Yamato Museum 大和ミュージアム（呉市海事歴史科学館）

Launched in 1940, the battleship Yamato was a staggering 263 meters long. It was not only the largest warship in the world but also the most heavily armed, with nine 18.1-inch main guns, which were the biggest ever mounted on a ship.

The Yamato Museum in Kure , a port town near Hiroshima, tells you all about this stupendous warcraft and the future of shipbuilding.

You can reach the museum by train and then a short walk.

The museum is five minutes from Kure Station on the JR Kure Line, approximately 50 minutes from Hiroshima Station.

Despite its size and fearsome weaponry, the Yamato was sunk on April 7, 1945. Working from blueprints, photographs, and drawings, however, the museum has constructed a painstakingly accurate 1:10 scale model of this historic ship, which acts as the centerpiece of the museum.

The museum also features some authentic relics from World War II, including a Zero Fighter Type 62 airplane and a Kaiten human torpedo. It is harrowing to see such barbaric weapons. To the museum's credit, it gives us the chance to look at our collective bloody history and secure a more peaceful future.

With the future in mind, the museum also has sections that explore shipbuilding technology and future prospects, including a CGI version of the Yamato.