Stand on the covered walkway outside JR Kure Station and you can see both of the city's naval museums across the road, with the grey hull of a submarine parked between them and the cranes of the dockyard beyond. It is an unusually direct introduction to a place whose modern identity was built on ships.
Kure suits travellers who are interested in maritime and naval history, and who prefer a compact city where the main sights sit within a short walk of the station. It also works well as a day trip from Hiroshima, since the rail line runs direct.
It does not attempt to cover the outlying islands.
1. Kure Maritime Museum (Yamato Museum)
This museum is focused on the history of the World War II-era super battleship Yamato, and its centrepiece is a one-tenth scale model of the ship. It also holds displays on the history of the Imperial Japanese Navy, most of which have English translations.
Allow time for the viewing gallery on the upper stories, which gives a good view of the warships docked at the nearby JMSDF base. It sits across the road from the JMSDF Kure Museum and a short walk along a covered pathway from Kure's railway station, so the two are easy to combine.
2. JMSDF Kure Museum
Nicknamed the Iron Whale Museum, this museum introduces the history of the JMSDF and the historical relationship between Kure and the force, through exhibits on the development and current status of submarines and on the military history and operations of minesweepers. The former JMSDF submarine Akishio is on display outside.
Admission is free, which makes it an easy addition to a museum day. It is located across the road from the Yamato Museum and a short walk along a covered pathway from Kure's railway station.
3. Kure Municipal Museum of Art and Museum Avenue
This art museum anchors Museum Avenue, a stretch that groups the city's museum quarter together. It is a natural counterpart to the naval collections if you want a change of subject within the same area.
Pair it with the other museums on the avenue rather than treating it as a standalone stop, since the cluster is what makes the area worth a half day.
4. Irifuneyama Memorial Museum
The Irifuneyama Memorial Museum is one of the city's listed museums. It rewards travellers who want to look beyond the naval story and see another side of Kure's collections.
Check locally before setting out, and build it into a wider walk that takes in the surrounding museums rather than making a special trip for it alone.
5. Rantokaku Art Museum
The Rantokaku Art Museum is another of Kure's art collections, and a quieter alternative to the maritime museums.
It suits a slower afternoon. Combine it with the other art and culture sites in the city if you have more than one day.
6. Sannose Gohonjin Art and Culture
Sannose Gohonjin Art and Culture is listed among the city's museums and cultural sites. It is the kind of place to visit when you want the city's cultural history rather than its industrial one.
Treat it as part of a broader wander through Kure's cultural sites, and confirm access locally before you go.
7. Kurahashi-cho Nagato Museum of Shipbuilding History
This museum covers shipbuilding history, a subject that runs through the whole city. It is a good complement to the Yamato Museum if the engineering side of Kure interests you most.
It is one of the sights associated with the Kurahashi area, so plan it as part of a wider outing rather than a quick stop between the station and the waterfront.
8. Kameyama Shrine
Kameyama Shrine is the city's listed shrine, and the focus of the Kameyama Shrine Festival. It offers a calm counterpoint to the museum-heavy centre.
The Kameyama Shrine Festival falls on the second Sunday in October and the day before, which is the liveliest time to see it.
9. Former Kure-chinjufu
The Former Kure-chinjufu is listed among the city's historical places. It speaks to the naval administrative history that shaped Kure.
Visit it as part of a walk through the city's historical sites, and check access locally beforehand.
10. Former House of Prince Takamatsu
The Former House of Prince Takamatsu is another of Kure's historical places, and one of the few domestic-scale historic buildings on the list.
It pairs naturally with the Former Kure-chinjufu and the other historical places if you are spending a full day on the city's past.
11. Takechimaru anti-invasion cement ships
The Takechimaru anti-invasion cement ships are among the city's historical places, and a reminder of the later stages of the Pacific War, when Kure came under sustained aerial bombardment.
They are a specialist stop. Combine them with the historical places rather than visiting in isolation.
12. Kure Port-pia Park
Kure Port-pia Park is one of the city's parks and gardens, and a place to break up a day of museum visiting with a walk by the water.
It sits near Kure-Portopia station on the Kure Line, which makes it straightforward to reach by rail.
13. Rekishi-no-mieru-Oka and Park
Rekishi-no-mieru-Oka and Park is listed among the city's parks and gardens. The name refers to a hill from which history can be seen, and it is a viewpoint stop rather than a formal attraction.
Go when the weather is clear, and treat it as a pause between other sights.
14. Setonaikai National Park
Kure sits next to Setonaikai National Park, and the city also takes in sparsely inhabited outlying islands such as Kurahashi-jima, Shimo-kamagari, Kami-kamagari and Toyoshima.
If you want to see the island side of the city, plan this as a separate outing from the central museum district.
15. Kure Fireworks above the Sea
Kure Fireworks above the Sea is held in late July or early August, and the Kure Port Festival is the other major event on the city's calendar.
If your dates are flexible, timing a visit around the fireworks gives you the waterfront at its busiest. Confirm the exact date locally, as it shifts year to year.
If you only have one day
Morning. Start at the Kure Maritime Museum (Yamato Museum), arriving close to opening so you have time for the one-tenth scale model of the Yamato and the Imperial Japanese Navy displays. Leave time for the upper-floor viewing gallery, which looks out over the warships docked at the nearby JMSDF base.
Afternoon. Cross the road to the JMSDF Kure Museum, where the former submarine Akishio is on display outside and admission is free. If you still have energy for more, walk Museum Avenue and look in at the Kure Municipal Museum of Art.
Evening. Head to Kure Port-pia Park for a walk by the water, or take the short rail hop to Kure-Portopia if you want to end the day further along the line.
How do I get to the main museums?
Both the JMSDF Kure Museum and the Kure Maritime Museum (Yamato Museum) are about a five-minute walk from JR Kure Station, along a covered pathway, and they sit across the road from one another.
Do I need to pay to get in?
Admission to the JMSDF Kure Museum is free. The Kure Maritime Museum (Yamato Museum) charges adults ¥500, high school students ¥300, and elementary and junior high students ¥200.
When are the museums open?
The JMSDF Kure Museum is open Wednesday to Monday, 09:00-17:00. The Kure Maritime Museum (Yamato Museum) is open Wednesday to Monday, 09:00-18:00.
When are the city's festivals?
Kure Fireworks above the Sea is held in late July or early August. The Kameyama Shrine Festival takes place on the second Sunday in October and the day before.
Decide whether you are coming for the museums or for the fireworks, check the current opening days, and the rest of a Kure itinerary falls into place around the station.