Shōwa

The south arm of the 1944 outer colonnade at Omi Jingu in Otsu. Once as long as the north arm, only three bays survive, yet the outer court still depends on them.

The full-length north arm of the 1944 outer colonnade at Omi Jingu in Otsu, 60 square metres. Round posts carry an open roof above a raised and railed veranda.

A five-bay roofed lattice fence of 1944 running to the north gate at Omi Jingu in Otsu. Square posts on a sill carry balance-arm brackets under a copper roof.

An eight-metre roofed lattice fence of 1944 at Omi Jingu. Its vermilion and white finish marks where the second building campaign meets the bare timber of the first.

The 1940 outer worship hall at Omi Jingu in Otsu, 157 square metres, where visitors pray. A stone stair is driven through its central bay beneath a curved gable.

The 1944 first torii at Omi Jingu in Otsu, 7.3 metres wide. A textbook myojin gate with curved upper members, inward-leaning round posts and a squared tie beam.

The 1940 second torii at Omi Jingu in Otsu, 6.4 metres wide, standing at the head of the approach steps. Visitors turn right here for the tower gate above.

Discover the charming 1931 Western-style station building of Ohmi Railway Toriimoto in Hikone, Shiga — a Registered Tangible Cultural Property with a distinctive mansard roof, set along the historic Nakasendo post town.

The Former Imazu Post Office, located on Vories Street in Imazu, Takashima City, Shiga Prefecture, is a two-story wooden post office building designed by American architect William Merrell Vories and completed in 1936. Featuring a semicircular arched entrance and charming blend of Western and Japanese design elements, it was registered as a nationally designated tangible cultural property in 2015.

Explore the Former Toyosato Elementary School in Shiga Prefecture, a Registered Tangible Cultural Property designed by architect William Merrell Vories in 1937. Discover its Omi merchant heritage, iconic Tortoise and Hare staircase, and anime pilgrimage culture.

Only 1.2 meters long, the stone bridge before the former Fujii estate flares toward the road and carries high railings with rounded posts over a Koto village canal.

A roofed timber wall about 30 meters long encloses the main house of the former Fujii estate, built differently on each face to divide private rooms from service areas.

Running nearly 114 meters, the concrete outer wall of the former Fujii estate carries a stone gate with iron doors, modern for a village of board and earthen walls.

Beside the front gate stands this two-story storehouse of the former Fujii estate, plain at a glance but finished with vertical boards and garden-side cedar bark.

This corridor of about 10 square meters joins the plain main house to the ornate guest hall of the former Fujii estate, finished with care despite its modest role.

Located steps from JR Kinomoto Station in Nagahama City, Shiga Prefecture, Kohoku Library is one of Japan's rarest privately operated libraries, housed in a striking 1937 Western-style wooden building registered as a National Tangible Cultural Property in 2024. Founded in 1907 through the vision of lawyer Bunya Sugino, this beloved institution has been sustained by its community for over 120 years. Visitors can explore its atmospheric tatami reading room, semicircular arched windows, historic collection of 49,000 volumes, and the charming Kinomoto post town nearby.

The Kanjō-zō at Saikyō-ji is an early-Shōwa clay storehouse for the gear of the esoteric kanjō rite, its thick plastered walls built to resist fire.

The Shinzashiki at Saikyō-ji is an early-Shōwa sukiya room behind the guest hall, its white plaster set against red-ocher posts, paired with the Kanran-tei.

Located on the Shiga University campus in Hikone City, the Ryosui Kaikan is a Spanish-style wooden building designed by architect William Merrell Vories in 1938. Featuring cream-colored German plaster walls, Spanish clay tiles, and decorative Taizan tiles, it was registered as a national Tangible Cultural Property in 1997.

Built in 1938, the Saikiko of Tarobogu Aga Shrine is a two-story dozo whose thick earthen walls guard ritual implements from fire. Listed as a Cultural Property in 2019.