Yanai Interiors

 

Yanai, the well-preserved town of Edo-period merchant houses and storehouses adorned with goldfish lanterns has plenty of places to enter and explore, many being free.

The Yanai Machinami Museum is housed in the former Suo Bank and offers a wealth of information on local history.

A must visit spot is the huge Sagawa Soy Sauce Brewery.

Housed in a massive wooden building, the company is still a fully operating soy sauce brewery, but also a museum.

A highlight is being able to view the huge vats of fermenting sauce. Obviously the aroma is somewhat overpowering.

They sell a wide variety of different types of soy sauce.

You can even try soy sauce flavoured ice cream.

Next door is Yanai Nishigura where you can try your hand at various local crafts, including Indigo dyeing and of course making goldfish lanterns.

Further up Shirakabe Street is the Shirakabe Gakuyukan which has changing exhibitions of local folklore in a traditional building.

The exhibits also cover some more recent history.

A covered walkway that leads to some more building to the rear passes by a delightful traditional garden.

The Kunimori House is a fine example of a merchant property dating back around 250 years.

The house is open to the public and the rooms are filled with artworks and other artifacts from daily life

Entry is a mere 200 yen.

However, the biggest site to visit in Yanai would be the Muruya no Sono Merchant House Museum.

It is huge and I covered it earlier with two posts, one on the architecture and gardens, and the second on the details and displays.

The previous post in this series on day 19 of my walk along the Chugoku Kannon Pilgrimage was on the main street of the Shirakabe District.

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Yanai. White Walls & Goldfish Lanterns

 

Yanai, near the southern coast of Yamaguchi Prefecture, has an historic area that retains much of its Edo Period history and features.

Since 1984 it has been registered as a Group of Traditional Buildings, which I prefer to refer to as Historic Preservation District.

Called Shirakabe Street, the view of the charming white-walled storehouses and merchant properties is not spoiled by the unsightly profusion of power poles and cables of most Japanese streets.

The town prospered due to its port, situated a short distance up the tidal Yanai River.

The unique feature of this historic merchant quarter is the colourful goldfish lanterns seen hanging from most properties.

A visit in the evening with all the lanterns lit up is a unique experience....

The locals started making the kingyo chochin, goldfish lanterns, about 150 years ago and they have now become the icon of the town.

Covered with traditional Japanese washi paper over a frame made of thin strips of bamboo, it is possible for visitors to take a class and make one.

Once a year during the Kingyo Chochin Matsuri, even more lanterns are on display, including some huge examples made by different local teams.

If you want to see some evening shots or maybe even purchase a golfish lantern, please check this other post.

I've been to Yanai several times before and still enjoy it. In general, I prefer my preservation districts less gentrified, but Yanai is far enough away from a Shinkansen station that it is not overcrowded like Kurashiki...

Some of the side alleys and streets are more intriguing to me....

Among the shops and cafes are quite a few  traditional properties open to the public.

I will cover those in the next post in the series....

The previous post in this series on day 19 of my walk along the Chugoku Kannon Pilgrimage was on the displays and interiors of the nearby Muruya no Sono Merchant House Museum.

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Muruya no Sono Merchant House Museum

 

The Muruya no Sono Merchant House Museum in Yanai, Yamaguchi is in the former residence and property of the Oda Family, one of the wealthiest merchants in the area.

Located on a tidal river, Yanai flourished in the Edo Period as a trading port on the busy Inland Sea

The Oda Family made their fortune primarily through the production and trade of oil.

It is one of the biggest surviving examples of a wealthy merchant property from the Edo Period.

All the rooms of the main residence as well as all the ancillary buildings and storerooms have been set up as a museum displaying not only everyday items from the residence, but artifacts and tools as well as ceremonial items.

There are several kinds of dolls on display.

More than a few palanquins which clearly show how small the Japanese generally were...

There are several kitchen areas...

... and some samurai armour and weapons....

Ceremonial objects.....

Plenty of traditional looms...

and a collection of foreign masks....

In the former oil-pressing building, an example of the press used with old illustrations on the walls showing the process....

It really is quite a huge collection of very diverse objects......

Unfortunately, when I visited at least, there was no English explanations, but that is less of a problem nowadays with smartphone camera ftranslation apps....

Yanai is well worth a visit, and if you do, certainly stop in here....

The previous post was on the architecture and gardens of the Muruya no Sono Merchant Property.

If you would like to subscribe by email just leave your email address in the comments below. It will not be published and made public. I post new content almost everyday, and send out an email about twice a month with short descriptions and links to the last ten posts.