Discover Akashi: Castle Towers, Culture and Fish Market

Akashi combines remarkable remnants of its castle-era past with exhibitions about time and space, as well as a lively fishing tradition. If you’re planning a trip, you can focus on different interests here: historic buildings, cultural attractions, or cuisine centred on Akashi’s catch. These themes can also help guide your choice of a holiday apartment in Akashi, without requiring every experience to fit into the same day’s itinerary.

Castle Towers with a History

The Tatsumi and Hitsujisaru towers remain from Akashi Castle. They date back to the castle’s construction around 400 years ago. Both are three storeys tall and designated Important Cultural Properties of Japan. Their status as two of only twelve surviving towers of this type nationwide makes them a distinctive historical highlight of a stay in Akashi. Anyone interested in castles and architectural history will find a tangible point of interest here, distinct from the city’s science and cultural history exhibitions.

Time, Space and Local History

The Akashi Municipal Planetarium stands directly above the 135th meridian east, Japan’s standard time meridian. The planetarium and its exhibitions share knowledge about time and space. This makes it possible to explore the subject of time in more than an abstract way: the meridian is a clearly identified point of reference for the planetarium. The exhibitions complement the planetarium’s offerings and make a visit especially interesting if you’d also like to include scientific topics in your trip.

The Akashi Municipal Culture Museum focuses on the history and culture of Akashi. Its permanent exhibition is divided into eight themes, with special and temporary exhibitions also on offer. The eight themes provide different ways to explore the city, while changing exhibitions add to the programme. For a cultural day out, you can choose a historical focus or explore several aspects of the city’s history. Which special exhibitions are on during your trip depends on the programme at the time.

Workshops and Hands-On Culture

The Akashi Municipal Culture Museum also offers workshops led by volunteers. These include dressing up in junihitoe and armour, Saori weaving, and making eco-bags. These activities differ considerably from visiting an exhibition: rather than simply viewing exhibits, they focus on guided, hands-on activities. When planning your trip, you can therefore consider whether you’d prefer to see exhibitions or include a practical activity in your cultural itinerary. The workshops are another part of the museum’s offerings; check the current programme for specific dates.

Fishing Traditions Around Uonotana

Uonotana Shopping Street, also known as “Uonotana,” is said to have been established around 400 years ago, when Akashi Castle was built. Its layout is attributed to the town planning of Miyamoto Musashi. The street’s daily market is rooted in Akashi’s fishing industry: fish and octopus caught in Akashi are auctioned near the harbour. They are then delivered live to the shops on Uonotana Shopping Street. Fresh fish is laid out there in the afternoon, usually from around 12:30 p.m.

Uonotana offers a distinct way to experience Akashi: the focus is on fish and trade rather than architectural history or exhibitions. The market information is also useful for planning your day if you’re interested in local food. At the same time, the street’s history links its origins to the castle era, while the daily market reflects a specific fish-trading tradition.

Choose Akashi as Your Destination

When choosing a holiday apartment in Akashi, you can first consider which of these aspects of the city you’d like to focus on during your trip. The castle’s history, museum visits, workshops and fish market offer different themes rather than dictating a single reason for visiting. If you’re travelling with children, you can choose together based on the topics that make your family most curious; you don’t need to plan around any particular activity. Akashi is therefore especially worth considering when you’d like to include culture and local food in your travel plans.

More destinations: Kakogawa, Akō, Sasayama, Inagawa, Himeji, Kōbe, Ashiya and Ono.

Back to the main travel guide: Hyōgo Prefecture.