Myoshoji is a small Soto Zen temple with deep ties to the Matsudaira samurai family that ruled the lands around the village of Matsudaira from the late 1300s onward. The temple is located in Otaki Gorge on a terraced plot supported by moss-covered stone walls. It is a few minutes’ walk uphill along the river from the parking lot at the entrance to the gorge. The structures include the main hall built in 1854, a somewhat older gate th...

This concert hall is located in the Toyota Sangohkan, part of an urban redevelopment project. This is a classical music hall designed with a structure that takes into mind both the players and audience. The warm space features wood and stone accents and employs a “shoebox” style for the best acoustics. The large pipe organ at the front of the hall is constructed based on the Northern German baroque style and acts as a symbol for the ...

A Noh theater in the Toyota Sangohkan urban redevelopment building. Featuring a Kirizuma-style roof and a stage of hinoki wood, or Japanese cypress, it draws visitors into the world of Japan's traditional arts. A true Noh stage patterned after those in the Momoyama period in the late 16th century when Noh thrived, it hosts children's events and interpretive lectures in addition to Noh and kyogen performances. Visitors can also enjoy ...

Aizuma Exchange Center moved to a new building in March 2010 designed by architect Kazuyo Sejima, whose prior work includes the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa. The curved surfaces of this unique building are made entirely of glass. Not only the exterior, but also the meeting rooms and multipurpose hall are circular in shape. The rooms are divided by glass walls, and the entire structure allows ongoing activities t...

The glass at Cocoro is made entirely from recycled glass bottles. See the fiery colors and varying shapes of the glass as you create your own glass art! Kids elementary school age and older can join the workshops, where the owners will safely guide you step-by-step through the process. Make an original glass treasure and wonderful memories while sweating from the heat of the furnace.

Yamanaka Kannondo Hall at Sanage Shrine serves as a quiet reminder of how Shinto and Buddhism, now thought of as separate, were closely linked in Japan for more than a thousand years. The hall was built in the sixteenth century to house a statue of Senju Kannon, the thousand-armed bodhisattva of compassion, thought to have been carved in the late tenth century. The hall was part of the Sanage shrine complex, which encompassed a va...

Donguri no Sato Inabu Roadside Station is a shopping hub located in the Inabu Area of Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture. The onsen hot spring bath house Donguri no Yu, fresh produce and freshly-baked bread, and the Donguri Yokocho Market, offering a rich variety of local delicacies from the surrounding mountains, await visitors. With delicious food no matter the season, be sure to visit the mountain village of Inabu.

Enjoy handmade ham and sausages made with only the best ingredients by spry old senior citizens. This is how ham and sausage were meant to taste! They’re also popular as gifts. All of ZiZi Studio’s hams and sausages are made with love and care and taste exquisite.

Sanshu Shishi Mori Shachu is a workshop and gallery offering a range of accessory and craft activities using a selection of the bones and hides of deer and wild boar. Create your own, one-of-a-kind accessory with deer antlers of different colors and shapes. It is said that deer are messengers of the gods, so perhaps wearing your accessory will bring you good luck!

Along the Old Road of Asuke, a once busy Shio-no-Michi route - as vital backbone trading roads were called - sits this peculiar bookstore, built with special attention for preserving the charming aspect of the olden times. Merging bookshop with gallery and café, it sits in the corner formed by the main road and the adjacent Manrin Alley, joining other buildings in the townscape that feature the beautiful contrasting plaster and black...

On a path along the Tomoe River flowing from Lake Mikawa lies a picturesque building that specializes in fragrances and even has its own waterwheel. At Karen no Yakata, make seasonal flower wreaths or your own salt potpourri. When you’re done, get some play time across the river, where there’s a big, grassy area, a walking trail, a free dog park, and more.