Shōwa

Standing on a hilltop overlooking the western shore of Lake Towada, the Towada Hotel Main Building is a magnificent three-story wooden structure completed in 1938. Built ahead of the planned 1940 Tokyo Olympics, it was crafted by 80 master shrine carpenters from three prefectures using abundant natural Akita cedar. It was designated a Registered Tangible Cultural Property of Japan in 2003.

Built in 1938, last of a row of warehouses, keeping a number with nothing left to count. A king post truss inside, washed granite on the signboard gable.

The Noshiro City Council Chamber, located in Noshiro, Akita Prefecture, is a two-story wooden public building completed in 1950. Featuring a Queen Post truss roof, geometric facade, and Western-inspired design executed in local timber, it embodies the heritage of a city once known as the Timber Capital of the Orient. It was registered as a National Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2007.

Completed in 1950 after the devastating Noshiro Great Fire of 1949, this three-story reinforced concrete city hall was designed by Kiyoshi Muto, the structural engineer later celebrated as the father of Japan's skyscraper architecture. Its facade openly expresses the Rahmen rigid-frame structure, exemplifying postwar modernist civic design. Registered as a National Tangible Cultural Property in 2007, the building continues to serve as an active government facility.

Discover Ryotei Kaneyu, a National Registered Tangible Cultural Property in Noshiro, Akita. Built in 1937, this grand Japanese-style restaurant showcases extraordinary natural Akita cedar craftsmanship, including a breathtaking 110-tatami banquet hall. Free admission.