Shōwa

At the head of Toyohashi's first water system, this 1929 pump room shows rows of arched windows and stone-like, tile-edged walls, quietly Romanesque in feel.

On high ground east of Kotakano, this 1929 earth-covered reservoir fed the city by gravity, its tile-clad gatehouses with pointed-arch doorways adding grace.

Completed in 1954 and registered in 2016, this 34-metre timber wing in Toyohashi lines its east face with bay windows, a postwar answer to the one-sided classroom.

Built in 1944 and registered in 2016, this 62-metre timber schoolhouse in Toyohashi now holds five rooms of folk tools, from silk reeling to wartime household life.

Around 1928 a king post truss gave Nakasada Shoten Shosan Storehouse an 11-metre clear span for rows of brewing vats. Registered in 2016, in Taketoyo, Aichi.

Dating from around 1927, Nakasada Shoten Shoni Storehouse sets black sasarako boarding against white plaster window frames over a king post truss. Registered 2016.

An early Showa outbuilding in Arimatsu, Nagoya, running east of the main house. Its cobble footing, boarded wall and black plaster match the fence. Registered 2008.

An early Showa bracket-arm gate on the north edge of a dyer's property in Arimatsu, Nagoya, facing the Tekoshi River. Only 1.7 meters wide. Registered in 2008.

Discover the Nagoya Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul (Catholic Nunoike Church), a nationally registered tangible cultural property featuring twin 50-meter spires, German and Italian stained glass, and striking exposed-concrete Gothic architecture designed by Yamashita Toshiro in 1962.

Discover the Nagoya Port Bascule Bridge (Nagoya-kō Haneage-bashi), Japan's oldest surviving drawbridge, built in 1927. This Registered Tangible Cultural Property and Modern Industrial Heritage site stands frozen in time with its span raised at 78 degrees in the heart of Nagoya's historic port district.

Built in 1930 in Tsuruma Park, Nagoya City Public Hall combines round-arched windows and crane-wing reliefs in early steel-framed concrete. Registered in 2020.

The thatched front gate at the southeast corner of Tozanso in Nagoya. Knotted log posts, fan-splayed rafters, and a 32-meter wall of flattened bamboo.

A bracket gate inside Tozanso in Nagoya, parting the front garden from the inner one. A 1.2-meter opening under cedar bark, and a 19-meter two-faced wall.

Completed in 1960 at Nagoya University's Higashiyama campus, this exposed-concrete hall by Maki Fumihiko was listed in 2011, and its clock tower glows blue at night.

Discover Nagoya Ceramic Hall, a 1932 Expressionist landmark registered as a Tangible Cultural Property. Explore export ceramics, Art Deco interiors, and Nagoya's ceramic trade history.

Completed in 1932 as the main building of the former Nanzan Junior High School, Reiners Hall was designed by Swiss architect Max Hinder. Featuring distinctive ochre terrazzo walls and unique triangular parapet cutouts, it was registered as a National Tangible Cultural Property in 1998. Today it houses the Nanzan Archives, preserving the history of one of Japan's leading Catholic educational institutions.

Built in 1934 as the joint sales office of the Japan Ceramics Industry Federation, this reinforced concrete office building in Nagoya's Higashi Ward features lavish ceramic tile and travertine interiors with refined Art Deco detailing. Registered as a National Tangible Cultural Property in 2015, it stands as a testament to Nagoya's historic role as Japan's largest ceramics export hub.

A 1958 Registered Tangible Cultural Property on Nagoya's Sakura-dori. The Yamashita office gave this modernist block ribbon windows, brown tile, and a curving stair.

Discover the Japan Evangelical Lutheran Okazaki Church in Aichi Prefecture, a 1953 wooden church designed by the Vories Architectural Office. Registered as a national tangible cultural property, this charming building features a distinctive red-tiled roof, white walls, and a cross-topped spire.

The Japan Evangelical Lutheran Resurrection Church in Nagoya's Higashi Ward is a wooden chapel designed by the Vories Architectural Office and completed in 1953. Rebuilt on Easter Sunday to replace a predecessor lost in wartime air raids, it is the only surviving Vories-designed building in Nagoya and was registered as a National Tangible Cultural Property in 2012. Its exposed scissors truss roof and iconic cruciform window exemplify the clear, dignified design that defines this architectural gem.