Right next door and virtually an annex of the Akita City Folklore & Performing Art Center in Akita is the Old Kaneko Family Home.
This fine, old wooden building was originally an Edo era merchant's home and storehouse rebuilt in the 1880s.
The house intrigued visiting German architect Bruno Taut in the 1930s, who was particularly taken with the water pot on the house's roof, which he describes in his book, Das japanische Haus und sein Leben.
The mud-walled storehouse (kura), which would have been used to protect the family's valuables and goods from the threat of fire, has impressively thick doors and a cool, wooden interior. The kitchen area of the house contains an original kamado stove.
The tatami-mat interior of the shop front recreates the look and feel of a traditional Japanese shop house of the times. Authentic goods such as Crane & Turtle brand tabi socks and happi coats are on sale.
The Old Kaneko Family Home is close to the Akarenga Red Brick Folk Museum and the Omachi and Kawabata entertainment and red light district on the Asahi River in Akita City. Nearby hotels are the e-Hotel Akita, the Kameya Ryokan and the Daiwa Roynet Hotel Akita.
Old Kaneko Family Home
1-3-30 Omachi
Akita
010-0921
Tel: 018 866 7095
Hours: 9.30am-4.30pm
© JapanVisitor.com
Inside Track Japan For Kindle
Tags
Japan Guide
Tohoku
Museum
Akita
Japanese history
0 comments:
Post a Comment