Continuing with the Sawara trip - I had lunch at a place called Brewery and Cheese. Great place! The lunch set included a beer, a salad, and a pizza.
After lunch was the Inoh Tadaka Museum. It was a nice museum, but photos were not allowed inside. I did get a brochure in English. I think it is amazing that he started his map making travels of Japan after he retired!
The former Sawara branch of Mitsubishi Bank, built in 1914, is now closed as a bank, but open for visitors. It is a two story western style brick building with an atrium ceiling.
Attached to the bank is a Tourist Information Center, with friendly people who speak English, plus there are many interesting displays. I love the miniatures!
This is the end of Sawara part 2, but not even the end of Day 1. Stay tuned for Sawara part 3!
I took a two day trip by train to Sawara in Chiba Prefecture. Sawara is a traditional Edo Era (1603-1868) Town, with many historical places to visit.
The Sawara Station
It is made to look like an old time train station, and the green curtains hanging over the entrance say Sawara Station. It is a tourist town, so there is plenty of signage in English. Because I traveled on week days in September, it wasn't crowded with tourists.
This statue near the train station is Inoh Tadataka (1745-1818), a famous resident who surveyed all of Japan on foot, and was the first man to produce maps of Japan based on an actual survey.
The historical town area is along the Ono River, which was an important transportation feature of the town in the Edo Era. This area was selected as an Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings in Japan.
The Boat Cruise was not available the first day I was there because the water level was too high to pass under some of the bridges.
This is the Jaja Bridge. From time to time, a waterfall opens up from the bridge.
Inoh Tadataka's Former Residence is free to visit and has information about many of the interesting places in the town, as well as the residence itself.
This is a type of cooking stove that was used during this time period.
This isn't the end of the trip, but is the end of part 1. I'll have more about Sawara in another post.
