AURA POETRY — TOWNS & TRADES

Towns & Trades

Towns where you can see what the place lives on, within walking distance — markets, workshops, shopping streets, port lanes. 298 of them, by region.

Hokkaido

Tohoku

Kanto

  • Kita-Senju Post Town Street Tokyo Places of trade / Commuter belt Post town / Shopping street / Within a big city Wooden plaques stand along the shopping street, naming what each shop used to sell.
  • Akihabara Electric Town Tokyo Places of trade Specialist street / Within a big city Akihabara has never tidied itself up, and that is the point.
  • Boshu Uchiwa Fan Workshops Chiba Primary industry / Producing region Bamboo craft / Suburban The handle stays round.
  • Chichibu Meisen and Bamba Street Saitama Producing region / Tourism and lodging Textiles / Dyeing / Regional city centre The pattern is dyed into the warp before weaving begins.
  • Tokawa Harbour Slopes Chiba Primary industry / Tourism and lodging Port town / Suburban The slopes run down to the harbour in a grid.
  • Yokoyamacho Bakurocho Wholesale District Tokyo Places of trade Wholesale district / Within a big city There are almost no price tags.
  • Gyoda Tabi Warehouses Saitama Places of trade / Commuter belt Modern architecture / Suburban The storehouses are still standing, all over town.
  • Honba Kihachijo Weaving Workshop Tokyo Primary industry / Producing region Textiles / Dyeing / Island Three colours: yellow, russet and black.
  • Hakone Hatajuku Marquetry Workshops Kanagawa Producing region / Tourism and lodging Woodwork / Hill country The pattern was not drawn on.
  • Ishioka Nakamachi Shopfront Facades Ibaraki Places of trade / Commuter belt Modern architecture / Suburban The copper on the front was surrendered once and put back later.
  • Kanda-Jimbocho Booksellers' Quarter Tokyo Places of trade Specialist street / Within a big city What stays with you about Jimbocho is not a book but the shelves: some hundred and thirty shops, each of which has quietly decided what it…
  • Kappabashi Kitchenware Street Tokyo Places of trade Wholesale district / Within a big city You can walk this street for a long time without intending to buy anything.
  • Kasama Kilns and Galleries Ibaraki Producing region / Tourism and lodging Ceramics / Suburban Shops selling pots run from the shrine gate to the hill.
  • Sawara Merchant Town on the Ono River Chiba Primary industry / Places of trade Merchant town / Brewing / Suburban The stone steps begin at the water, not at the road.
  • Kawagoe Ichibangai and Candy Alley Saitama Places of trade / Commuter belt Merchant town / Alley quarter / Suburban A bell still tells the time here, several times a day, from a wooden tower that has no other function.
  • Kichijoji Harmonica Yokocho Tokyo Places of trade Alley quarter / Within a big city A hundred shops, each about the size of a large table.
  • Kiryu Shinmachi Sawtooth Weaving Town Gunma Producing region / Places of trade Textiles / Regional city centre The roofs are serrated, like a saw.
  • Mashiko Jonaizaka Pottery Street Tochigi Producing region / Tourism and lodging Ceramics / Suburban The slope is the shop.
  • Art Tower Mito and Izumicho Ibaraki Places of trade / Commuter belt Art / Regional city centre The wall runs to two hundred and eighty-five metres.
  • Moka Momen Cotton Hall and Fields Tochigi Primary industry / Producing region Textiles / Dyeing / Suburban The cotton is grown, spun and woven in the same place.
  • Akaiwa Silkworm Farmhouses Gunma Primary industry / Tourism and lodging Mountain village / Hill country In these three-storey houses, the upper two floors belonged to the silkworms.
  • Shima Onsen Gorge Bathing Street Gunma Tourism and lodging Hot-spring town / Hot-spring area The river is louder than anything the inns announce indoors.
  • Nikko Shrines and the Cedar Avenue Tochigi Tourism and lodging Temple-gate town / Regional city centre There are twelve thousand cedars in the avenue.
  • Nippori Fabric Town Tokyo Producing region / Places of trade Wholesale district / Within a big city A kilometre of cloth, more or less.
  • Noda Soy Sauce Works and Storehouses Chiba Producing region / Commuter belt Brewing / Suburban Visits are by appointment and take about an hour.
  • Odawara Kamaboko Street and Woodwork Kanagawa Producing region / Places of trade Port town / Regional city centre The street is named after what it sells.
  • Ogawa and Higashi-Chichibu Papermaking Villages Saitama Primary industry / Producing region Washi paper / Suburban The sound of paper being made is hard to separate from the sound of water.
  • Iwatsuki Doll Workshops and Museum Saitama Producing region / Commuter belt Folk toys / Suburban The heads are made from powdered paulownia, kneaded into a paste.
  • Makabe Merchant Townscape Ibaraki Primary industry / Producing region Rural market town / Suburban The walls and the lanterns come out of the same mountain.
  • Shimokitazawa Lanes and Vintage Shops Tokyo Places of trade Urban district / Within a big city The railway that used to run above the station is a footpath now.
  • Harajuku and Omotesando Tokyo Places of trade Urban district / Within a big city One street back from the main avenue, the volume drops.
  • Koenji Vintage Shops and Arcades Tokyo Places of trade Urban district / Within a big city Shopping streets run outward from the station in four directions.
  • Kuramae Makers' Shops and Studios Tokyo Places of trade Urban district / Within a big city The ground floors of the wholesale buildings have become small shops.
  • Yanaka Nezu and Sendagi Tokyo Places of trade / Commuter belt Urban district / Within a big city Learn the names of the slopes and you can stop looking at the map.
  • Shorinzan Daruma-ji and Takasaki Daruma Gunma Producing region / Commuter belt Folk toys / Suburban A daruma is sold with one eye still blank.
  • Tochigi Kauemoncho Storehouse Town Tochigi Places of trade / Commuter belt Rural market town / Merchant town / Regional city centre The black storehouses follow the river.
  • Tomioka Silk Mill and Shiromachi Street Gunma Tourism and lodging / Commuter belt Modern architecture / Regional city centre There is a room a hundred and forty metres long with no columns in it.
  • Oya Quarry Caverns and Stone Storehouses Tochigi Producing region / Commuter belt Modern architecture / Suburban What remains at Ōya is the space the stone came out of.
  • Yokohama Chinatown Kanagawa Places of trade Specialist street / Within a big city Pass through one of the gates and the width of the street changes.
  • Yokohama Yamate Western Houses Kanagawa Commuter belt Modern architecture / Within a big city Seven Western houses remain on the hill.
  • Yuki Tsumugi and Tsumugi no Yakata Ibaraki Producing region Textiles / Dyeing / Regional city centre The thread is drawn out with the fingers.

