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Gokasho is famous for the grand, old homes of wealthy Omi merchants. Three of them are clustered together for us to visit inside. They are the former residences of Tonomura Uhee (外村 宇兵衛), Tonomura Shigeru (外村 繁), and Nakae Jungoro (中江
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Gokasho was home to many Omi merchants who plied up and down Japan during the Edo Period to sell and trade their wares. They became quite successful selling medicines, lacquerware, sake, etc.Wall of former home of Omi merchant Tonomura Shigeru (1902-1961) (外村 繁邸).
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Entrance to former home of Omi merchant Tonomura Shigeru (外村 繁邸). Gokasho is also a National Important Traditional Townscape Preservation District (重要伝統的建造物群保存地区).
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Entrance to former home of Omi merchant Tonomura Shigeru.
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Woman's hairdressing room.
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Room with Hina festival dolls and entrance to the Tonomura Shigeru Literature Museum. 雛祭りの雛人形
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Hina festival dolls. 雛祭りの雛人形
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Hina festival dolls. 雛祭りの雛人形
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Tonomura Shigeru Literature Museum (Bungakukan). Shigeru had a passion for writing, so he entrusted the family business to his younger brother. 外村 繁文学館
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Picture of Tonomura Shigeru in the Literature Museum (Bungakukan). 外村 繁文学館
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Attic
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Hina festival dolls. 雛祭りの雛人形
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Hina festival dolls. 雛祭りの雛人形
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Hina festival dolls. 雛祭りの雛人形
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2nd floor balcony (Watch your head).
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2nd floor balcony
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View from 2nd floor balcony
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2nd floor with more Hina dolls.
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2nd floor room with Hina festival dolls. 雛祭りの雛人形
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2nd floor room looking toward the balcony.
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Hina festival dolls in alcove.
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Hina festival dolls
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2nd floor with Hina festival dolls
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Hinamatsuri dolls
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Kitchen area with dirt floor.
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Kitchen area
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Furo bath wirth wooden barrel (heated by firewood)
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Changing room next to bath.
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Path to next Omi merchant home.
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Turn left there.
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Former home of Omi merchant Tonomura Uhee (1777-1820) (外村 宇兵衛邸).
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Entrance to former home of Omi merchant Tonomura Uhee.
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Inside former home of Omi merchant Tonomura Uhee. 玄関
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Inside former home of Omi merchant Tonomura Uhee.
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Shopfront with shopkeeper's desk.
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Shopkeeper's desk.
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Living room
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Bonsai plum and pine trees
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Bonsai
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Bonsai plum trees
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Showcase
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Shopkeeper's record book.
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Shopkeeper's record book.
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Attic, mainly for storage.
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Attic and ceiling
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External view
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External view
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Garden
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Garden
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External view of house
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Statue of Omi merchant peddler carrying his trademark "tenbin" pole.
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Rickshaws
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Way to the third Omi merchant house.
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Old mail box.
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Former home of Omi merchant Nakae Jungoro (中江 準五郎邸).
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Former home of Omi merchant Nakae Jungoro (中江 準五郎邸).
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Entrance to home of Omi merchant Nakae Jungoro (中江 準五郎邸).
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Entrance to home of Omi merchant Nakae Jungoro (中江 準五郎邸).
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Inside the home of Omi merchant Nakae Jungoro (中江 準五郎邸).
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Bonsai
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Corridor
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Obata doll museum
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Omi Obata Deko dolls
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Dolls
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Stairs to 2nd floor.
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Stairway
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Tokonoma alcove with scroll.
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Window
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Tokonoma alcove and scroll
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2nd floor room
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View from 2nd floor
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Garden and pond. This house has a nice garden.
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Stone lantern in garden
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Garden
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Garden and former home of Omi merchant Nakae Jungoro (中江 準五郎邸).
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Namako wall
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Kitanozaka slope goes to the Kitano-cho area of Western homes built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Many are very well-preserved and open to the public. This one has Starbucks. 北野坂(奥に北野物語館)
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The main square in Kitano-cho. Most of the homes charge admission. It's cheaper to buy a set of tickets to see multiple homes. Most of the major homes have a ticket booth selling these ticket sets.
