The Town Near Tokyo Allows Visitors To Go Back 400 Years

Traditional streets, shops and festivals in the town of Sawara give a sense of life during Japan's Edo period of the 1600s.
The town near Tokyo allows visitors to go back 400 years
The Edo period is a famous historical period for Japan. But in the city formerly known as Edo (Tokyo) - it is difficult to find remnants of this period. However, there is a small town located not far from modern Tokyo, where you will find yourself stepping out of a time machine back to the prosperity of more than 400 years ago.
Sawara, known as "Koedo" or "Little Edo", is a small town in the Katori city of Chiba Prefecture, an hour and a half drive from central Tokyo

. In the central area, the shops and houses are very well preserved since the late Edo period. Sawara's characteristic is a canal with a row of trees on both sides of the water and across the wooden bridges.
Small information boards outside some buildings explain in English and Japanese architectural or historical features With its nostalgic features, the town of Sawara has been included in the list of Japanese Heritage.



Photo: Flickr.
‘More prosperous than Edo’
Photo: Flickr.
In the past, Sawara was located on a waterway that surrounded the border of Chiba and Ibaraki. This is an important route to transport soy sauce, noodles and rice from the countryside to Edo. Today, commercial boats have been replaced by small boats, taking visitors about 500 meters on the Ono River. People who lived during the Edo period used to say, “If you want to see Edo, why not visit Sawara? It is more prosperous than Edo ”.
Today, there is very little commercial activity on the waterways in Sawara Although the town has revived and become a tourist destination, not many foreign tourists know about this place.




Kiri Falls, a tourist, shared on her blog: “I visited this place at the end of January 2018, the only foreigner face I saw was my reflection through the window glass. , in a restaurant in Sawara. I may come here during the low season, but so I had a peaceful trip in the morning. Along the empty streets, I can let my imagination go.
The miracle of the cartographer
An indispensable stopover when coming here is to visit the old residence of Tadataka Ino. He was the first to make a complete (and accurate) map of the Japanese archipelago in the early 19th century.
The house is a typical image of architecture and daily life of the people of the Edo period. The entrance is earthy, the floor is covered with tatami mats.



The house is small, simple but airy. The unique feature of traditional houses in Japan is that almost here you can also see the trees outside.
If you cannot imagine how Ino did to map Japan, visit the museum located by the road, all questions will be answered. You may not have much interest in the map, but the giant hand-drawn maps that take up most of the wall there may impress you.
Part of the campus of the Tadataka Ino residence. Photo: hokuso-4cities.
Paddle through historical ups and downs
A boat ride on the canal is a must-have experience here. A boat ride ticket costs 1,500 JPY (about 300,000 VND).



A boat driver dressed in traditional attire will take you to see the old streets of Sawara. In spring and summer, the canopy of green trees swooping into the water's surface makes the scenery charming. Different breeds of ducks are scattered in this canal. There are also many species of foraging birds on the water surface, including the white heron that eats fish living in the canal.
The taste of Sawara
The old houses in Sawara are very well preserved both inside and out. The interior of the houses has been evaluated almost as original. As you stand here, you will feel as if you go back hundreds of years, and live the life of an Edo merchant.
There are a number of restaurants located on the premises of the old house and serving Italian, French, and Japanese dishes, surrounded by traditional gardens.




Unagi eel is a popular local dish in Sawara. Photo: expja.
At some stores, you can even walk into the backyard, which is a place to keep a signature of this era. Kiri Falls commented that the green-painted ceramic toilets looked so beautiful and she couldn't afford to use them.
Katori-jingu Shrine
The next destination in the Sawara tour is the Katori-jingu Shrine. With only about 10 minutes of cycling, through the countryside of town you will reach the temple built in 43 BC. The temple is painted black with bright yellow, blue, red, and brilliant yellow accents when the sun shines on.
Festivals in Sawara
Sawara traditional festival held every 2 years, in July and October, is more than 300 years old.



In particular, in July, the festival is held at Yasaka Jinja Shrine, in order to calm Gozu Tenno, which caused an epidemic. The October festival is held at Suwa Jinja Shrine, to thank the gods for a good harvest.
The highlight of the Sawara festival is the parade, with 10 or more street parades during the festival.
Hina Matsuri festival. Photo: suigo-sawara.

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