If you amble through the “Sanjō dōri” shopping district (10 min. on foot from JR Kure station) and take the path behind Ryōjō Elementary School, you come to the “200 steps of Ryōjō”.

As the area around the “200 steps” escaped major air-raid damage during the war, glimpses of the past can still be found…

Dashing up the stairs like a trainee… halfway up, despite the steepness, I see houses standing side-by-side going up the hillside – A rare scene!

When the Kure Naval District opened in 1889, the town’s population increased rapidly. As flat land was reserved for military use, ordinary people built houses called “Kaidan Jutaku” on the steep hill.

At the top of the stairs you can enjoy the contrast between the modern developed town of Kure, the “Kaidan Jutaku” on the steep hill, and the view of coast.

On the left, the Port of Kure and the dock where the world’s largest ever battleship “Yamato” was built and launched 70 years ago, and on the right, a peaceful view of the sun sinking among the islands of the Seto Inland Sea…  Soaking up the scene and getting lost in thought might be one of the many ways to experience “Kure”.

The 200 Steps of Ryōjō:

Address: Near 2-chōme, Ryōjō, Kure-shi, Hiroshima

Contact: Kure City Tourism Section

Telephone: 0823-25-3309

Setouchi Finder Photo-writer: Yoko Suganami, Makoto Esaki/ Rainbow Sake Co., Ltd.