Meiji

Discover Yoshida Family Residence (Yoshida-ke Jutaku Shuoku), a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in Kashima City, Saga Prefecture. This beautifully preserved Meiji-era machiya features distinctive igura-zukuri architecture with white plastered walls, brick accents, and rare ebony interiors. Located along the historic Tara Kaido road, it offers an authentic glimpse into Japan's merchant heritage near the famous sake breweries of Hizen-Hamashuku.

Built in 1876 by porcelain trade merchant Tashiro Josaku as a guesthouse for foreign buyers visiting Arita, this giyōfū (pseudo-Western) building blends a Western colonnade facade with traditional Japanese tatami interiors and a remarkable spiral staircase. Designated a national Important Cultural Property in 2018, it stands within Arita's historic Uchiyama Preservation District, offering a rare window into the international porcelain trade that flourished in early Meiji-era Japan.

A 7.3-metre brick chimney at Amabuki Shuzo in Saga, laid in English bond on a square base. It once drew smoke from the kitchen that fed the seasonal brewery crew.

A late Meiji fermentation warehouse at Amabuki Shuzo in Saga, 39 by 17 metres. Thick earthen walls hold the cold; round log posts and inclined beams carry the roof.

The mid-Meiji main house at Amabuki Shuzo in Saga, where an earthen passage splits office from home. An older storehouse was absorbed into its east half.

The Ushizu Akarengakan in Ogi City, Saga Prefecture, is a two-story red brick warehouse built in the mid-to-late Meiji period as a storehouse for Tanakamaru Shōten, the predecessor of the Tamaya Department Store. Featuring distinctive dentil molding, mixed stone-and-brick ventilation openings, and a rare curved mukuri roof, this National Registered Tangible Cultural Property now serves as a gallery and event venue preserving the commercial heritage of historic Ushizu.

Discover Otanigawa Tunnel, a 92-meter brick river tunnel completed in 1911 in Karatsu, Saga Prefecture. This Registered Tangible Cultural Property features elegant English bond brickwork and a three-centered arch, built entirely by local villagers to protect farmland from flooding.

The Okada Saburōsuke Atelier, relocated and restored within Saga Castle Park, is the oldest surviving atelier of a modern Western-style painter in Japan. Originally built around 1908 in Ebisu, Tokyo, it served as the creative headquarters of Okada Saburōsuke, a recipient of the first Order of Culture in 1937. The complex includes the Women's Western Painting Research Institute, which trained pioneering female artists including Iwasaki Chihiro. Registered as a national Tangible Cultural Property in 2022, it is open to visitors free of charge.

Discover Kuretake Sake Brewery Ichiban-gura, a registered tangible cultural property from the Meiji era in Kashima City, Saga Prefecture. Once the largest sake brewery in Kyushu, this magnificent earthen storehouse stands along the historic Hizen Hamashuku Sake Brewery Street.

Discover Ogi Station on the JR Karatsu Line, a beautifully preserved Meiji-era wooden station building registered as a national tangible cultural property. Explore its coal-transport heritage, calligraphy connections, and the charming castle town of Ogi in Saga Prefecture.