A Corner Shop of the Early Showa Era
The Koike Tobacco Store (小池煙草店) is a two-storey wooden shop-house of the early Showa era (from 1926) on a corner plot at Bamba-machi, Chichibu City, Saitama Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on February 17, 2004 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency for Cultural Affairs records a two-storey wooden building with a sheet-iron roof and a building area of 61 square metres, registration number 11-0070.
Bamba-dori, the Approach to Chichibu Shrine
Seibu Railway's travel feature (researched in 2023) describes Bamba-dori, the street through Bamba-machi, as the main approach to Chichibu Shrine, lined with many retro-modern buildings.
According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs database, other buildings in Bamba-machi, such as Cafe Paris of 1927 and Yasudaya of about 1930, were registered on the same day as the Koike Tobacco Store. Seibu Railway reports that the shop has been refitted and is now used as Koike Cafe.
Value as a Registered Cultural Property
The Koike Tobacco Store was registered as a structure that has become a model of design. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes it as a richly decorated early Showa shop-house.
What to Look For
According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, the street walls of the Koike Tobacco Store rise high as a facade, with a lean-to sheet-iron roof behind.
The street front wraps round the corner in a continuous curved wall, with the cornice, mouldings and window surrounds picked out from the rest by colour and finish (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The rounded, ornamented corner is the highlight.
Visiting
Seibu Railway (2023) describes the interior as a cafe with a nostalgic atmosphere, refitted within the registered shop. Please check opening days and hours before visiting.
The address is 1037-7 Bamba-machi, Chichibu City.
Q&A
- When was it built?
- In the early Showa era (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- What kind of building is it?
- A two-storey wooden shop-house on a corner, with high street walls (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- What is distinctive about the front?
- A rounded corner wall with cornice and window surrounds picked out in colour and finish (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- How is it used today?
- As Koike Cafe, refitted within the shop (Seibu Railway).
- When was the Koike Tobacco Store registered?
- On February 17, 2004.
Basic Information
| Name | Koike Tobacco Store (小池煙草店) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1037-7 Bamba-machi, Chichibu City, Saitama Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2004/02/17 (Heisei 16) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Wooden, 2 storeys, sheet-iron roof, building area 61 square metres |
| Owner | Not published |
| Public Access | In use as a cafe (as of 2023) |
References
- Koike Tobacco Store (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00003833
- Cafe Paris (Database of National Cultural Properties)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00003831
- Yasudaya (Database of National Cultural Properties)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00003832
- A walk through Chichibu (Seibu Railway, 2023, in Japanese)
- https://www.seiburailway.jp/railways/fillute/goout/202309-01/
Last verified: 2026.10.14