Koshinetsu & Hokuriku

  • Inariyama Merchant Town Nagano Places of trade / Commuter belt Merchant town / Suburban What was traded here was silkworm eggs.
  • Echizen Washi Papermaking Villages Fukui Producing region Washi paper / Suburban The shrine at the centre of this district is dedicated to a deity of papermaking.
  • Fujiyoshida Honcho Street and Mills Yamanashi Producing region / Tourism and lodging Urban district / Regional city centre The mountain stands at the end of the street.
  • Hakuba Aoni Terraced Village Nagano Primary industry / Tourism and lodging Mountain village / Hill country Sheet metal has been laid over the thatch.
  • Shiramine Snow Country Silk Village Ishikawa Primary industry / Tourism and lodging Mountain village / Hill country There is a school in a place where the snow lies over two metres deep.
  • Akasawa-juku Pilgrim Lodgings Yamanashi Tourism and lodging Temple-gate town / Hill country The signboards outside the inns are lists of names.
  • Inami Yokamachi-dori and Woodcarving Toyama Producing region / Tourism and lodging Temple-gate town / Hill country You hear Inami before you see it.
  • Kaga Hashitate Shipowners' Village Ishikawa Primary industry / Commuter belt Port town / Suburban The fencing is made of ship planking.
  • Kaga Higashitani Charcoal Villages Ishikawa Primary industry Mountain village / Hill country There is a small structure on the roof, for letting smoke out.
  • Yamanaka Onsen Woodturning and Lacquer Ishikawa Producing region / Tourism and lodging Lacquer / Woodwork / Hot-spring area The sound of wood being turned mixes into the sound of the river.
  • Kamo Paulownia Chest Workshops Niigata Producing region Lacquer / Woodwork / Regional city centre A paulownia chest can be planed back to new.
  • Kanazawa Higashi Chaya Teahouse Street Ishikawa Places of trade / Tourism and lodging Teahouse quarter / Within a big city The lattices are red because the paint is bengara, an iron-oxide pigment.
  • Kanazawa Kazuemachi Riverside Teahouses Ishikawa Places of trade / Tourism and lodging Teahouse quarter / Within a big city These teahouse buildings run to three storeys.
  • Kanazawa Teramachidai Temple Quarter Ishikawa Places of trade / Commuter belt Temple-gate town / Within a big city What faces the street here is not a shopfront but a temple gate.
  • Kanazawa Utatsu Temple Hillside Ishikawa Places of trade / Commuter belt Temple-gate town / Within a big city There are around fifty temples and shrines on this hillside.
  • Kofu Jewellery and Inden Quarter Yamanashi Producing region / Commuter belt Artisan quarter / Regional city centre The jewellery trade here began with polishing crystal out of the mountains.
  • Kamijo Silkworm Farmhouses and Vineyards Yamanashi Primary industry / Commuter belt Mountain village / Suburban Part of the roof is pushed up into a box.
  • Katsunuma Vineyards and Wineries Yamanashi Primary industry / Tourism and lodging Brewing / Suburban The wineries stand in the middle of the vineyards.
  • Kutani Pottery Village Ishikawa Producing region Ceramics / Suburban Kilns and shops in one block.
  • Matsumoto Nakamachi and Nawate Streets Nagano Places of trade / Commuter belt Shopping street / Regional city centre The black and white grid on the walls is made of roof tiles.
  • Imajo-juku Post Town Fukui Primary industry / Commuter belt Post town / Suburban Gable-fronted and eaves-fronted houses stand mixed along one street.
  • Murakami Tsuishu Lacquer and Black Fences Niigata Producing region / Tourism and lodging Lacquer / Woodwork / Regional city centre The carving is done first, and the red lacquer goes on top of it.
  • Zenkoji Approach and Pilgrim Lodgings Nagano Places of trade / Tourism and lodging Temple-gate town / Regional city centre There are thirty-nine shukubō along the approach.
  • Togakushi Shrine Lodgings Nagano Primary industry / Tourism and lodging Temple-gate town / Hill country A shukubō is a house built to lodge pilgrims.
  • Tsumago-juku Post Town Nagano Tourism and lodging Post town / Hill country Look up and there is not a single overhead cable.
  • Gokayama Ainokura Gassho Village Toyama Primary industry / Tourism and lodging Mountain village / Hill country The roofs all face the same way, around the fields.
  • Gokayama Suganuma Gassho Village Toyama Primary industry / Tourism and lodging Mountain village / Hill country This valley also manufactured the raw material for gunpowder.
  • Obama Nishigumi Merchant and Teahouse Quarter Fukui Primary industry / Places of trade Merchant town / Regional city centre A merchant quarter and a teahouse quarter, side by side.
  • Sabae Eyewear District Fukui Producing region Metalwork / Regional city centre Three thousand spectacle frames are kept in one building.
  • Sado Ogi Port Town Niigata Primary industry / Tourism and lodging Port town / Island The harbour that shipped out gold and silver is now the ferry port.
  • Sado Shukunegi Shipwrights' Village Niigata Primary industry / Tourism and lodging Port town / Island The triangular house is triangular because the plot is.
  • Kiso-Hirasawa Lacquerers' Street Nagano Producing region Lacquer / Hill country You can see the lacquering rooms from the street.
  • Narai-juku Post Town Nagano Places of trade / Tourism and lodging Post town / Hill country The upper floors lean out a little over the road.
  • Suzaka Silk Reeling Storehouses Nagano Places of trade / Commuter belt Dyeing / Regional city centre The storehouse walls are finished in black plaster.
  • Takaoka Kanayamachi and Yamachosuji Toyama Producing region / Places of trade Artisan quarter / Merchant town / Regional city centre The street of latticed houses runs about five hundred metres.
  • Takaoka Yoshihisa Rice Town Toyama Places of trade / Commuter belt Rural market town / Suburban The slats in the lattice are split remarkably fine.
  • Takefu Knife Village Fukui Producing region Blades / Metalwork / Suburban Forging and grinding under one roof.
  • Unno-juku Post and Silk Town Nagano Primary industry / Commuter belt Post town / Textiles / Suburban Two periods of building stand in the same row.
  • Yatsuo Suwamachi Sloping Street Toyama Places of trade / Commuter belt Rural market town / Suburban The stone paving was not laid for dancing.
  • Tsubame-Sanjo Metalworking Workshops Niigata Producing region Blades / Metalwork / Regional city centre What this place offers is the sight of things being made.
  • Wajima Lacquer Workshops and Museum Ishikawa Producing region Lacquer / Regional city centre One bowl passes through a hundred and twenty-four stages.
  • Wajima Kuroshima Ishikawa Primary industry / Tourism and lodging Port town / Hill country The slope runs straight down to the water.
  • Wakasa Kumagawa-juku Post Town Fukui Primary industry / Tourism and lodging Post town / Hill country Water runs audibly along the edge of the road.

