A Workshop Built for Fishing Nets
The Former Toda Family Residence Net Factory (旧戸田家住宅網工場, Kyū Toda-ke Jūtaku Amikōba) in Hiro, Hirogawa Town, Wakayama Prefecture, is a 2-story timber workshop that the Toda family built for making fishing nets in the late Taishō period, between 1919 and 1926, and it was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2016.
It stands immediately north of the main house with its gable end to the street. The building runs 28 meters back from the road, and at 204 square meters it has the largest footprint of the six buildings in the compound. The roof is tiled.
Why the Net Factory Was Registered
The Former Toda Family Residence Net Factory was registered as a model of its building type. The Agency for Cultural Affairs bases that judgment on one thing above all: this is a factory designed to give net makers a large, open interior.
On the ground floor, the earth-floored space was divided into three rooms, with only the innermost one enclosed by clay walls. The upper floor was a single undivided workroom. Both floors have plenty of windows, and the Wakayama Prefectural Board of Education notes that the building has almost no interior posts, which gave the workers both the floor space and the daylight their craft required.
The roof rests on a Wagoya, the traditional Japanese roof frame, in which level beams are combined with raking beams that follow the slope of the roof. Long open floors and the frame above them are what make this a factory rather than a house.
What to Look For
From the street, the gable of the Former Toda Family Residence Net Factory shows two tiers of windows, a very different face from the latticed front of the main house next door. The full 28-meter length is hard to judge from the pavement, but the ridge running straight back gives a sense of it.
Today the building houses the restaurant Shioka (潮香). The renovation kept the long interior as one dining space, and the official website names the brick floor and the net staircase at the entrance as the restaurant's signature features. A photograph in the prefectural report shows heavy exposed beams running down a narrow hall.
Published sources do not say whether the brick floor is original or was added in the renovation; the Agency for Cultural Affairs describes the ground floor as earth-floored.
Visiting the Former Toda Family Residence Net Factory
The exterior of the Former Toda Family Residence Net Factory can be seen from the street, but as of July 2026 the prefectural board of education states that only restaurant diners and overnight guests may enter. There is no announced way to tour the interior without a meal.
According to the official website, lunch is a five-course menu at 5,500 yen and dinner an eight-course menu at 13,000 yen, both by reservation only, with bookings accepted up to two business days ahead. Lunch is served between 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. and dinner between 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. The restaurant closes on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and lunch is also not served on Fridays. Since April 2025 the cafe has opened only occasionally, about once a month.
Photography is allowed with limits: the restaurant's rules prohibit pictures that capture other diners and any shooting whose shutter sound or flash disturbs others. Choose an angle away from neighboring tables if you want to photograph the beams and the netting.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Wakayama
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Former Toda Family Residence Net Factory
- [ Koyasan & Kumano Kodo World Heritage Trails ]
Q&A
- What is the Former Toda Family Residence Net Factory?
- The Former Toda Family Residence Net Factory is a workshop for making fishing nets, built by the Toda family in the late Taishō period, between 1919 and 1926. It is a 2-story timber building, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on November 29, 2016.
- How big is the Former Toda Family Residence Net Factory?
- It is 28 meters long with a building area of 204 square meters, the largest of the six buildings. The ground floor was an earth-floored space divided into three rooms, and the upper floor a single workroom.
- Can visitors go inside the Former Toda Family Residence Net Factory?
- Only diners at the restaurant Shioka and overnight guests can enter. No interior tours without a meal are announced. The exterior can be seen from the street.
- What are the opening hours and prices of the restaurant in the Former Toda Family Residence Net Factory?
- Lunch runs between 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. with a 5,500-yen course, and dinner between 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. with a 13,000-yen course. Both require a reservation at least two business days ahead. Closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays; no lunch on Fridays.
- Is photography allowed inside the Toda net factory restaurant?
- Yes, within limits. The restaurant's rules prohibit photos that include other diners and any shutter noise or flash that disturbs them.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Toda Family Residence Net Factory |
|---|---|
| Location | 1347 Hiro, Hirogawa-cho, Arida-gun, Wakayama Prefecture, and other locations |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered on November 29, 2016 (Heisei 28) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area: 204 m²; length: 28 m |
| Owner | Hirogawa Town |
| Public Access | Exterior viewable from the road; interior for restaurant diners and overnight guests only (reservation required) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Former Toda Family Residence Net Factory
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00011392
- Cultural Heritage Online: Former Toda Family Residence Net Factory
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/299239
- Wakayama Prefectural Board of Education: Case 2, Former Toda Family Residence (PDF, Japanese)
- https://www.pref.wakayama.lg.jp/prefg/500700/d00219867_d/fil/02.pdf
- Hotel Isari and Restaurant/Cafe Shioka official website (Japanese)
- https://shioka-isari.com/
- Isari and Shioka terms of use (Japanese)
- https://shioka-isari.com/terms/
- Shioka: cafe opening from April (Japanese)
- https://shioka-isari.com/4%e6%9c%88%e3%81%8b%e3%82%89%e3%81%ae%e3%82%ab%e3%83%95%e3%82%a7%e5%96%b6%e6%a5%ad%e3%81%ab%e3%81%a4%e3%81%84%e3%81%a6/
Last verified: 2026.10.07
