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Kotohira's other sights include the Takadoro Lantern , the 27.6-metre-tall wooden tower next to the Kotoden station, which was built in 1865 and served as a warning beacon in times of trouble. Also worth a look is the Kinryo Sake Museum (daily 9am-5pm; Y310), located at the start of the shrine approach. There has been a sake brewery on this spot since 1616, and the buildings arranged around a large courtyard have been kept pretty much as they have always been. Inside, the exhibition runs step by step through the sake-making process, using life-size displays. Ask for the leaflet with an English explanation. You can also sample three types of sake, at Y100 per shot. Closer to the shrine steps, a road to the left leads past the lacklustre Marine Museum (daily 9am-5pm; Y400) up the hill to the Kanamaru-za (Mon & Wed-Sun 9am-4pm; Y300). This performance hall, built in 1835, is said to be the oldest-surviving Kabuki theatre in Japan and was fully restored when it was moved to this location from the centre of Kotohira in 1975. Plays are only performed here in April, but the theatre itself merits a visit, especially for its wooden-beamed and lantern-lit auditorium. Just before the turning up the hill to the Kanamaru-za, a twisting path leads down to the river, and if you head south along the banks you'll soon come to the Saya-bashi , an attractive arched wooden bridge with a copper-covered roof. The bridge is only used during the grand Otaisai festival, in which sacred mikoshi are paraded through the town, held every October. After climbing up to Kompira-san and exploring the rest of Kotohira, you might want to rest your aching bones at the luxurious Yu-no-sato baths , part of the Kotosankaku hotel complex and open to the public from 10.30am to 3.30pm (Y1200).
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