Tokai

  • Atami Ginza Shopping Street Shizuoka Places of trade / Tourism and lodging Shopping street / Hot-spring area The building on the corner at the entrance was a bank.
  • Banko Ware and Banko no Sato Mie Producing region / Commuter belt Ceramics / Regional city centre Casseroles and teapots, from the same district.
  • Chojamachi Textile Quarter Aichi Places of trade Wholesale district / Within a big city The wholesale buildings are being used two ways at once.
  • Iwamura Honmachi Castle Town Street Gifu Places of trade / Commuter belt Merchant town / Suburban There are shopfront-facade buildings mixed in among the townhouses.
  • Endoji Arcade and Shikemichi Aichi Places of trade Shopping street / Within a big city One street behind the arcade, there are storehouses.
  • Gujo Hachiman Kitamachi Water Town Gifu Places of trade / Tourism and lodging Merchant town / Regional city centre A mizubune assigns its uses from the top down.
  • Enshu Cotton Mills Shizuoka Producing region / Commuter belt Textiles / Dyeing / Regional city centre Old power looms are still running.
  • Hida Furniture Workshops and Showrooms Gifu Producing region Lacquer / Woodwork / Regional city centre The legs of the chairs are bent rather than cut.
  • Iga Marubashira Kiln Village Mie Producing region Ceramics / Hill country A donabe survives an open flame because the clay is full of gaps.
  • Ise Oharaimachi and Okage Yokocho Mie Places of trade / Tourism and lodging Temple-gate town / Alley quarter / Regional city centre Worship and eating happen on the same street here.
  • Seki-juku Tokaido Post Town Mie Tourism and lodging / Commuter belt Post town / Suburban No two houses along it are the same.
  • Mino Udatsu Townscape and Washi Gifu Producing region / Places of trade Merchant town / Washi paper / Regional city centre The ends of the roofs are raised slightly.
  • Arimatsu Shibori Dyeing Town Aichi Producing region / Commuter belt Merchant town / Dyeing / Suburban Tie the cloth with thread before dyeing it, and the tied parts stay white.
  • Magome-juku Hillside Post Town Gifu Tourism and lodging Post town / Hill country For a post town, there is nowhere flat.
  • Osu Shopping Arcade Aichi Places of trade Shopping street / Within a big city Nothing in the sequence of shops makes any sense.
  • Seki Blade Forges and Museums Gifu Producing region Blades / Regional city centre Once a month, they forge a sword in public.
  • Seto Kamagaki no Komichi Kiln Walls Aichi Producing region Ceramics / Suburban The walls are stacked from the tools used inside the kilns.
  • Shirakawa-go Ogimachi Gassho Village Gifu Primary industry / Tourism and lodging Mountain village / Hill country The roofs are all turned the same way, into the wind of the valley.
  • Shizuoka Aoba Oden Alley Shizuoka Places of trade Alley quarter / Within a big city Two narrow lanes, which turns out to be exactly the right size.
  • Sunpu Takumi-shuku and Suruga Bamboo Craft Shizuoka Producing region Bamboo craft / Suburban Round the strip, then fit it.
  • Ise Katagami Stencil Workshops Mie Producing region Textiles / Dyeing / Suburban Paper is carved to make the stencils that dye the cloth.
  • Tajimi Mino Ware District Gifu Producing region / Commuter belt Ceramics / Regional city centre The kilns and the wholesalers are on the same street.
  • Takayama Sanmachi Merchant Quarter Gifu Places of trade / Tourism and lodging Merchant town / Morning market / Regional city centre The colour of the cedar ball tells you when the sake was made.
  • Takayama Shimo-Ninomachi Oshinmachi Gifu Places of trade / Tourism and lodging Merchant town / Regional city centre There are storehouses built for nothing but festival floats.
  • Tokoname Pottery Footpath Aichi Producing region Ceramics / Suburban There are clay pipes set into the wall of the slope.
  • Asuke Salt Road Town Aichi Places of trade / Commuter belt Merchant town / Suburban This was a town for transferring salt.
  • Hanazawa Gatehouse Village Shizuoka Primary industry / Commuter belt Mountain village / Suburban These farmhouses have gatehouses.

