🗺️ Tsuwano Denmachi Street殿町通り・本町通り

Tsuwano is a castle town located in the mountainous area of Shimane Prefecture, with its main streets being Tonomachi-dori and Honmachi-dori, often referred to as "Little Kyoto of the San'in region." The area is filled with shops and traditional houses featuring sea cucumber walls and lattice windows, exuding a strong Edo-period atmosphere. Alongside the streets, there is a canal that brings in river water, and the entire district still retains the ancient appearance of the castle town era. In the old streets, there are historical sites such as the ruins of the Yōrōkan, an educational institution where prominent samurai and famous Japanese author Mori Ōgai studied, as well as the ruins of the prefectural office and a Catholic church. Among these, the site of the main gate of the Takō family residence, which served as the chief retainers of the Tsuwano domain for 11 generations, still preserves a samurai gate with a 4-meter wide and 26-meter long tiled roof. There are many other must-see attractions. The Anno Mitsumasa Museum showcases works by the renowned painter from Tsuwano, including picture books and landscape paintings. The Taikodani Inari Shrine, adorned with its magnificent red thousand torii gates, and the Kobayashi Sake Brewery, which was established in the early Meiji period, are also notable sites. Around 300 to 500 colorful koi fish swim in the canal beside the road, and during early summer, one can enjoy the beautiful sight of irises blooming in competition.

The streetscape retains the ancient charm of the castle town. There are many historic traditional buildings standing tall. Numerous attractions such as art museums, shrines, and sake cellars can be found here. The koi swimming in the canals are also quite beautiful.