Tonomachi-dori Street 殿町通り

Tsuwano's old merchant district, centered on Tonomachi-dori Street, is filled with traditional buildings made of dark wood and white plaster. Working sake breweries and traditional sweet shops occupy these gorgeous storefronts, while ryokan and minshuku lodgings are tucked into the quaint alleys.

Walk along the road directly opposite Tsuwano Station for just a few minutes to reach Tonomachi-dori.

Approaching the castle, the wooden storefronts give way to grander buildings where the samurai who governed the area worked. The former school where samurai children were educated now contains a folk history museum packed with items from daily life centuries ago.

The small canal lining the street contains thousands of large colorful koi. Reportedly there are more koi in the canal than people in the town.

Unusually, there is also a small Catholic church in the forest nearby. Maria Chapel was built in 1951 as a sober memorial to the Japanese Christians who were martyred here in the 19th century.