal, where visitors can sign up for the cruises, is a brief walk from JR Kure Station and other centrally located tourist sites, which means a harbor cruise can easily be added to one’s itinerary for the day.