Tomonoura is a picturesque port town located on the Seto Inland Sea. Now a fishing port, it was once an important stop for merchant ships plying the route to Ōsaka. The town developed its own commodities, notably hōmeishu, a medicinal liquor containing sixteen types of herbs. The Ōta residence and museum belonged to a family who made this drink. 

The centre of the town around the port is a maze of alleys lined with plaster-walled warehouses and buildings of various periods. The port itself has a beautiful stone breakwater with a lighthouse and steps going into the sea for unloading vessels.  

Fukuzen-ji Temple stands on a little hill beside the port and its veranda offers a wonderful view of two nearby islands. The temple also houses a statue of Mary disguised as Kannon.  

Tomonoura was the location for several popular films including “The Wolverine” starring Hugh Jackman and “Ponyo on the Cliff”.