Shōwa

Discover the Nippon Sei Ko Kai Nara Christ Church, a stunning Japanese-style Anglican church adjacent to Kōfuku-ji Temple in Nara. Designed by master carpenter Ōki Kichitarō and completed in 1930, this Important Cultural Property of Japan uniquely blends traditional Japanese architecture with Western liturgical design.

Discover the Ikusei Kindergarten Building, doubling as the Nippon Sei Ko Kai Sakurai St. Paul's Church Chapel in Sakurai City, Nara. Built in 1930, this Registered Tangible Cultural Property blends Western church architecture with Japanese craftsmanship, featuring scissor trusses and pointed arch windows.

Quietly set on a wooded hillside in Uda City, Nara Prefecture, the Ushitani Family Residence Main House was completed in 1968 by the office of Junzo Sakakura, a disciple of Le Corbusier, and was added to Japan’s register of Tangible Cultural Properties in December 2024. Its deep-eaved roof, clockwise flow of ground-floor rooms, and radially arranged rafters make it a small but refined masterwork of mature post-war Japanese modernism.

Completed in 1933 and designed by master carpenter Nakagawa Kichijirō, the Former Ikoma Town Hall is a National Registered Tangible Cultural Property featuring traditional Japanese architectural elements including irimoya-hafu gables and refined woodwork. Now the Ikoma Furusato Museum, this beautifully restored building showcases the rich heritage of Ikoma City.

Discover the Former Sixty-Eight Bank Yagi Branch in Kashihara, Nara — a 1928 Renaissance-inspired reinforced concrete landmark, now a French restaurant. Explore this Registered Tangible Cultural Property and its fascinating history.

Saho Kaikan, located on the campus of Nara Women's University, is an alumni hall built in 1928 to commemorate the wedding of Crown Prince Hirohito (later Emperor Shōwa). Designed by architect Iwasaki Heitarō, this two-story wooden building features a stately irimoya roof, a grand hall with a coffered ceiling, and refined tatami rooms with openwork transoms. It was registered as a National Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2005.

Discover the Jokyoji Temple Bulletin Board Shelter (Keijibansya), a nationally registered tangible cultural property in Nara. This early Showa-era structure stands on Japan's oldest shopping street and is connected to Ernest Fenollosa's historic lecture on preserving Japanese art.

Discover the Akasofu Cylindrical Water Divider in Nanto City, Toyama — a 1949 Registered Tangible Cultural Property that uses siphon principles to fairly distribute irrigation water across the Tonami Plain.

Located within Fugan Canal Kansui Park in Toyama City, the Ushijima Lock Gate is a Panama Canal-style lock built around 1934. This civil engineering heritage once regulated water levels between the Fugan Canal and Itachi River to enable boat traffic, featuring wooden mitre gates and a monolithic concrete chamber that showcase early Showa-era craftsmanship. It was registered as a national Tangible Cultural Property in 2002.

Katsura-yu is a former public bathhouse built around 1930 in Jōhana, Nanto City, Toyama Prefecture. Featuring a distinctive copper-clad facade with Western-style cornice molding and gable pediment, this two-story wooden building was registered as a National Tangible Cultural Property in 2019 for its contribution to the historic temple town landscape. It now serves as a craft gallery.

Sannyuan is the most formal of the estate's three tea rooms, a four-and-a-half-mat room built in 1927 under Yabunouchi guidance and restored in 1981 after a spell away.

Komaki Dam, built on the Shogawa River in Tonami City, Toyama Prefecture, was the tallest dam in Asia when completed in 1930. It was the first dam in Japan to apply Dr. Nagaho Mononobe's seismic design theory and became the first river dam designated as a National Registered Tangible Cultural Property. Its 17 radial gates and the stunning Shogawa Gorge continue to captivate visitors today.

Discover Sakura Bridge in Toyama City, a nationally registered tangible cultural property completed in 1935. This elegant steel two-hinged arch bridge spans the Matsukawa River along Japan's Top 100 Cherry Blossom Spots, offering a rare blend of civil engineering heritage, tram lines, and seasonal beauty.

Discover Sasazu Bridge (Sasazu-bashi), a nationally registered tangible cultural property in Toyama City. This 1941 Melan-type reinforced concrete arch bridge spans the Jinzu River at the entrance to the scenic Jinzukyo Gorge.

Saburomaru Distillery in Tonami City, Toyama Prefecture, is the oldest whisky distillery in Japan's Hokuriku region, operating since 1952. Recommended as a National Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2025, the distillery is home to ZEMON — the world's first cast-metal pot still developed using Takaoka's 400-year copperware tradition. Discover the beautiful kingpost truss architecture and innovative craft whisky of this remarkable heritage site.

Discover the Shakusenji Cylindrical Water Divider in Kamiichi, Toyama — a 1954 reinforced concrete irrigation facility registered as a National Tangible Cultural Property for its precision water distribution and role in ending historic water disputes.

Discover Shogawa Gōguchi Entei, a 1939 reinforced-concrete weir in Tonami, Toyama Prefecture. Registered as a National Tangible Cultural Property, this 10-gate radial weir unified scattered irrigation intakes to nourish one of Japan's largest alluvial fan plains.

Visit the Takeuchi Genzo Memorial Museum in Imizu, Toyama, a registered tangible cultural property housed in a 1934 Western-style town hall. Explore Japan's largest kote-e plaster relief "Twin Dragons" and the legacy of master plasterer Takeuchi Genzo.

The Former Main Building of Tanaka Elementary School in Namerikawa City, Toyama Prefecture, is a two-story wooden schoolhouse built in 1936 and registered as a National Registered Tangible Cultural Property. Celebrated for its Art Deco and Renaissance-inspired interior ornamentation, it is also known as the model for the school in the anime film Wolf Children.

Nestled deep in the mountains of Eiheiji Town, Fukui Prefecture, Eiheiji is a head temple of Soto Zen Buddhism founded by Zen Master Dogen in 1244. The sacred complex features 19 buildings designated as Important Cultural Properties of Japan, including the Sanmon Gate, Butsuden, Hatto, and Sodo, showcasing nearly 800 years of exceptional Zen architectural heritage. As an active training monastery with approximately 100 resident monks, Eiheiji offers visitors zazen meditation sessions and overnight retreat experiences.