German House

What to know

During World War I, Japan fought alongside the Entente Powers and took over some of Germany's Asian and Pacific colonies, also capturing prisoners of war. About a thousand German soldiers were held at Bando Camp near central Naruto, where they enjoyed considerable freedom, worked, and formed friendships with the local Japanese community.

After the war, these bonds endured, eventually leading to a sister city relationship between Naruto and Lüneburg, Germany. The German House (ドイツ館, Doitsukan) was built as a goodwill gesture and now houses an excellent museum about the lives of the Bando Camp prisoners. It displays models and photographs with descriptions in Japanese, German, and English.

A ten-minute walk south of the German House is German Village Park (ドイツ村公園, Doitsu Mura Kōen), a small, slightly neglected park with a memorial listing the names of German prisoners who died during their captivity.

To get there by train, take a train from Naruto Station to Ikenotani Station, then transfer to another train to Bando Station. The one-way trip takes 30–45 minutes, costs 330 yen, and is covered by the Japan Rail Pass. Trains run about once per hour. From Bando Station, it's about 1.5 km (20 minutes on foot) to German Village Park, then another ten minutes to the German House.

Buses between Naruto Station and Itano Station (Oasa Line) stop at German Village Park ("Doitsumura" bus stop) along the way. Some buses also stop at the German House ("Doitsukan" bus stop), a ten-minute walk north of the park. The one-way trip from Naruto Station takes about 30–40 minutes and costs 440 yen. Buses run only every two hours.

The German House is a ten-minute walk from Naruto Nishi bus stop on the Takamatsu Expressway. This stop is served by highway buses from Takamatsu to Tokushima, but note that buses going the opposite direction (Tokushima to Takamatsu) do not allow passengers to get off at Naruto Nishi.