Former JNR Kisei Line Kii-Yuasa Station Bookstore

Former Kii-Yuasa Station Building: A Gateway to the Birthplace of Soy Sauce

Standing quietly beside the modern JR Yuasa Station in Wakayama Prefecture, the former Kii-Yuasa Station building is a rare surviving example of early Showa-era Western-style railway architecture. Built in 1927 when the Kisei West Line was extended to this small coastal town, the wooden station served travelers for 92 years before being lovingly restored and reopened as a dining and retail venue in 2023. Designated as a National Registered Tangible Cultural Property in March 2024, it now offers visitors a chance to step inside a piece of Japan's railway heritage while savoring the flavors of Yuasa — the birthplace of Japanese soy sauce.

Historical Background

The history of Kii-Yuasa Station is closely intertwined with the development of the Kisei Line, one of the major railway arteries connecting the Kii Peninsula. On August 14, 1927, the Japanese National Railways (JNR) extended the Kisei West Line from Fujinami Station to the newly established Kii-Yuasa Station, and the building that stands today was constructed to serve as the main station house. Just one year later, in October 1928, the line was extended further to Kii-Yura Station, and Kii-Yuasa transitioned from a terminus to a through station.

In 1959, the full Kisei Main Line was completed, linking Kameyama and Wakayama. The station was subsequently renamed Yuasa Station and continued to serve the community through the privatization of JNR in 1987, when it came under the management of JR West. For nearly a century, the building welcomed commuters, pilgrims heading along the Kumano Kodo, and visitors drawn to this historic soy sauce town.

In 2019, station operations were transferred to the newly built "Yuasa Ekikura" building adjacent to the old structure. The former station was then handed over to Yuasa Town, which designated it as a Historically Significant Landscape Building in 2021. Following careful restoration work, it reopened in May 2023 as a public dining and retail facility called "Yuasa Beishō."

Why It Was Designated a Cultural Property

The former Kii-Yuasa Station building was registered as a National Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building) on March 6, 2024. Its designation recognizes it as a valuable example of pre-war railway station architecture that preserves the characteristic Western-influenced design language of Japanese stations from that era.

The building is particularly notable for its half-hipped roof clad in diamond-pattern iron sheeting, a roofing technique known as hishibuki that was common in stations of this period. Dormer windows projecting vertically from the roofline add visual interest and ventilation. The exterior features tall vertical sash windows arranged in a rhythmic pattern along the walls — a hallmark of the Western-style station design adopted by the Japanese railway system in the early 20th century. The combination of traditional Japanese timber-frame construction with Western architectural vocabulary makes it a compelling example of Meiji-Taishō-Shōwa era cultural exchange in architecture.

As a structure that was central to the life of Yuasa for over nine decades, the station building also carries deep social significance, symbolizing an entire era of the town's modern development.

Architectural Highlights

The former station building is a single-story wooden structure with a total building area of 269 square meters. Its half-hipped roof (han-kiritsuma-zukuri) is covered with diamond-pattern iron sheet roofing, and a gabled carriage porch (kurumayose) extends from the west-facing south side. Open-sided lean-to eaves (shimonya) are attached on three sides, providing sheltered walkways.

The exterior walls employ the shinkabe (true wall) technique with white plaster finish, while the lower portion features a washed mortar (morutaru araidashi) finish. The tall vertical sliding sash windows, arranged evenly along the façade, give the building its distinctive Western appearance and flood the interior with natural light.

Inside, the original layout placed a spacious waiting room on the south side, separated from the station office and staff break rooms on the north side by a service counter. The former waiting room, with its high ceiling and windows on three sides, creates a remarkably bright and open space that now serves beautifully as a dining area. The 2023 renovation carefully restored the exterior to its historical appearance based on photographs and physical evidence while sensitively adapting the interior for its new role.

Visiting Yuasa Beishō

The restored station building now houses "Yuasa Beishō," a dining and retail establishment that celebrates the culinary heritage of Yuasa and Wakayama Prefecture. Operated by Kaisansha (Genjirō Planning Office), the restaurant serves rice balls made with rice cooked over a traditional wood-fired kamado stove, soba noodles prepared with local Kishū duck, and grilled rice cakes seasoned with Yuasa soy sauce. A retail corner offers locally produced soy sauce, miso, and other regional specialties.

One of the most delightful features is the wooden deck terrace extending onto a section of the former platform, where diners can enjoy their meal while watching trains pass just meters away — a unique experience that perfectly honors the building's railway heritage.

Surrounding Attractions

Yuasa Town offers a wealth of experiences beyond the station building. A 10-minute walk northwest leads to the Yuasa Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings, the only such nationally designated district in Wakayama Prefecture. This atmospheric neighborhood of Edo and Meiji-era wooden townhouses, soy sauce breweries, and storehouses was designated in 2006 and forms the heart of Japan Heritage Story #047, "The First Drop — Birthplace of Soy Sauce Brewing, Kishū Yuasa."

Key attractions in the area include Kadochō, one of Japan's oldest soy sauce breweries still operating with traditional methods since 1841; the Shokunin-gura Museum, a former workers' lodge displaying historic brewing tools; Jinburo, an Edo-period public bathhouse now serving as a local history museum; and Jinsenji Temple, a historic stop on the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage route with prefecturally designated cultural properties. For seafood lovers, Yuasa is also famous for its fresh shirasu (whitebait), best enjoyed at local restaurants near the station.