The Yamato Museum (Kure Maritime Museum) and the Tetsunokujira-kan (JMSDF Kure Museum) in Kure City are two museums close enough to visit on foot. Admission to the Yamato Museum is ¥1,000 for adults who live outside Kure City, and the Tetsunokujira-kan is free. Both are closed every Tuesday. Only the Yamato Museum has a car park of its own, with limited spaces.
In short
- See the battleship Yamato and Kure’s history: Yamato Museum (adults ¥1,000, elementary and junior high school students ¥200).
- See inside a real submarine for free: Tetsunokujira-kan (free entry, allow 40–60 minutes).
- Also visit Irifuneyama Memorial Museum: buy the combination ticket at the Yamato Museum (adults ¥1,050).
- If you live in Kure City: the Yamato Museum is ¥500 for adults and free for high school students and younger.
- Both are closed on Tuesdays (the next day if Tuesday is a holiday), and the last entry is 30 minutes before closing.
Checked with official pages on October 17, 2026 (Japan time). Prices and hours may change.
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1. How to choose between the museums in Kure
Use the summary above as a quick guide. A “combination ticket” covers more than one facility at a reduced price.
2. The two museums compared by admission, hours and closing days
The Yamato Museum is open 9:00–18:00 and the Tetsunokujira-kan 10:00–18:00, and both are closed on Tuesdays (the next day if Tuesday is a holiday). Entry is until 30 minutes before closing.
| Museum | Adult admission | Hours | Closed | Parking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yamato Museum | ¥1,000 (¥500 for Kure residents) | 9:00–18:00 | Tuesday | Own car park (limited spaces) |
| Tetsunokujira-kan | Free | 10:00–18:00 | Tuesday | No car park of its own |
The Yamato Museum is open every day from April 29 to May 5, July 21 to August 31 and December 29 to January 3. The Tetsunokujira-kan is open on Tuesdays in August and closed from December 29 to January 3.
3. Yamato Museum (Takara-machi, Kure)
For the permanent exhibition, people from outside Kure City pay ¥1,000 for adults, ¥300 for high school students and ¥200 for elementary and junior high school students. Kure residents pay ¥500 for adults, and high school and younger students are free. Preschool children are free. Kure residents have their address checked with a My Number card, a driver’s license or similar (Yamato Museum official page on using the museum, Japanese).
| Category | Outside Kure, individual | Outside Kure, group (20 or more) | Kure residents, individual |
|---|---|---|---|
| General (university students and older) | ¥1,000 | ¥800 | ¥500 |
| High school students | ¥300 | ¥200 | ¥0 |
| Elementary and junior high school students | ¥200 | ¥100 | ¥0 |
The combination ticket with the Irifuneyama Memorial Museum can be bought at the Yamato Museum. It is ¥1,050 for adults, ¥350 for high school students and ¥200 for elementary and junior high school students. You can buy it on the ticket site (Webket) from the “e-ticket on sale” link on the official top page.
If you drive, the museum’s own car park has limited spaces, so the official site recommends trains and buses. At the three city car parks (Kure Station West, Kuramoto and Hondori), parking is reduced for up to 1 hour once, on the day you visit the Yamato Museum. For 30 minutes or less ¥100 is covered, and over 30 minutes ¥200 in coupons is given (Yamato Museum notice on city car park reductions, Japanese).
The bus drop-off outside the museum is near the Tetsunokujira-kan. If you come by tour bus, you need to book a group visit.
From Saturday, January 30 to Sunday, May 9, 2027, a special exhibition, “Space Battleship Yamato: Complete Records Exhibition for the 50th Anniversary of the Broadcast, planned and produced by Anno Hideaki,” will be held in Yamato Hall on the 1st floor (Yamato Museum notice on the special exhibition, Japanese). The museum is closed on Tuesdays during the exhibition as well.
The “Yamato Museum Satellite” on the 1st floor of View Port Kure in Nakadori, Kure, has its last day open on Sunday, December 20, 2026. If you show the same-day Yamato Museum ticket, you can see the satellite free on that day (Yamato Museum notice on the satellite closing, Japanese).
| Name | Yamato Museum (Kure Maritime Museum) |
|---|---|
| Address | 5-20 Takara-machi, Kure City, Hiroshima |
| Hours / Closed | 9:00–18:00 (last entry 17:30). Closed Tuesdays (following day if a holiday); open daily April 29–May 5, July 21–August 31, and December 29–January 3 |
| Phone | 0823-25-3017 |
| Map | Open in Google Maps ↗ |
| Official site | Open the official site ↗ |
↑ Back to the comparison table
4. Tetsunokujira-kan (Takara-machi, Kure)
The Tetsunokujira-kan is free, and a visit takes about 40–60 minutes. You go inside a real submarine. The route goes up by escalator from the 1st to the 3rd floor (visitor information of the Tetsunokujira-kan, Japanese).
The inside of the submarine is very narrow, and it is difficult to visit with a stroller or wheelchair. Strollers are kept at the entrance of the submarine, so you carry children in your arms. For wheelchair users, a small wheelchair for use inside is provided. Photos are allowed, but flash and tripods are not. Pets cannot enter.
To get there, it is an 8-minute walk from JR Kure Station, a 3-minute walk from Kure Chuo Pier, or about 5 minutes by car from the Kure IC on the Hiroshima-Kure Road (Clair Line). There is no car park of its own. Check the monthly closed days in the “closed day notice” on the official top page.
| Name | Tetsunokujira-kan (JMSDF Kure Museum) |
|---|---|
| Address | 5-32 Takara-machi, Kure City, Hiroshima |
| Hours / Closed | 10:00–18:00 (last entry 17:30). Closed Tuesdays (following day if a holiday), December 29–January 3 |
| Phone | 0823-21-6111 |
| Map | Open in Google Maps ↗ |
| Official site | Open the official site ↗ |
↑ Back to the comparison table
5. Getting from Hiroshima to Kure
From Hiroshima Station to Kure Station it takes about 32 minutes by a rapid train on the JR Kure Line. From Hiroshima Bus Center, the Clair Line express bus takes about 46 minutes to Kure Ekimae. From Hiroshima Port it is about 23 minutes by high-speed boat to Kure Port, and from Hiroshima Airport about 58 minutes by airport bus to Kure Station (access page of the Tetsunokujira-kan, Japanese).
If you want to try a Kure specialty at lunch, see our page (in Japanese), 8 Kure naval curry shops.
Common questions
Can I go on a Tuesday?
Both the Yamato Museum and the Tetsunokujira-kan are closed on Tuesdays (the next day if Tuesday is a holiday). The Yamato Museum is open every day from July 21 to August 31. The Tetsunokujira-kan is open on Tuesdays in August.
Can I visit both on the same day?
They are close to each other, so yes. The Tetsunokujira-kan takes 40–60 minutes, and entry to the Yamato Museum is until 30 minutes before closing.
Sources
7 pages we checked
- Yamato Museum official page on using the museum
- Yamato Museum notice on city car park reductions
- Yamato Museum notice on the special exhibition
- Yamato Museum notice on the satellite closing
- visitor information of the Tetsunokujira-kan
- access page of the Tetsunokujira-kan
- Japanese version of this page (日本語版)
Checked with official pages on October 17, 2026 (Japan time).
