Yamato Museum

photo by Aw1805 · CC BY-SA 4.0

photo by そらみみ · CC BY-SA 4.0

The 1:10 scale model, 26.3 metres long, reproduces the largest battleship ever launched.

At the centre of the museum, a 1:10 scale model 26.3 metres long reproduces the battleship Yamato, 263 metres long and the largest warship ever built. Reopened on 23 April 2026 after its renovation, the museum now shows about 300 more items (2,100 in all), photographs and digitised wills of the sailors who died when the ship sank, as well as tactile routes and improved accessibility for wheelchair users and visually impaired visitors.

Official name Kure Maritime History Museum; it tells the story of the city as a military port and shipyard, the largest naval arsenal in Japan. The battleship Yamato sank in 1945 during a suicide operation towards Okinawa. The museum opened on 23 April 2005, closed for renovation from February 2025 and reopened exactly 21 years after its debut, on 23 April 2026.

ℹ️ Open 9:00–18:00 (last entry 17:30), closed on Mondays (open every day in the periods 29/4–5/5, 21/7–31/8, 29/12–3/1). Adult ticket 1,000 yen.

🚉 Kure · 9 min walk

Sources: yamato-museum.com · tokyo-np.co.jp · jalan.net

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