Kinki

  • Banshu Abacus Workshops Hyogo Producing region Lacquer / Woodwork / Suburban Turn the beads, thread the rods, set the frame.
  • Gojo Shinmachi Merchant Street Nara Primary industry / Places of trade Merchant town / Regional city centre There are houses on this street that were built at the beginning of the Edo period.
  • Gokasho Kondo Omi Merchant Village Shiga Primary industry / Commuter belt Farming village / Suburban There are very large houses standing in the middle of the rice fields.
  • Hikone Kawaramachi Serimachi Street Shiga Places of trade / Commuter belt Merchant town / Regional city centre The street curves, slowly.
  • Takayama Tea Whisk Village Nara Producing region / Commuter belt Bamboo craft / Suburban A single length of bamboo is split down into the tines.
  • Ine Funaya Boat Houses Kyoto Primary industry / Tourism and lodging Port town / Fishing village / Suburban The ground floor is where the boat is parked.
  • Kuroe Lacquerware Lanes Wakayama Producing region / Commuter belt Lacquer / Suburban The houses stand at an angle to the road.
  • Karahori Arcade and the Nagaya Lanes Osaka Places of trade Shopping street / Within a big city The shopping street runs along a ridge.
  • Imaicho Moated Temple Town Nara Places of trade / Commuter belt Temple-precinct town / Suburban The streets are deliberately offset.
  • Kobe Kitano Ijinkan Hillside Hyogo Places of trade / Commuter belt Modern architecture / Within a big city There is an ordinary Japanese house next door to the Western one.
  • Nada Gogo Sake Breweries Hyogo Producing region / Commuter belt Brewing / Within a big city The breweries stand near the sea because of the water.
  • Kobe Motomachi Arcade and Nankinmachi Hyogo Places of trade Shopping street / Within a big city Old shops and dim sum counters stand next to each other.
  • Sakaemachi and Otsunaka-dori Hyogo Places of trade Urban district / Within a big city Shipping offices, now full of small shops.
  • Shigaraki Kiln Walk Shiga Producing region Ceramics / Hill country The signposts are ceramic, and so are the plaques in the road.
  • Nishiki Market Kyoto Places of trade Market / Within a big city It is narrow, and it is three hundred and ninety metres long.
  • Kamigamo Shake Residences Kyoto Places of trade / Commuter belt Temple-gate town / Within a big city The river water is brought inside the houses.
  • Sannenzaka Temple Approach Kyoto Places of trade / Tourism and lodging Temple-gate town / Within a big city The shop floors stay level all the way up the steps.
  • Gion Shinbashi Teahouse Street Kyoto Places of trade Teahouse quarter / Within a big city Whether the blinds are down tells you how the day is going.
  • Saga Toriimoto Approach Kyoto Tourism and lodging / Commuter belt Temple-gate town / Within a big city On one approach road, the houses change shape halfway along.
  • Nishijin Weavers' Houses Kyoto Producing region / Places of trade Textiles / Within a big city Only the room at the back has a high ceiling.
  • Maizuru Red Brick Park Kyoto Tourism and lodging / Commuter belt Modern architecture / Regional city centre Five brick warehouses in a row.
  • Nagahama Kurokabe Square Shiga Places of trade Specialist street / Regional city centre One building brought the street back.
  • Miyama Kayabuki no Sato Thatched Village Kyoto Primary industry / Tourism and lodging Mountain village / Hill country Keeping thatch means keeping somewhere to grow it.
  • Nara Ink and Brush Workshops Nara Producing region Washi paper / Brushes and ink / Regional city centre Ink is soot and animal glue, kneaded together.
  • Naramachi and Mochiidono Arcade Nara Places of trade Shopping street / Regional city centre The street is about three metres wide.
  • Nipponbashi Den Den Town Osaka Places of trade Specialist street / Within a big city Two trades share one long street.
  • Omihachiman Hachiman-bori and Merchant Streets Shiga Places of trade / Commuter belt Merchant town / Suburban The moat was dug for cargo, not for defence.
  • Shinsekai Amusement Quarter Osaka Places of trade Alley quarter / Shopping street / Within a big city The shooting galleries and the archery range are still in business.
  • Donburi-ike Street Fabric Wholesalers Osaka Producing region / Places of trade Wholesale district / Within a big city The cloth is stood upright, still on the roll.
  • Sakamoto Satobo and Stone Walls Shiga Tourism and lodging / Commuter belt Temple-gate town / Suburban The walls are built from stone that was never cut.
  • Sakai Bladesmiths' District Osaka Producing region / Commuter belt Blades / Within a big city One knife is the work of at least two people.
  • Sennichimae Doguyasuji Kitchenware Street Osaka Places of trade Wholesale district / Within a big city A hundred and fifty metres will outfit a restaurant.
  • Fukusumi Post Town and Farming Village Hyogo Primary industry / Commuter belt Post town / Suburban The street of a post town turns into a farming village partway along.
  • Sasayama Kawaramachi Gable-fronted Houses Hyogo Primary industry / Places of trade Merchant town / Samurai quarter / Suburban The roofs present their triangles to the street.
  • Tamba Tachikui Kiln Valley Hyogo Producing region Ceramics / Hill country The kilns are strung out in a single line along the valley.
  • Tatsuno Light Soy Sauce Town Hyogo Producing region / Commuter belt Brewing / Regional city centre The soy sauce made here is pale.
  • Tondabayashi Jinaicho Temple Town Osaka Places of trade / Commuter belt Temple-precinct town / Suburban The grid is not the grid of a castle town.
  • Izushi Castle Town and Clock Tower Hyogo Places of trade / Tourism and lodging Merchant town / Suburban There is a clock tower at the centre of the town.
  • Uda Matsuyama Medicine Merchants Nara Primary industry / Places of trade Merchant town / Suburban The shopfronts of the medicine merchants are still standing.
  • Osugi Silkworm Farmhouses Hyogo Primary industry Mountain village / Hill country Count the windows and you can estimate how many worms the house held.
  • Kaya Chirimen Kaido Weaving Street Kyoto Producing region / Commuter belt Dyeing / Suburban There are Western-style buildings wedged in among the latticed townhouses.
  • Yuasa Soy Sauce Brewing Town Wakayama Primary industry / Producing region Brewing / Suburban Turn into the lanes and the smell tells you where the breweries are.

