Meiji

An 1882 headman's house in Gotsu, Shimane, with a gabled roof of red Sekishu tiles, lean-to eaves, white plaster walls, an earthen work floor and six rooms.

An early Meiji earthen storehouse on a tall stone base in Gotsu, Shimane, with a red-tiled gable roof and part of the ground floor made into a room with an alcove.

A wooden tool shed of about 1882 north of a headman's house in Gotsu, Shimane, 6.5 m by 2.0 m, with an uneven red-tiled gable, an open east side and an earth floor.

An early Meiji storehouse linked by a corridor to the guest rooms of a Gotsu estate in Shimane, with rare bamboo roof sheathing laid down the slope; registered 2009.

One of three Fujita storehouses in Gotsu, Shimane: a two-story store, 11 by 6.4 meters, its exposed roof on three tiers of beams over an ox beam; registered 2009.

A Gotsu estate storehouse joined at a right angle to a timber kitchen with two six-mat rooms above, finished in plaster and boards; registered in 2009.

The smallest of three Fujita storehouses in Gotsu, Shimane: a one-story store 6.2 by 5.0 meters turning its red-tiled gable to Honmachi-dori; registered in 2009.

The largest Fujita storehouse in Gotsu, Shimane, with two tatami rooms and a south gable with a lattice and family crest facing a shrine approach; registered 2009.

The largest of four registered storehouses at Bundoya in Tsuwano, built in late Meiji. Verdigris copper shutters play against red tile and white lime plaster.

A large 1883 farmhouse in the hills of Gotsu, Shimane: a 20 by 12 meter gabled core under red Sekishu tiles, an earth-floored work side and nine floored rooms.

An 1898 two-story earthen storehouse behind the main house in Gotsu, Shimane, with white plaster, namako tiling and a family crest, and curved beams under the ridge.

Yamamoto Family Residence Rice Storehouse, an early Meiji kura at the back of a long plot in Mori, Yasugi, with a cattle shed on its west side and plain earth walls.

Yamamoto Family Residence Main House, an 1884 town house on the old road in Mori, Yasugi, with a low attic floor, shuttered front, through passage and garden room.

Yamamoto Family Residence New Storehouse, an 1884 kura for clothing behind the main house in Mori, Yasugi, with double doors, a plaster band and dressed stone base.

Yamamoto Family Residence Front Storehouse, an early Meiji kura behind the main house in Mori, Yasugi, with a floating roof, vented stone base and hooded window.

Standing in Tokyo's Kita Ward, the Former Brewing Experiment Station No. 1 Factory is a magnificent 1904 brick building that became the cradle of modern Japanese sake. Designed by Tsumaki Yorinaka, one of the three great architects of the Meiji era, the building drew inspiration from German breweries and incorporated cutting-edge technology including cavity walls, vaulted ceilings, and a rare white glazed-brick koji room. Designated a Nationally Important Cultural Property in 2014, this striking red-brick complex—commonly known as the Akarenga Sake Brewery—offers a vivid window into Japan's Meiji-era industrial heritage.

Built in 1910 as the Imperial Guards command office, this Kitanomaru Park landmark is a rare Meiji brick survivor and a scene of the 1945 surrender-night coup.

The former imperial rest house in Shinjuku Gyoen, Tokyo, a Western-style timber lodge of 1896 by the Imperial Household Ministry, is the only one of its kind left.

Made in 1878 at a government works and moved to Fukagawa in 1929, this 15.2-metre bridge pairs a cast iron arch with wrought iron ties, unique among survivors.

Built in 1890 in Ueno Park, Tokyo, and designated an Important Cultural Property in 1988, this wooden hall still houses Japan's oldest concert pipe organ.