Maizuru is a historic port town beside Maizuru Bay on the Japan Sea coast. The town is divided into eastern and western sections by mountains. The western portion are the location of the original castle town, while the eastern half was home to the Maizuru Naval District, now the JMSDF Maizuru Air Base.

Western Maizuru

Tanabe Castle Ruins
Name in Japanese: 田辺城
Pronunciation: ta-na-bei-jō

Built by Hosokawa Fujitaka in 1579, Tanabe Castle is famous for holding off a force of 15,000 men with 500 soldiers during the siege of Tanabe in 1600, one of a number of battles which took place as part of the Sekigahara Campaign. all that remains today are some stone foundations topped with a watchtower built in 1940 containing a museum, and a 1992 replica of the main gate.

Yoshiwara Inlet
Name in Japanese: 吉原入江
Pronunciation: yo-shee-wa-ra ee-ree-ei

This bay side area has been a fishing district since the Edo period. Today, it’s packed with houses dating from the 1930s that back directly onto the dockside where fishermen moor their boats.

Maizuru Tore Tore Center
Name in Japanese: 舞鶴とれとれセンター
Pronunciation: mai-zoo-roo to-rei-to-rei sen-tah

This Roadside Station houses a huge seafood market offering fresh local catches and dining options.

Goro Sky Tower
Name in Japanese: 五老スカイタワー
Pronunciation: go-rō sukai ta-wah

Mt. Goro is a mountain located between eastern and western Maizuru. Atop the mountain is a tower standing 301 m high. The observation deck on the top floor provides panoramic views of the region, especially the deeply indented shoreline and scattered islands of Maizuru Bay. There’s an adjoining café.

Eastern Maizuru

Maizuru Red Brick Park
Name in Japanese: 舞鶴赤れんがパーク
Pronunciation: mai-zoo-roo aka-renga pah-koo

A collection of Meiji-era brick warehouses that were once used for military storage. Many have been repurposed into shops, restaurants, and exhibition spaces. One of the warehouses houses a museum of bricks.

Kongō-in
Name in Japanese: 金剛院
Pronunciation: mai-zoo-roo aka-renga pah-koo

Kongō-in is a temple in the eastern half of the city. It was founded at the beginning of the Heian period by an imperial prince, Takadake. Its three-storey pagoda, standing among maple trees, is particularly beautiful.

Naval History & Scenic Cruises
You can take a cruise around Maizuru Bay to see the scenery and the various warships up close.