Furusato Rekishi Koen, Hakatajima

A museum in a mock castle with fantastic views

Anonymous Apr 24, 2013 - 1 min read

The Furusato Rekishi Koen museum on Hakatajima looks like a castle on a hill

Besides the castle tower, there's a gate and a lookout (which you can't climb unfortunately)

In front of the museum are two symbols of Imabari, an anchor and a propeller

Inside, there are exhibits covering many aspects of Hakatajima Island

The armour on display has an aspect of caricature

Is this really the face of a hard man of war?

Before the industrial age, Japanese hand tools reached a high level of sophistication

These are saws used for shipbuilding before the age of steel

The ships that used to ply the Seto Inland Sea were floating works of art

Everything from firefighting equipment and rice mills ...

This model of Hakatajima doesn't really do justice to the beauty and interest of the island

Hakatajima had a thriving salt industry, and you can see the old salt pans from the castle tower

The castle is totally fake, but it has its charm nevertheless

Another view from the top of the castle, with Mt. Ishizuchi in the distance

Furusato Rekishi Koen directly overlooks a shipyard

The Furusato Rekishi Koen is a little museum on Hakatajima Island on the Shimanami Kaido. Housed in a building that looks like a castle, and perched on top of a hill, it offers a fine view over a shipyard below, with vistas over the Seto Inland Sea. It’s one of those Japanese museums with a bit of everything, all of which is interesting. Entrance is free.

Anonymous @rod.walters__archived

I was born in Bristol, England, and I came to Japan in 1991 … which means I’ve lived half my life in this island nation on the other side of the world. The theme of my career in Japan has been communication. I started as an English teacher, and moved into translation as I learned Japanese....