Sawara Historic Townscape (Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings)

Sawara in Katori City prospered so much through water transport using the Tone River that it was called “Edo Masari,” meaning “better than Edo.” Along the Ono River, which runs north to south through town, and the Katori Kaido road that crosses it, many wooden townhouses, kura-style merchant buildings, and Western-style buildings built from the late Edo period to the early Showa period still remain today, creating a nostalgic streetscape.

The streetscape, which includes “Ino Tadataka Former Residence,” built in Kansei 5 (1793) and designated as a National Historic Site, also has the Taisho-era Western-style building “Mitsubishi-kan,” once used as the former Mitsubishi Bank Sawara Branch, and includes eight Chiba Prefecture-designated Tangible Cultural Properties, creating an atmosphere that feels like stepping back in time.

Some long-running merchant houses that still operate today, carrying on traditional family businesses such as kimono shops, hardware stores, tea shops, and sake breweries, display valuable family heirlooms as part of the “Sawara Machigurumi Museum.” Another must-try is “Koedo Sawara Funameguri,” a sightseeing cruise on a small boat called a sappa-bune, where you can view the townscape from the water.