Chugoku

  • Aoya Washi Studio Tottori Producing region Washi paper / Brushes and ink / Suburban It starts with beating the bark.
  • Bizen Inbe Kiln Street Okayama Producing region Ceramics / Suburban No glaze is used, so the colour is decided by the fire.
  • Tokorogo Farmhouses and Windbreak Woods Tottori Primary industry / Commuter belt Farming village / Suburban The houses are enclosed by planted trees.
  • Tomonoura Tidal Harbour Hiroshima Primary industry / Tourism and lodging Port town / Suburban It was a harbour for waiting out the tide.
  • Hagi Hamasaki Port Quarter Yamaguchi Primary industry / Places of trade Port town / Regional city centre At the end of a lane there is a shed that once held the domain's boats.
  • Hagi Castle Town and Hagi-yaki Kilns Yamaguchi Producing region / Tourism and lodging Samurai quarter / Ceramics / Regional city centre Summer oranges lean out over the earthen walls.
  • Sasanami-ichi Post Town Yamaguchi Primary industry Post town / Hill country What this post town is known for now is tofu.
  • Miyajima Shrine Approach Hiroshima Places of trade / Tourism and lodging Temple-gate town / Island Rice scoops have been made here as the island's souvenir.
  • Saijo Sake Brewery Street Hiroshima Producing region / Commuter belt Brewing / Regional city centre Each brewery has a place where you can draw its water.
  • Izumo Taisha Shinmon-dori Shimane Places of trade / Tourism and lodging Temple-gate town / Suburban One straight line from the great torii to the shrine.
  • Karato Market Yamaguchi Places of trade Market / Regional city centre On a weekday, Karato is a wholesale floor: fugu and fish moving hand to hand among people who do this for a living and have no particular…
  • Kojima Jeans Street Okayama Producing region / Places of trade Specialist street / Suburban The clothes are sold where they are sewn.
  • Kumano Brush-making Town Hiroshima Producing region Brushes and ink / Suburban Aligning the hairs is done almost entirely with the fingertips.
  • Kurashiki Bikan Quarter and Ohara Museum Okayama Places of trade / Commuter belt Merchant town / Art / Within a big city There is a museum of European painting in the middle of a town of storehouses.
  • Kurayoshi Utsubuki-Tamagawa Storehouses Tottori Places of trade / Commuter belt Merchant town / Brewing / Regional city centre Each storehouse has its own small stone bridge.
  • Mitarai Tide-waiting Port Hiroshima Primary industry / Tourism and lodging Port town / Island A harbour where ships wait acquires places to spend the waiting.
  • Iwami Ginzan Omori Mining Town Shimane Places of trade / Tourism and lodging Mining town / Hill country Samurai residences and merchant houses stand in the same row.
  • Yunotsu Port and Bathhouses Shimane Primary industry / Tourism and lodging Port town / Hot-spring town / Hot-spring area The harbour and the hot spring are joined by one road.
  • Hokancho Shopping Arcade Okayama Places of trade Shopping street / Within a big city An arcade runs straight out from the west exit of the station.
  • Inujima Seirensho Art Museum Okayama Tourism and lodging Art / Island The chimney was there before the museum was.
  • Onomichi Hondori Arcade Hiroshima Places of trade / Tourism and lodging Shopping street / Regional city centre A flat arcade by the water, and stone steps going up from it.
  • Mizuki Shigeru Road Tottori Primary industry / Places of trade Shopping street / Suburban There are a hundred and seventy-seven statues, and all of them are yōkai.
  • Fukiya Bengara Village Okayama Primary industry / Tourism and lodging Mining town / Hill country The lattices are red because the pigment was made here.
  • Takehara Salt and Sake Merchant Town Hiroshima Places of trade / Commuter belt Merchant town / Regional city centre The lattice is put together differently in every lane.
  • Tottori Folk Craft Shops and Museum Tottori Places of trade Urban district / Regional city centre There are folk craft shops and a restaurant on the same street.
  • Tsuwano Tonomachi Street Shimane Places of trade / Tourism and lodging Samurai quarter / Merchant town / Hill country There are carp swimming in the channel beside the road.
  • Tsuyama Joto Merchant Quarter Okayama Places of trade / Commuter belt Merchant town / Regional city centre Only the lower half of the wall is tiled.
  • Tsuyama Josai Temple and Merchant Quarter Okayama Places of trade / Commuter belt Merchant town / Regional city centre Temple gates and Western-style buildings stand along the same street.
  • Wakasa Kariya Covered Walkways Tottori Primary industry / Places of trade Merchant town / Hill country The space under the eaves is the pavement.
  • Yakage-juku Honjin Post Town Okayama Places of trade / Commuter belt Post town / Suburban Both the honjin and the waki-honjin are still standing.
  • Ouchi-nuri Lacquer Workshops Yamaguchi Producing region / Commuter belt Lacquer / Woodwork / Regional city centre The ground colour is called Ōuchi vermilion.
  • Yanai Furuichi-Kanaya White Walls Yamaguchi Places of trade / Commuter belt Merchant town / Regional city centre Lanterns shaped like goldfish hang under the eaves.
  • Adachi Museum Gardens Shimane Tourism and lodging / Commuter belt Gardens / Suburban The garden is looked at from a window, not walked in.
  • Yumihama-gasuri Weaving Workshops Tottori Producing region Textiles / Dyeing / Regional city centre White pattern lifted out of a deep indigo ground.