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Weathercock House, built in 1909, is one of the main Western homes open to the public in Kobe's Kitano-cho. 旧トーマス住宅
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This Kitano area is also a National Important Traditional Townscape Preservation District (重要伝統的建造物群保存地区).
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So named because of a weathercock (rooster) on the spire.
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Jazz sculptures accent the Kitano-cho area.
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Inside Weathercock House.
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View from Weathercock House
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Study
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Study's bay window
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Moegi no Yakata or Sharp residence 萌黄の館(シャープ住宅)
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Inside Moegi no Yakata
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Kitano Tenman Shrine
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View from Kitano Tenman Shrine
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Dutch House
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Austria
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Another major house is Uroko no Ie which has an art museum as well. 旧ハリヤー邸(うろこの家)
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Inside Uroko no Ie
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Inside Uroko no Ie
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北野外国人倶楽部(旧ブリューガー邸)
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Inside Uroko no Ie art museum
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Top floor gives a good view of Kobe.
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Yamate Hachibankan 山手八番館
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Inside Yamate Hachibankan 山手八番館
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Kitano Foreigners Club 北野外国人倶楽部(旧ブリューガー邸)
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Kitano Foreigners Club 北野外国人倶楽部
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Former Chinese Consulate 旧中国領事館(旧チン邸)
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Inside former Chinese Consulate
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Bed
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Bathroom
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Rhine House (free admission) 旧ドレウェル邸(ラインの館)
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Inside Rhine House
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Kobe Kitano Art Museum
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Kitano-dori road 北野通り
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British House 英国館
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Rolls Royce
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Inside British House
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Garden outside British House
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Sherlock Holmes room in British House, Kobe Ijinkan
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Sherlock Holmes cloak and hat
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French House
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Glassware by Rene Lalique
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Ben's House
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Full of big game animals.
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Animal rights activists will love this house.
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Largest head in the house, buffalo
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Hammack which Ben slept on.
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Decided to visit Saiko Iyashi-no-Sato Nenba, an outdoor museum of thatched-roof houses. It is one of the stops on the tourist bus circuit. 西湖いやしの里根場
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There are five lakes at the northern foot of Mt. Fuji known as Fuji Goko (富士五湖). They are easily accessible by bus from Shinjuku, Tokyo, taking 2-3 hours for around 4,000 yen round trip.
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On 2010, Lake Saiko garnered national attention when the native species kunimasu, a type of salmon or black kokanee, thought extinct for 70 years, was discovered in the lake.
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Gourd garden at Lake Saiko's Saiko Iyashi-no-Sato Nenba.
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Gourds growing at Saiko Iyashi-no-Sato Nenba. I was soon to find out why they are growing these gourds. (Not for eating.) Whenever I see gourds, it reminds me of Hawaiian hula because they are used as hand drums.
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About Saiko Iyashi-no-Sato Nenba. There used to be a real village here until it was destroyed by a typhoon. Residents moved away, and the village was reconstructed with thatched-roof homes. The museum opened in 2006.
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Entrance to Saiko Iyashi-no-Sato Nenba.
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There are mostly tourist souvenir shops selling food and local crafts. One house sold ancient mochi (dark and red colored) and had an irori fireplace. Another house rented samurai armor and kimono to dress up in for only 500 yen.
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In 1966, a big typhoon bringing heavy rains caused a mudflow that destroyed the homes here, killing 94 residents. The entire settlement was destroyed so the survivors moved to the opposite side of the lake.
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In 2006, they opened this outdoor museum as a testament to the old villagers here. Over the years, they expanded and added more houses. There are now 20 houses.
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Ancient varieties of rice.
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A house with an irori where we could have tea and sweets.
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The gourds grown here are used for decorative purposes.
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The gourds grown here are used for decorative purposes. Saiko Iyashi-no-Sato Nenba, Lake Saiko, Yamanashi.
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Wasabi garden.
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