HOME > Japan’s Local Treasures > Townscape of Mitarai
A small harbor town in the middle of the Seto Inland Sea where time stands still
Kure City, Hiroshima Prefecture
Situated in the middle of the Seto Inland Sea, Mitarai used to flourish as an important port town where marine travelers stayed to wait for favorable tides and winds. Due to its small area, the land was reclaimed several times, so small and big merchant houses, tea houses, lodgings for travelers, residences, Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples are intermixed in the Mitarai townscape, and the narrow backstreets are designed in a grid-like pattern in this traditional Japanese town, making for a great sightseeing experience. The area was registered as an Important Preservation District for Groups of Historic Buildings in 1994.
How to get there
It takes about 1 hour and 30 minutes from Shin-Osaka Station to Hiroshima Station by the Sanyo Shinkansen, and about 1 hour and 30 minutes from Hiroshima Station by car.
Mitarai, Yutaka-cho, Kure-shi, Hiroshima-ken
