Taishō

The smallest of the buildings at the former Uesugi count's residence in Yonezawa, this 24-square-meter registered cultural property shelters a single family altar.

The former Uesugi residence in Yonezawa is fronted by a single-bay yakuimon gate with a curved copper roof, rebuilt after a 1919 fire and now a registered property.

Hidden behind the gates of a 350-year-old hot spring inn in Yamaguchi City's Yudaonsen district, Matsudaya Hotel Garden is a Nationally Registered Place of Scenic Beauty designed around 1918 by Ogawa Jihei VII (Ueji), the master gardener who shaped modern Kyoto's most celebrated landscapes. One of the very few Ueji gardens west of Kyoto, it features a four-meter three-tiered waterfall, gently meandering streams, ponds, and stone lanterns. The inn itself was a key meeting place for the architects of the Meiji Restoration, including Saigo Takamori, Kido Takayoshi, and Ito Hirobumi.

Onoda Cement Yamate Club in Sanyo-Onoda City, Yamaguchi Prefecture is a Nationally Registered Tangible Cultural Property completed in 1914. Built from concrete blocks manufactured on-site using molds that company president Kasai Shinzo personally brought back from England, the two-story mansion combines Japanese Edo-kiri stone-dressing techniques with Roman-inspired Tuscan columns. It stands as a rare survivor of early Taisho-period block construction and a monument to Japan's first private cement company.

Discover the Former Iwakuni Tax Office (Kyū Iwakuni Zeimusho), a 1925 Renaissance-style Western building and Registered Tangible Cultural Property in Iwakuni, Yamaguchi Prefecture. The only surviving pre-war tax office in the prefecture, now owned by a sake brewery.

Creative Space Akarenga in Yamaguchi City is a red brick building constructed in 1918 as a book storage for the Yamaguchi Prefectural Library. Saved from demolition by a citizen preservation movement, it was reborn as a cultural venue in 1992 and registered as a Tangible Cultural Property in 1998. Featuring English bond brickwork and a harpsichord celebrating Yamaguchi's ties to Xavier and Western music, it hosts art exhibitions, concerts, and community events.

Sansuien Main Building is a nationally registered tangible cultural property hot spring inn in Yuda Onsen, Yamaguchi City. Originally built as a Taisho-era villa and later expanded by renowned Kyoto sukiya master Fuefuki Kaichiro, the inn features the imperial Anzaikaku wing, three styles of Japanese garden, and 100% free-flowing natural hot springs from three private sources.

Sami Bridge in Hagi City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, is a single-arch stone bridge completed in 1914 during the Taisho era and registered as a National Tangible Cultural Property. Known locally as Megane-bashi (Spectacles Bridge), its 16.4-meter arch span makes it one of the largest stone bridges in Yamaguchi — a rare and precious artifact from the transitional era between stone and concrete construction.

Discover the Hagi Station Building, a nationally registered tangible cultural property built in 1925. This elegant half-timbered station in Yamaguchi Prefecture houses a museum honoring Inoue Masaru, the Father of Japanese Railways, and serves as a gateway to Hagi's World Heritage sites.

Discover the Hachiya Building, a registered tangible cultural property in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi. Built in 1926 as the Toyo Whaling Company branch office, this Secessionist-style brick building overlooks the Kanmon Straits and now houses an acclaimed French restaurant.

The Momoyama Water Distribution Metering Room, known locally as 'Rokkakudō' (Hexagonal Hall), is a Gothic-style brick waterworks facility built in 1924 by the Okinoyama Coal Mine in Ube City, Yamaguchi Prefecture. This charming octagonal building is a Registered Tangible Cultural Property and Heritage of Industrial Modernization, offering panoramic views over Ube's cityscape and the Suō-nada Sea.

Discover the Ashiyasu Sabo Dam, Japan's first concrete erosion control dam and a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in Minami-Alps City, Yamanashi. Built in the Taisho era with a unique gravity-and-arch structure, this engineering marvel stands at 22.65 meters in the scenic Midai River valley.

Discover the Shishidome Power Station Usobuki Waterway Outlet, a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in Fujiyoshida City, Yamanashi. Built in 1918, this stone-built waterway outlet channels water from Lake Kawaguchi and stands as a remarkable example of Taisho-era civil engineering at the foot of Mount Fuji.

Discover the Former Katayama Tunnel Upper Entrance, a stone-built waterway portal from 1913 at the historic Hirase Water Purification Plant in Kofu City, Yamanashi. A Registered Tangible Cultural Property and part of the Japan Heritage Shosenkyo story, this Taisho-era engineering marvel tells the story of Kofu's water modernization alongside the spectacular gorge scenery.

The Yokoyama Sake Brewery Shop in Nanbu Town, Yamanashi Prefecture, is a three-story wooden kanban kenchiku (signboard architecture) building dating from around 1916. Discover this Registered Tangible Cultural Property featuring a Western-style faux-stone facade and harmonious blend of Japanese and Western interior design.

Discover Tooker House, a registered Tangible Cultural Property in Omihachiman, Shiga Prefecture. Designed by William Merrell Vories in 1918 as a tuberculosis sanatorium, this elegant wooden building embodies his philosophy of healing through sunlight, fresh air, and compassionate design.

The Enryaku-ji Daishoin is a Registered Tangible Cultural Property located in the Todo area of Mount Hiei's Enryaku-ji Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Originally built around 1919 as part of tobacco magnate Murai Kichibei's Tokyo estate, this refined shoin-style building was relocated to Mount Hiei in 1928. Designed by renowned architect Takeda Goichi, it features a grand karahafu entrance, the magnificent Kyokko-no-Ma reception hall, and a moon-viewing platform overlooking Lake Biwa.

Discover the Enryaku-ji Daishoin Garden Gate, a registered tangible cultural property originally part of the Murai Kichibei mansion in Tokyo. Designed by renowned architect Takeda Goichi and relocated to Mt. Hiei in 1928, this elegant gate stands within the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Enryaku-ji Temple.

The Former Shiga Bank Konan Branch, located along the historic Soma Kaido road in Koka City, Shiga Prefecture, is a reinforced concrete bank building completed in 1925 to a design by William Merrell Vories. Featuring Ionic columns and a semicircular arched window in classical Western style, it was registered as a National Tangible Cultural Property in 2015.

Built around 1919 by the Ōmi merchant Tanaka family, this great hall frames its garden through verandas and Taishō glass, and now serves the Ōmi Shōnintei restaurant.