Sawara, a Glimpse of Ancient Edo水郷の街を行く 佐原

Sawara, located in the east of Chiba Prefecture, is a town that has flourished for centuries thanks to water transport. During the height of the Edo period (1603-1868), it was said, “If you want to see Edo, come to Sawara; central Sawara is better than Edo.” Along the Ono River, which runs through the center of town, and Katori Kaido road, there are historical buildings, such as homes resembling storehouses in the dozo-zukuri style and traditional wooden townhouses with lattice fronts, that preserve the look and feel of Edo.

Sawara’s history can be traced as far back as the 18th year of Emperor Jimmu’s reign, when the famed Katori-jingu shrine was founded. From ancient times to the Middle Ages, there was an inland sea known as Katori no Ura and it was an important hub for trade and transport.

Edo merchant and surveyor Inoh Tadataka, who created Maps of Japan’s Coastal Area, joined his wife’s family when he was 17; it was a wealthy family with a great deal of influence in Sawara. Inoh himself, who was the 10th-generation proprietor, demonstrated his talent, and a building constructed on the site lives on as the Inoh Tadataka Memorial Museum.

The boat tours which take you round a circuit on the Ono River are full of Little Edo ambiance. Partway through, you pass under the Toyohashi Bridge, which for over 300 years supported the town as a waterway for agricultural use. Water still splashes from it into the river every 30 minutes, to the delight of people passing by. Major attractions of Sawara include Sawara Mitsubishi Hall, which is a former bank built in 1914, the parade of floats for the Sawara Grand Festival held each year in July and October, and Katori-jingu, which is the head of 400 Katori-jinja shrines throughout the country.

Sawara has a number of stores over 200 years old that have continued to do business since the Edo period. They are not only a tourist attraction but also embedded in the lives of the people living there. Uedaya Aramonoten was built in 1759. It was started as a wholesaler of household goods and tatami mat facings by the Omi-born firstgeneration proprietor Tsuji Nihei. Today, it assembles cooking utensils, cleaning equipment and other household goods from all over Japan and also handles small Japanese-style articles, traditional crafts, and daily goods imbued with Japanese traditional techniques. The storehouse at the rear of the site is more than 130 years old. There are shops on the first and second floors which visitors are free to look around. The sasugumi construction of the storehouse is of great cultural value.

Abumo Seiyu, founded around 1630, is a time-honored establishment that is representative of Sawara. It uses a technique called tamajime that goes back hundreds of years in which lightly roasted white sesame seeds are meticulously ground with a stone mortar. High-quality seeds are carefully selected and pressed using traditional techniques to create a first-press premium sesame seed oil with a refined aroma, clear color, and lots of nutrients. “No additives or chemicals are used, so it can be drunk straight from the container. When added to rice before cooking, it gives the rice a bright luster,” shop owner Shigenori Namiki tells us. The chili oil the shop started making around 30 years ago is not only spicy, it has a very good flavor as well. “It is rare to find chili oil made with 100% sesame seed oil,” Namiki says. Wrapped in decorative paper in a small bottle, it is ideal as a souvenir. With the exception of Mizu no Sato Sawara, a roadside station, this is the only place you can find it.

Located on the corner where Katori Kaido road crosses the Ono River, the merchant house, Nakamuraya Shoten, has long handled household goods and tatami facings. The combined shop and living quarters was built in 1855 and the three-story storehouse was built in 1892, so both sections are quite old. It was designated a Tangible Cultural Property of Chiba Prefecture in 1993. The shop and living quarters part is currently being used as a rentable café space. The three floors of the storehouse contain souvenir shops. There are many unique items available, from Boshu Uchiwa fans to hand towels printed with scenes from Sawara streets and phone charms with braids made by the storeowner.

Businesses that have been a part of this area for the past 200 years include Shojo Soy Sauce Store, founded in 1800, and Tokun Sake Brewery, founded in 1825.

Toraya, a confectionery shop founded in 1657 near the start of the Edo period, is a place you will no doubt want to visit on your trip to Sawara. The exterior and interior, which were rebuilt three years ago, are lined with wooden molds used for confections, including cranes, turtles and treasure ships. The transom on the inside is a carving of the Seven Gods of Fortune. “We wanted the shop to look auspicious,” says Yumi Takahashi, wife of the 19th-generation proprietor. “Of course we provide delicious sweets, but above all we want to show hospitality to our customers.”

Torayaki, the shop’s specialty, requires highly advanced techniques to make, so it had not been made by the past three generations of owners, however three years ago the Takahashis resurrected it. When the house was being reorganized, a book of recipes was stumbled upon, and work began on reviving the product. The anko is made with beans from Hokkaido’s Tokachi region and they are simmered carefully for three days in sacred water from Katori-jingu. The tiger skin pattern, which brings good luck, and the spongy coating are characteristics of this specialty. The shop also offers TORA 3° (pronounced as “sando,” the Japanese word for “sandwich”) which is a confectionery in a cup that sandwiches together anko, Japanese fruit sauce and cream, and Torasuku, which is baked Torayaki batter.

Ristorante Casa Alberata, in a renovated Japanese house, is an Italian restaurant that uses select local ingredients for local consumption, including fish straight from Choshi Port and local vegetables. The ownerchef Kazushige Namiki, who trained at a Michelin-starred restaurant in Liguria, Italy, returned to his hometown of Sawara and opened the restaurant in 2009. Patrons smack their lips at the colorful vegetables and handmade pasta. “Sawara has history and many tourist attractions,” Namiki says. “It is actually located close to many farms as well. It is close to Choshi Port, which prides itself on delivering the largest catch in Japan, and there is a wealth of vegetables and fish. In a sense, I think this area has a rich food culture that rivals that of Italy.” Almost all the pasta is handmade, and the restaurant’s specialty gnocchi has a sauce made from local mushrooms.

Sawara has many other popular restaurants and cafés in its rows of renovated farm houses and townhouses, offering Japanese, French, and Italian cuisine. Koboriya Honten is a soba restaurant with 240 years of history and serves a dark black soba called Kurokiri Soba. Yamada Unagi Restaurant has many fans of its unagi eel. Queues form at both these restaurants.

With excellent access from Narita International Airport, the gateway to Japan, Sawara is said to be the most accessible “Edo” to the world. With an atmosphere that turns back the clock, Sawara is a rare place that naturally combines the many elements of tourism: seeing, learning, playing, and experiencing.