Cafe Parry: A 1927 Shopfront Built to Look Three Storeys Tall
Cafe Parry (カフェ・パリー) is a two-storey timber shop and residence built in 1927 in Banba-machi, Chichibu City, Saitama Prefecture, and was entered on the national register as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2004.
The building stands on Banba-dori, the shopping street leading to Chichibu Shrine, and has long operated as a restaurant under the name Parry Shokudo. The Agency for Cultural Affairs lists it as a two-storey timber structure with a sheet-metal roof and a building area of 60 square metres. Cafe Parry was registered on 17 February 2004.
The database gives the address as the land lot 1036-1 Banba-machi, which may differ from the postal address. When visiting, search by the restaurant's name on a map app as well.
Why It Was Registered
The agency's note describes Cafe Parry as a shop-and-home with a Western-style exterior and one example of the varied architectural designs of the early Showa period.
Raising the street wall above the roof to present a flat facade was a common device for shops of the late 1920s and 1930s, sometimes called signboard architecture. It gave an ordinary timber townhouse a modern, Western face and brought a new-era look to the shopping street. Banba-dori still has several registered shops from the same period, and Cafe Parry is one of them.
What to Look For
Although the building has only two storeys, the street wall rises high, a single-pitch sheet-metal roof slopes back behind it, and an attic window is set into the wall, so from the front it appears to have three. Stand on the opposite side of the street to see how the facade suggests an extra floor above the second.
The walls are rendered in mortar, with a projecting cornice along the top and decoration over the windows. Together with the lettering of the shop's name and its noren curtain, the early Showa shopfront survives almost unchanged.
In 2025 the operating company announced a crowdfunding campaign for seismic reinforcement and repairs, after an earthquake assessment warned that the building could collapse in a major quake. Check the current state of works and opening before you go.
Visiting Cafe Parry
Cafe Parry is on Banba-dori in Banba-machi, Chichibu, in the shopping street along the approach to Chichibu Shrine. Walk north along Banba-dori toward the shrine from Seibu-Chichibu Station or from Chichibu Station on the Chichibu Railway.
As a working restaurant, the building can be entered during business hours. With reinforcement work planned, however, opening days and hours may change, so check the restaurant's own notices. The exterior can be seen from the street at any time.
If you want to take photos inside, ask the staff first and be considerate of other diners.
Q&A
- When was Cafe Parry built?
- In 1927. It is a two-storey timber shop and residence.
- What kind of cultural property is Cafe Parry?
- It was entered on the national register as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 17 February 2004. Registration is separate from designation.
- Why does Cafe Parry look three storeys tall?
- The street wall is raised high with an attic window, and a single-pitch roof slopes behind it, so the two-storey building presents a three-storey facade.
- Can I go inside Cafe Parry?
- It has operated as a restaurant, so you can enter during business hours. Reinforcement work is planned, so check its status before visiting.
- How do I get to Cafe Parry?
- It is on Banba-dori in Chichibu, on the walk from Seibu-Chichibu Station or Chichibu Station toward Chichibu Shrine.
Basic Information
| Name | Cafe Parry |
|---|---|
| Location | 1036-1 Banba-machi, Chichibu City, Saitama Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2004/02/17 (Heisei 16) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Two-storey timber, sheet-metal roof, building area 60 m² |
| Owner | Not listed in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database |
| Public Access | Interior open when the restaurant is operating. Exterior visible from the street |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Cafe Parry
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00003831
- Cultural Heritage Online: Cafe Parry
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/141101
- Parry Co. press release on seismic retrofit crowdfunding (Japanese)
- https://san-tatsu.jp/pressrelease/467213/
Last verified: 2026.09.27
