
Wakimachi
historic_site
脇町
Past still lives on in this town where historic buildings are preserved and open to the public.
Beautifully preserved merchant quarter in the town of Mima, Tokushima Prefecture, where rows of whitewashed udatsu-walled buildings line a street dating to the Edo period. The distinctive udatsu fire walls rising above the rooflines were originally built as fire barriers between houses but became status symbols, since only prosperous indigo merchants could afford them. Several former residences have been converted into small museums where you can learn about the indigo dyeing trade that brought wealth to this remote valley town. The Yoshida Family Residence is particularly well preserved, with original storehouses and a traditional garden. Wakimachi sees far fewer visitors than similar preserved districts elsewhere in Japan, giving it an authentically quiet, lived-in atmosphere.
A preserved merchant town on the Yoshino River with a 430-meter row of udatsu-style townhouses. Udatsu are fire-resistant raised walls between rooflines, historically a marker of merchant prosperity (the phrase 'udatsu ga agaranai' means to be stuck in a rut). The town's economy was built on indigo trade; the Awa Indigo Museum has working dye vats and offers dyeing sessions. The Yoshino River below the town is a Class 4 to 5 rapids course used for rafting from March through October.
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