Shikoku

  • Aki Doi Kakuchu Samurai Quarter Kochi Primary industry / Commuter belt Samurai quarter / Regional city centre There is a handmade clock tower standing among the fields.
  • Ai no Yakata and the Awa Indigo Fields Tokushima Primary industry / Producing region Textiles / Dyeing / Suburban The fermenting floor is called a bed.
  • Imabari Towel District Ehime Producing region Textiles / Regional city centre This producing district runs an examination in towels.
  • Ino Tosa Washi Papermaking Kochi Producing region Washi paper / Suburban Some of the paper made in Tosa is thin enough to see light through.
  • Tosa Uchi-hamono Forges Kochi Producing region Blades / Metalwork / Suburban The shape is forged rather than pressed from a die.
  • Shiwaku Honjima Kasashima Village Kagawa Primary industry Port town / Island On an island of carpenters, the houses are built alike.
  • Dogo Onsen Bathing Quarter Ehime Places of trade / Tourism and lodging Hot-spring town / Within a big city It opens at six in the morning and closes at eleven at night.
  • Wakimachi Udatsu Merchant Street Tokushima Primary industry / Places of trade Merchant town / Suburban The money that raised the udatsu came from indigo.
  • Iya Ochiai Terraced Village Tokushima Primary industry / Tourism and lodging Mountain village / Hill country There is a considerable difference in height between the top of this village and the bottom.
  • Teba-jima Fishing Village Tokushima Primary industry Fishing village / Island Each house has a folding bench attached to its front.
  • Kiragawa Water-shedding Tile Walls Kochi Primary industry Rural market town / Suburban There are rows of small tiled ledges running across the walls.
  • Naoshima Art House Project and Museums Kagawa Places of trade / Tourism and lodging Art / Island The works are inside a village where people still live.
  • Otani Ware Kilns Tokushima Producing region Ceramics / Suburban The big jars are thrown on a lathe worked lying down.
  • Ritsurin Garden Kagawa Tourism and lodging / Commuter belt Gardens / Within a big city The mountain behind is part of the garden.
  • Unomachi Country Market Town Ehime Primary industry / Commuter belt Rural market town / Suburban A townhouse, a school and a church stand on the same street.
  • Shodoshima Hishio no Sato Soy Breweries Kagawa Primary industry / Producing region Brewing / Island The island is said to hold more than a thousand wooden vats.
  • Takamatsu Marugamemachi Arcade Kagawa Places of trade Shopping street / Within a big city People live inside the arcade.
  • Tobe Porcelain Kilns Ehime Producing region Ceramics / Suburban The lines are broad because the ware is thick.
  • Teshima Art Museum and Island Works Kagawa Primary industry / Tourism and lodging Art / Island Water rises out of the floor and moves all day.
  • Uchiko Yokaichi Gokoku Wax Town Ehime Primary industry / Places of trade Merchant town / Suburban The walls are not white but an ochre, the colour of earth.
  • Iwamatsu Riverside Market Town Ehime Primary industry / Places of trade Rural market town / Suburban The merchant houses stand in a line along the river.
  • Awa Washi Workshops and Hall Tokushima Primary industry / Producing region Washi paper / Suburban Paper dyed with indigo changes colour as it dries.

