Yokaichi-Gokoku Historic District After driving through, come back on foot for a closer look at the eaves

On a May morning, I entered the Yokaichi-Gokoku Historic District and saw tiled roofs running all the way down the street. I eased along in my red convertible, eyes on the narrow road ahead and both hands on the wheel. I didn’t want to just drive through and leave it at that; I was already looking forward to getting out and exploring on foot.

I parked at Machinami Car Park and walked back along the street I’d just driven through. A morning breeze brushed against my mint-coloured top, and it felt lovely to be on foot too. I’d kept my eyes on the road from the driver’s seat, so now I could take my time looking at the eaves. Up close, I could make out each slim slat in the latticework; every few steps, I found another detail that made me pause.

I’d heard that traditional merchant houses and the mansions of wealthy merchants still stand along about 600m of the street. Even among the tiled roofs, no two houses were quite alike: the tiles were laid differently, and the eaves extended out by different amounts. I looked at one house on the left, then another across the way, stopping each time. In the photos, the streetscape had looked like one continuous view; walking through it, I found myself wanting to remember each house on its own.

From the late Edo period through the Taishō era, Uchiko prospered as a centre of Japanese wax production. The words “Japanese wax” alone hadn’t helped me picture what life here was like. But standing in front of those grand houses, I could see the legacy of the town’s trade. Learning that some houses are still lived in made me realise this isn’t just a historic streetscape; people still call it home.

I heard that the pale yellow earthen walls were made with local soil. Knowing that, I wanted to look beyond their lovely finish and think about how they were made from the local earth. I kept shifting my gaze between the light falling across the latticework and the shadows cast by the tiles, until I realised I’d been standing in the same spot for ages. I was so glad I’d come in the morning; before I knew it, I was smiling.

By lunchtime, I was curious about the sea bream rice at Rinsuke in Uchiko. I’d heard it’s made with sea bream from the Uwa Sea and eggs from Uchiko. After walking through town and working up an appetite, I wanted to try something local too. I’d driven through these streets that morning, then got to know them on foot and lingered over lunch. I was glad I didn’t have to hurry off to the next town today.