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| From Alley Karasukojima : Two Soryu-class submarines belonging to Submarine Squadron 5, 1st Submarine Flotilla at Kure Naval Base. |
Alley Karasukojima
There is a unique place in Japan where anyone could visit and view the submarines and ships of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force ( JMSDF ) at close range and for free. It is known as Alley Karasukojima Park ( アレイからすこじま公園 Arei Karasukojima Koen ) and it is located in Kure City, Hiroshima Prefecture.
Often listed as a seaside park, Alley Karasukojima is nothing more than a narrow strip of wharf-side walkway with a few trees and flower beds and with a car park that is rather far away and uphill. Unremarkable as it sounds, it is the view from here that will blow the mind of any naval enthusiast away. Standing by the water's edge, the visitor will be directly facing the piers where the warships and the submarines of the JMSDF are docked. The coming and going of the naval vessels and all dockside activities can be observed without restrictions anytime of the day or night.
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| Panoramic view of Alley Karasukojima |
Historical Background
Kure has always been an important part of Japanese naval history being designated as the second of four naval districts ( 鎮守府 Chinjufu ) as far back as 1889. Its location along the shores of the Seto Inland Sea conferred strategic importance in the sea control of western Japan. The establishment of the Kure Naval Arsenal in the following year would eventually make Kure one of Japan's most important shipbuilding sites for capital warships including the Yamato. In modern times Kure continues to be a major JMSDF base and also hosts the headquarters of the Kure Naval District whose area of jurisdiction stretches from the western half of Kyushu to the Kii Peninsula of Kansai.
What we know today as the Alley Karasukojima Park was once the sea fronting the headquarters and arms manufacturing plant of the Kure Naval Arsenal. A seawall made of rocks was constructed there in the year 1895.
There was a small island there known as Karasukojima ( 烏小島 ) or Bird Island with a perimeter measuring just 40 meters and it was used as a training ground for torpedo launching during the Taisho Period ( 1912 - 1926 ). Karasukojima eventually disappeared due to land filling.
Following World War II, the area was used by the British Commonwealth Occupation Force up to 1956. In 1985 the city of Kure developed the site as a park and combining with the English word alley, named it after the little island that was once there.
Located in the immediate vicinity of HQ 1st Submarine Flotilla JMSDF, this park is the best venue to observe Japanese submarines up close. There are also old brick houses built in 1897 during the Meiji Period on the opposite side of the street along the sea front with historical significance. They once housed the electrical department of the Kure Naval Arsenal but are now used as warehouses by private logistics firms. Together with the old embankments, these brick houses and related structures at the Alley had been awarded heritage status by the Japan Society of Civil Engineers ( JSCE ) in 2009. An old crane which was once used to load torpedoes currently still stands and is one of the most recognizable features of the park.
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| Civil Engineering Heritage Award : Granite embankment and torpedo loading crane. Photo : JSCE |
Visiting Alley Karasukojima
I visited Alley Karasukojima Park on the afternoon of 6th Dec 2018 which happened to be a very cold and rainy day, not the best time for a good view but that was all the time I could afford. It is probably best to drive yourself to this location as there are no train stations nearby. The park is served by public buses though and taxis are always an option.
A public car park is available for visitors but it is located some 300m from the park up a small hill. It is impossible to miss as there is a prominent sign featuring a submarine fixed to the gate grills. The car parks immediately across the road next to the park are owned by the convenient store and wharf side café and are reserved for their customers.
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| The Café, Convenient Store and Meiji Era brick buildings in the background. |
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| Parking is free for visitors to Alley Karasukojima. |
Once at the sea front, I could see many submarines and surface vessels berthed at the piers and the naval personnel walking along the docks. Some can be identified by their pennant numbers like the training support ship Tenryu ( ATS-4203 ) which carries the BQM-34AJ and BQM-74E target drones. Not being able to read the pennant numbers through the rain and sometimes by obstruction from line of sight, the submarines I could still identify by their class based on the shape of stern planes. The X-shaped ones being the newer Soryu-class SSK while the vertical ones denotes an older Oyashio-class SSK. Other ships seen at the piers included the submarine rescue ship ASR-403 Chihaya, Destroyers DD-105 Inazuma and DD-158 Umigiri, and Japan's future aircraft carrier DDH-184 Kaga. Here are some of the photographs taken on that day.
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| The Alley is just a narrow strip of real estate between the road and the sea. The ships and submarines can already be spotted from across the road. |
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| The visitor can walk right to the water's edge next to the pier. |
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| Close-up view of Training Support Ship ATS-4203 Tenryu from Alley Karasukojima. |
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| Naval personnel on the pier with destroyers DD-105 Inazuma and DD-158 Umigiri in the background. The capital ship furthest away is probably DDH-184 Kaga. |
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| A couple of Oyashio-class submarines with the submarine rescue ship ASR-403 Chihaya on the left. |
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| A closer view of ASR-403 Chihaya with the Oyashios. |
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| ATS-4203, ASR-403 and Oyashios. |
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| Two Soryu-class with X-form stern planes. |
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| The two Soryu-class submarines with DD-105 and DD-158 |
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| The torpedo hoist that miraculously survived the WWII bombing raids on Kure. Photo : Wikipedia |
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| The Alley is accessible 24/7. Night scene with ASR-403 Chihaya and Oyashios circa 2008. Wikipedia |
So, two Soryu-class SSK, two Oyashio-class SSK, ASR-403 Chihaya submarine rescue tender, DD-105 Inazuma, DD-158 Umigiri and DDH-184 Kaga, all spotted in one location. I almost wished I had a longer zoom lens. 300mm it seems may still be somewhat lacking. It might have been better if the weather was clear and sunny.
I also learnt that on most Sundays, the JMSDF conducts ship open house events for the public. Different ships will be made available for public viewing on different weekends. For example ATS-4203 Tenryu open house is scheduled for 13th Jan 2019. Check the JMSDF Kure Regional Forces website for more details ( Japanese only ).
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| Kure Kaiji Curry based on the recipe from SS-596 Kuroshio |
And while you are there, you might as well check out the café across the road from the Alley for some authentic Kure Kaiji curry ( 海自カレー ). Kaiji is the abbreviation for JMSDF in Japanese. These are curry dishes based on recipes taken from the galley of the various naval ships and submarines home ported in Kure. The Minatocho Kohiten Café ( 港町珈琲店 Wharf District Coffeeshop ) serves Hiroshima-styled soft beef curry from the recipe of the submarine Kuroshio for only JPY1058 ( about US$10 ), inclusive of salad and drink. There is even an official website for Kure Kaiji Curry, no kidding .... but it is in Japanese though.
If you happen to visit Hiroshima, why not make a detour to Kure?