Kyushu & Okinawa

  • Amakusa Ceramic Kilns Kumamoto Primary industry / Producing region Ceramics / Island White porcelain and earthenware, made on the same island.
  • Amami Oshima Tsumugi Workshops Kagoshima Primary industry / Producing region Textiles / Island The thread is dyed in a mud field.
  • Arita Uchiyama Porcelain Streets Saga Producing region Ceramics / Suburban The walls are built from the bricks of demolished kilns.
  • Akizuki Castle Town Fukuoka Tourism and lodging / Commuter belt Samurai quarter / Suburban The road that was a riding ground is now an avenue of cherry trees.
  • Aya Craft Workshops and Laurel Forest Miyazaki Primary industry / Producing region Crafts / Hill country The workshops are spread out across the town rather than gathered.
  • Beppu Machinaka Art Oita Places of trade / Tourism and lodging Art / Hot-spring area The empty shops are the venue.
  • Bungotakada Showa no Machi Oita Places of trade / Tourism and lodging Shopping street / Regional city centre The shopfronts have been returned to how they looked in the Shōwa years.
  • Hasami Nakaogo and Nishinohara Nagasaki Producing region Ceramics / Suburban What this district made was sold under the name of the district next door.
  • Miyama Satsuma Ware Kiln Village Kagoshima Producing region Ceramics / Suburban One district, two lines of work: black and white.
  • Konoura Island Port Village Nagasaki Primary industry Port town / Island The houses are packed along a single road.
  • Hita Mameda-machi Merchant Grid Oita Producing region / Places of trade Merchant town / Regional city centre White walls and wooden lattice, laid out on a grid.
  • Onta Pottery Village Oita Producing region Ceramics / Hill country The sound of clay being pounded carries down the whole valley.
  • Mimitsu Shipping Agents' Town Miyazaki Primary industry / Commuter belt Port town / Suburban The lattice here is the same pattern as in the Kansai.
  • Imari Okawachiyama Kiln Valley Saga Producing region Ceramics / Hill country The rock walls stand around the village like a folding screen.
  • Yaeyama Minsa Weaving Workshop Okinawa Producing region / Tourism and lodging Textiles / Dyeing / Island Five kasuri figures and four, alternating.
  • Izumi Fumoto Samurai Quarter Kagoshima Primary industry / Commuter belt Samurai quarter / Regional city centre The plots are startlingly large, one after another.
  • Tenmonkan Arcades and Alleys Kagoshima Places of trade Shopping street / Within a big city The name comes from an observatory.
  • Karatsu Ware Kilns Saga Producing region / Tourism and lodging Ceramics / Regional city centre The kilns are scattered, in the town and outside it.
  • Hizen-Hamashuku Sake Brewery Street Saga Producing region / Places of trade Brewing / Suburban There are two preservation districts of different character near the same station.
  • Hamashozumachi Hamakanayamachi Port Quarter Saga Primary industry / Places of trade Port town / Suburban The shipwrights and the blacksmiths lived next door to one another.
  • Mojiko Retro Harbour Buildings Fukuoka Places of trade / Tourism and lodging Port town / Modern architecture / Within a big city This was a port for leaving the country by ship.
  • Kitsuki Kitadai and Minamidai Oita Tourism and lodging / Commuter belt Samurai quarter / Regional city centre The samurai lived on the high ground and the merchants below them.
  • Kawaramachi Textile Wholesale Building Kumamoto Places of trade Wholesale district / Within a big city The corridors run inside the building.
  • Kunisaki Peninsula Artworks and Temples Oita Primary industry / Tourism and lodging Art / Hill country The works are installed in villages and temple precincts.
  • Kurume-gasuri Weaving Houses Fukuoka Producing region Textiles / Dyeing / Suburban Bind the thread before dyeing it, and the bound parts stay white.
  • Makishi Public Market and Heiwa-dori Okinawa Places of trade Market / Shopping street / Within a big city Buy downstairs, eat upstairs.
