Shōwa

The Asahi Elementary School Round Building in Asahi Town, Mie Prefecture, is a four-story reinforced concrete circular school building designed by architect Kanao Sakamoto and completed in 1962. It is the only registered tangible cultural property among just five surviving active round school buildings in Japan, recognized as a masterpiece from the peak of Sakamoto's circular school designs.

Discover Anorisaki Lighthouse in Shima, Mie Prefecture — one of Japan's rare square lighthouses and a Registered Tangible Cultural Property. Learn about its history dating back to 1873, panoramic ocean views, and the nearby lighthouse café and museum.

Discover the Amikan Head Office, a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture. This early Showa-period Expressionist-style building with scratch tile facade and distinctive tower reflects the legacy of Japan's pioneering fishing net industry.

Discover the Amikan Head Office Main Gate, a nationally registered tangible cultural property in Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture. Built in the early Showa period, this concrete gate with dome-topped pillars stands as a symbol of Japan's modern net-making industry heritage along the old Tokaido Road.

Discover the Amikan Head Office Brick Wall in Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture — a registered tangible cultural property from the early Shōwa era. Explore the history of a fishing net manufacturer founded in 1794 and the striking brick wall that symbolizes Japan's modern industrial development along the old Tōkaidō road.

Discover the Ishiyakushi Bunko Reading Room, a 1932 Registered Tangible Cultural Property in Suzuka, Mie Prefecture. Gifted by legendary tanka poet Sasaki Nobutsuna on his 60th birthday, this charming library sits along the historic Tokaido highway at the 44th post station.

Discover the Ueno City Waterworks Source Pumping Station Room, a reinforced concrete pumping facility built in 1936 and registered as a national tangible cultural property. Located in Iga City, Mie Prefecture, this early Showa-era industrial heritage showcases understated yet charming architectural details.

The Katsuo no Tenpaku Main House in Nakiri, Shima City, Mie Prefecture, is a katsuobushi (dried bonito) manufacturer's residence registered as a National Tangible Cultural Property in 2022. Standing on the dramatic cliffs of Cape Daio overlooking the Pacific, this fourth-generation producer preserves the ancient tebiyama smoking method from the Edo period. Discover a living cultural heritage that embodies the Ise-Shima region's sacred food traditions and its deep connection to Ise Grand Shrine.

The Katsuo no Tenpaku Workshop, perched on the cliffs of Cape Daio in Shima City, Mie Prefecture, is an active katsuobushi (dried bonito) production facility registered as a National Tangible Cultural Property in 2022. Using the tebiyama smoking method established in the mid-Edo period — practiced by only about ten workshops nationwide — it produces premium honkarebushi. Guided tours offer tastings of ichiban dashi and freshly shaved bonito over rice.

Built in 1932 as the Kakino Post Office, this two-story reinforced concrete building with a rooftop tower stands along the historic Wakayama Kaido highway in Matsusaka City. As one of the earliest RC structures in the Iinan district, it is a Nationally Registered Tangible Cultural Property representing rural modernization in early Showa-era Japan.

The Former Ichishi-Haze Post Office in Tsu City, Mie Prefecture, is a single-story wooden postal building constructed in 1931. Featuring a hip roof with san-gawara tiles, weatherboard exterior walls, and an L-shaped functional layout, it preserves the architectural character of early Shōwa-era rural post offices. Registered as a national Tangible Cultural Property in 2019, it now operates as a retro-themed café.

Discover Daiosaki Lighthouse, a 1927 registered tangible cultural property on the Shima Peninsula in Mie Prefecture. Climb one of Japan's 16 open lighthouses, enjoy 360° Pacific Ocean panoramas, explore the Lighthouse Museum, and stroll through the charming "Painter's Town" of Daio.

Discover the Daiozaki Lighthouse Gate Pillars and Wall, a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in Shima City, Mie Prefecture. Built in 1927, this reinforced concrete structure stretches 105 meters along the dramatic Kumano-nada coastline and complements one of Japan's most iconic lighthouses.

Discover Chitose Bunko, a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in Tsu City, Mie Prefecture. Built in 1930 by renowned ceramist and industrialist Kawakita Handeishi, this four-story reinforced concrete archive was designed by architect Maeda Kenjiro and preserves approximately 30,000 artworks and books from the prestigious Kawakita family collection.

Located before the gate of Izawa-no-Miya, a branch shrine of Ise Grand Shrine in Shima City, Mie Prefecture, the Nakaroku Store is a two-story wooden building constructed in 1929 and registered as a national tangible cultural property in 2011 — the first such designation in Shima City. With its elegant L-shaped irimoya roof, it now operates as a celebrated eel restaurant.

Discover Mie University's Sansui Kaikan, a 1936 wooden Western-style alumni hall registered as a Tangible Cultural Property. Learn about its history as the sole surviving building from the Mie Higher Agricultural and Forestry School, its distinctive architectural features, and how to visit this hidden gem on the Tsu City campus.

Standing in the Nanokamachi district of Yamagata City, the Ichishima Gun and Gunpowder Shop is a compact yet dignified two-story building constructed in 1927 as the first reinforced concrete commercial structure in Yamagata Prefecture. Originally a firearms and gunpowder merchant dating back to the Edo period, the building features a distinctive stone-like mortar exterior and is registered as a national tangible cultural property.

The Former Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry Snow Country Rural Economy Research Office Building in Shinjo, Yamagata Prefecture, is a Registered Tangible Cultural Property completed in 1937. Designed by the pre-war Ministry of Finance Construction Bureau with basic design by Kon Wajirō, this rare surviving government building features a distinctive steep gable roof and dormer windows adapted for heavy snowfall. The building also hosted French designer Charlotte Perriand in 1940. Now open to the public as the Yuki no Sato Information Center, with free admission.

Discover Kurara Building No. 3 in Nanyo City, Yamagata — a 1927 reinforced concrete cocoon warehouse registered as a Tangible Cultural Property. Explore the silk industry heritage of the Okitama region, now revived as a community cultural hub.

Discover Sagae City Hall, a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in Yamagata Prefecture. Designed by Kisho Kurokawa in 1967, this bold Metabolism-style building features a striking cantilevered structure, an Okamoto Taro chandelier, and Tendo Mokko furniture.