Meiji

Tamakō, a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in Shiroishi, Miyagi, is a late-Meiji ryōtei (1898–1912) renovated in 1925. Sitting beside the old Shiroishi Castle outer moat, its 678 m² complex of east and west banquet wings around a central pond preserves a rare type of large-scale wooden hospitality architecture.

Discover the Sanmon Gate of Tōshin-ji Temple in Shiroishi, Miyagi — a Registered Tangible Cultural Property originally built as the East Gate of Shiroishi Castle. This historic temple also holds the graves of Sanada Yukimura's children.

Oriza no Mori in Kami Town, Miyagi Prefecture, is a farmhouse inn housed in the former Takano Family Residence, a Registered Tangible Cultural Property built in 1890. Guests enjoy organic Sasanishiki rice grown with the traditional aigamo duck farming method, seasonal farm activities, and the timeless charm of a Meiji-era sericulture farmhouse.

A two-story stone storehouse on the Matsuya property in Furukawa, Ōsaki. Late Meiji, its coursed sandstone, cornice and arched lintels show Western influence.

An inner gate on the Matsuya property in Furukawa, Ōsaki, facing the main house. A small early-Meiji munamon in the sukiya manner, behind the front gate.

The front gate at the SE corner of the Matsuya property in Furukawa, Ōsaki. A large early-Meiji zelkova munamon with a chrysanthemum-marked gable pendant.

A long earthen-walled storehouse on the Matsuya property in Furukawa, Ōsaki. Built in early Meiji for sugar, its 12-meter length reflects the family's wealth.

The main house of the wealthy Matsuya merchants in Furukawa, Ōsaki. Built in early Meiji, it lodged imperial household members during Emperor Meiji's tours.

A single-story wooden bean storehouse on the Matsuya property in Furukawa, Ōsaki. White plaster set between close-set pillars gives it a bold vertical stripe.

A tiny household shrine on the Matsuya property in Furukawa, Ōsaki, within a protective shell. At 0.2 m² the smallest building, yet a full nagare-style shrine.

The late-Meiji inner parlor of Moritami Sake Brewery in Iwadeyama pairs two ten-mat rooms with a formal alcove and sukiya eaves, plus an original porcelain privy fixture.

Discover the Hongwanji Dendoin, an Important Cultural Property in Kyoto designed by legendary architect Ito Chuta in 1912. This red-brick treasure near Nishi Hongwanji blends Islamic domes, British brickwork, and Japanese design into one extraordinary building.

Standing on the windswept northernmost cliff of the Tango Peninsula in Kyoto Prefecture, Kyōgamisaki Lighthouse is a working Meiji-era stone tower first lit on December 25, 1898. It is one of only five "first-order" lighthouses in Japan, and its original French-made Fresnel lens and pioneering mercury-bath rotation mechanism are still in operation today. Designated an Important Cultural Property in 2022, it stands amid the columnar basalt cliffs of the San'in Kaigan UNESCO Global Geopark and offers visitors one of the most dramatic coastal landscapes in western Japan.

The Holy Annunciation Cathedral of Kyoto Orthodox Church, located in Nakagyo Ward, Kyoto, is Japan's oldest surviving full-scale wooden Orthodox cathedral, completed in 1903. Designed by Shigemitsu Matsumuro based on Russian Holy Synod approved plans, this Russian-Byzantine style building houses a magnificent iconostasis with 30 sacred icons crafted in Moscow during the late Russian Imperial period. Designated as a national Important Cultural Property in 2022.

Built in 1904 near the Kyoto Imperial Palace, this brick Renaissance hall still holds government offices, reputedly Japan's oldest such building in active use.

Near Kyoto's Nanzen-ji, this Meiji villa pairs a famed Ueji garden, fed by the Lake Biwa Canal, with a sukiya house named an Important Cultural Property in 2024.

Completed in 1906 and designed by renowned architects Tatsuno Kingo and Nagano Uheiji, the Former Bank of Japan Kyoto Branch is a stunning example of Meiji-era Western-style architecture. Designated a national Important Cultural Property, this iconic red-brick building now serves as the Museum of Kyoto Annex, open free to the public. Visitors can admire the grand double-height banking hall, historic vault room café, and the signature 'Tatsuno style' design that predates Tokyo Station.

The Former Butokuden in Kyoto's Okazaki district is Japan's oldest surviving martial arts hall, built in 1899 by the Dai Nippon Butokukai. Designed by architect Matsumuro Shigemitsu, this masterpiece of modern Japanese-style architecture was designated a nationally Important Cultural Property in 1996. Still actively used as part of the Kyoto Budo Center, it hosts the annual All Japan Kendo Demonstration Tournament each May.

A French priest's 1896 design, built by Miyazu carpenters: a wooden church with a Romanesque vault over a tatami floor. An Important Cultural Property since 2024.

A stone myojin torii marking the approach to Amino Shrine, raised in 1881 and 5.5 metres tall. Toppled in the 1927 quake, it was rebuilt to its original form in 1929.