  • Chiran Samurai Street and Gardens Kagoshima Primary industry / Tourism and lodging Samurai quarter / Gardens / Suburban Each residence still has its garden.
  • Kaseda Fumoto Mossed Walls Kagoshima Primary industry / Commuter belt Samurai quarter / Regional city centre The stone walls are thick with moss.
  • Miyako Jofu Weavers and Ramie Fields Okinawa Primary industry / Producing region Textiles / Dyeing / Island The thread is made by splicing ramie fibre by hand.
  • Miyakonojo Daikyu Bow Workshops Miyazaki Producing region Bamboo craft / Regional city centre Bamboo and haze wood, glued together.
  • Nagasaki Higashi and Minami Yamate Settlement Nagasaki Places of trade / Commuter belt Port town / Modern architecture / Within a big city The house is recorded at No.
  • Nagasaki Shinchi Chinatown Nagasaki Places of trade Shopping street / Within a big city Four gates, and the streets cross in the middle.
  • Aburatsu Shopping Street Miyazaki Places of trade Shopping street / Suburban Restaurants and offices moved into the units that had stood empty.
  • Obi Samurai Quarter Miyazaki Primary industry / Tourism and lodging Samurai quarter / Suburban The road turns at right angles, so you cannot see ahead.
  • Saga Gofuku-Motomachi and Yanagimachi Saga Places of trade / Commuter belt Modern architecture / Regional city centre A former bank now serves as a museum.
  • Sasebo Shikamachi Arcade Nagasaki Places of trade Shopping street / Regional city centre The arcade continues without a break.
  • Iriki Fumoto Cobblestone Walls Kagoshima Primary industry / Commuter belt Samurai quarter / Suburban The walls are built from round river stones.
  • Tonegawa Mountain Village Miyazaki Primary industry Mountain village / Hill country The houses stretch sideways, following the contour lines.
  • Shimabara Spring Water Streets Nagasaki Primary industry / Tourism and lodging Urban district / Regional city centre The carp in the channels are living in spring water.
  • Takachiho Shrine and Night Kagura Miyazaki Primary industry / Tourism and lodging Temple-gate town / Hill country Four of the dances are performed each evening.
  • Taketomi Island Village Okinawa Primary industry / Tourism and lodging Island The sand on the roads is swept every morning.
  • Koishiwara Kiln Village Fukuoka Producing region Ceramics / Hill country The pattern is cut by letting a blade chatter against a turning pot.
  • Tonaki Island Village Okinawa Primary industry Farming village / Island The ground is dug out so that the houses sit low.
  • Shingawa-Tagomori Terraced Village Fukuoka Primary industry Mountain village / Hill country Terraced fields and thatched houses survive in the same valley.
  • Chikugo-Yoshii Market Town Fukuoka Primary industry / Places of trade Rural market town / Suburban Water channels run through the middle of the town.
  • Kojiro Jinya Samurai Quarter Nagasaki Primary industry / Commuter belt Samurai quarter / Suburban This town is organised around an administrative seat rather than a castle.
  • Shiotatsu River Port Town Saga Primary industry / Places of trade Merchant town / Suburban The stone bridges and the stone steps were cut by masons who lived here.
  • Hizen-Yoshida Kiln Village Saga Producing region / Tourism and lodging Ceramics / Hill country The kilns are gathered in a valley settlement.
  • Yamaga Buzen Kaido and Yachiyoza Kumamoto Places of trade / Tourism and lodging Rural market town / Hot-spring town / Regional city centre The bathhouse and the theatre are on the same road.
  • Kuroki Igura Merchant Street Fukuoka Primary industry / Places of trade Rural market town / Suburban These white-walled townhouses are built in the igura manner.
  • Yame Fukushima Artisans' Quarter Fukuoka Producing region / Places of trade Merchant town / Artisan quarter / Suburban The altar makers and the lantern makers are on the same street.
  • Yomitan Yachimun no Sato Pottery Village Okinawa Producing region Ceramics / Suburban Once the kiln is lit, it burns for four days.