Corridors That Hold the Site Together
The Former Sericultural Experiment Station Shinjo Branch (Connecting Corridors and Lavatory) is a single-storey structure of 1934 in Tokamachi, Shinjo City, Yamagata Prefecture, built in timber with some steel framing, and entered on the national register as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 29 March 2013.
The corridors run north from the rear wall of the main office and reach the night duty and caretaker's rooms, all four rearing houses and the egg inspection building. The footprint is 390 square metres, the largest of the ten registrations here. A passage with no rooms of its own occupies more ground than any building on the site.
Construction is timber or steel framed under a sheet metal roof. An extension was added in 1937, the same year rearing houses two, four and five went up, so the corridors grew as the station grew.
The lavatory sits on the north side of the corridor that runs west from the night duty and caretaker's rooms. It is single-storey timber with a gabled roof of clay pantiles, a different covering from the sheet metal of the corridors themselves.
Why It Was Registered
The registration number is 06-0143, granted under the first criterion, covering structures that contribute to the historic character of the landscape.
Passageways seldom become cultural properties. These did because they are the plan of the site. Starting at the office, the corridors run north and throw off branches east and west to reach each building, and no account of how the Former Sericultural Experiment Station Shinjo Branch is laid out can leave them out.
They are also walled. Not a roof on posts, but an enclosed passage. Where more than a metre of snow lies through the winter, staff had to move between buildings without stepping into it, and nothing else on the site states the local conditions so directly.
Sections north of rearing house one and north of rearing house four have since been removed, so the full original length is gone. The main runs survive, and the way the buildings connect can still be read on the ground.
What to Look For
Watch how the corridors meet the buildings. The rear wall of the office, the flank of the night duty and caretaker's rooms, the gable ends of the rearing houses: each junction is handled differently, and the detailing differs between original runs and the 1937 extension. If you want to find the extension, the junctions are where to look.
The windows are worth a moment. This is a passage, not a room, so the glazing is small, set purely for light and spaced at even intervals. Because it differs in size and height from the windows of the buildings, the corridor sections are easy to pick out from a distance.
The lavatory roof breaks the pattern. Gabled and tiled among sheet metal, it differs in colour as well as in form, which makes it the simplest landmark for locating that part of the run.
The removed sections leave traces. On the north walls of rearing houses one and four, look along the cladding for a point where the finish changes; that is often where a corridor once landed.
Visiting This Structure
The Connecting Corridors and Lavatory are not normally open, and they cannot be walked through as part of a visit. Viewing is from outside.
The exterior is freely visible from anywhere on the grounds at no charge. Take the path from behind the office towards the rearing houses and the corridor wall stays beside you the whole way. To gauge the length, stand at the north side of the office and look north along the run towards the rearing houses.
Outdoor photography is unrestricted. The corridor is long and narrow, so an oblique angle along the wall gives more depth than a square-on view.
Winter makes the point of the building better than any explanation. With snow lying across the site, an enclosed passage stops looking like an odd choice. Bear in mind that not every path on the grounds is cleared, so watch your footing.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Yamagata
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Former Sericultural Experiment Station Shinjo Branch (Connecting Corridors and Lavatory)
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Q&A
- Can visitors walk through the Connecting Corridors at the Former Sericultural Experiment Station Shinjo Branch?
- No. They are not normally open and cannot be used as a route during a visit. The exterior is freely visible from the grounds at no charge.
- Which buildings do the corridors link?
- They run north from the main office to the night duty and caretaker's rooms, the four rearing houses and the egg inspection building. Sections north of rearing houses one and four have since been removed.
- Why are the corridors walled rather than open?
- So that staff could cross between buildings without stepping into deep snow. Rather than a roof on posts, the passage was enclosed with walls, which is a direct response to winters in this part of Yamagata.
- How large are the Connecting Corridors and Lavatory?
- The footprint is 390 square metres, the largest of the ten registered structures at the station. Construction is single-storey timber with some steel framing under a sheet metal roof, extended in 1937.
- Where is the lavatory?
- On the north side of the corridor running west from the night duty and caretaker's rooms. Single-storey timber with a gabled pantile roof, it differs in form and covering from the sheet metal corridors, so it is easy to spot from outside.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Sericultural Experiment Station Shinjo Branch (Connecting Corridors and Lavatory) |
|---|---|
| Location | 6000-1 Toumeki, Tokamachi, Shinjo City, Yamagata Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 29 March 2013 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey timber with partial steel framing, sheet metal roof, footprint 390 square metres |
| Owner | Shinjo City |
| Public Access | Interior not normally open; exterior viewable free of charge |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, National Cultural Properties Database: Connecting Corridors and Lavatory
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00009423
- Shinjo City: On the Registered Tangible Cultural Properties
- https://www.city.shinjo.yamagata.jp/k001/020/010/030/030/9635.html
- Shinjo City: Shinjo City Ecology Garden, Gensan-no-Mori
- https://www.city.shinjo.yamagata.jp/g/kanko/020/010/010/
- Michi-no-Eki Shinjo Ecology Garden Gensan-no-Mori: Facility Guide
- https://michinoeki-eg.jp/facility/
Last verified: 2026.09.14
