On this day, the 120-meter Chisago Pier was completed. If you look closely at the stone walls you’ll notice carvings of cranes, turtles, gourds, and other symbols believed to bring good fortune. These were said to be a product of the craftsmen’s playfulness.
With the completion of Chisago Pier, it became increasingly easier to wait out maritime conditions. In those days it was the largest breakwater in the Chugoku Region, bringing vast fortune and prosperity to the port town and earning the name of “Chugoku musō,” or “Unparalleled in Chugoku.” Why, then, has this town become so quiet?
One oft-cited theory is that, as the logistics industry shifted to steamboats and railroads, Mitarai perhaps missed its chance to shift as well. It lost its function as a port town over time, and after World War 2 the town lost its central functions due to municipal mergers. It could not catch the postwar wave of economic growth, and was left to slumber by the passage of time.
Then, during the Heisei Period, Mitarai suffered major damage from a typhoon. Although ravaged by nature’s fury, the Edo Period townscape remained miraculously intact. Over time, people loudly called to preserve this town for posterity, reawakening it from its hypersleep.
What feelings stirred within you during your stroll through the town? They say that if you spend a night here and walk along Chisago Pier at night, the full moon will reflect upon the sea as if to create a road of moonlight. In summer, the Milky Way stretches across the night sky, transforming the town entirely. We hope you’ll continue diving into the ongoing story of the port town known as Mitarai.
*This guide was created based on documents and interviews and includes some interpretation done by us at ON THE TRIP. Theories differ between experts, so try to find out what really happened on your travels!
ON THE TRIP Editorial Staff
Writer: Akihito Shiga
Photography: Hiroshi Honma
Japanese Narration: Otoha Nara
English Translation: Jean Paul Souki Pacheco, Kevin Rea
English Narration: Chelsea Krause