Misumi Nishikou

Nominated to World Heritage Site

Yui Yamaguchi May 31, 2014 - 1 min read

<p>Misum West Wharf - The coal vessels were calling here back in the Meiji period. Now people are enjoying fishing.</p>

<p>Old Misumi Kaiun Storage House - Beautiful white walled building. It's used as a water front restaurant now.</p>

<p>Old Takada Kaisou Ten - Built in Meiji Period and you can enter inside. This trading company possessed 4 vessels and dealt both passengers and cargos. There are approximately 10 rooms in upstairs.</p>

<p>Old Takada Kaisou Ten (Upstairs) - The most inner room of the house facing south. There is an alcove and a set of staggered shelves and it seems the most expensive room.</p>

<p>Ryujoukan - The building seamlessly combines Japanese and Western styles with light blue window frames, green doors and roof and Japanese roof tiles.</p>

<p>The Western building next to Ryujoukan has used as a museum and cafe.</p>

In the Meiji period (1868 to 1911), Misumi West Port (Nishikou in Japanese) was used for to ship coal and we can still see remnants from that time from the stone wharf, the white walled warehouse, Western style buildings used as an auditorium or library and trading company's Japanese style building.

Comparing with today's massive automated container terminal facilities, the volume dealt and the size of the wharf were much smaller, but more manpower was required, for example stevedores, government officers and business people. I could imagine the prosperity of the area filled with bars, book shops, Western goods stores, kimono textile shops, etc. Not many cars were driven back in those days and there wouldn't have much traffic between here to Kumamoto city. This place would come to life once the vessel's head was seen at the wharf and somebody shouted "the vessel is arriving!"

At the souvenir shop, you can purchase Kumamon goods as well as Amakusa's famous sweets called akamaki.

Yui Yamaguchi @iyu.mura

Born & grew up in Kumamoto, Yui studied and worked in Osaka before immigrating to Australia. She lived in Adelaide and Sydney prior to moving to Brisbane. Her passion is reporting on the great things of Kumamoto and Japan to everyone around the world in a serious, interesting and funny way. Her f...