05 - walking the nagase street
with an occational flashback to days past
Welcome back to our series of Walking in Tajimi. This time our course will guide you along the main shopping street in Tajimi, which was laid in the Nagase hamlet in 1887 at a safe distance from the Toki river, which kept flooding the old Shita-kaido highway by the river bank (on the right side of the river in the image below).
We used some trickery to make Tajimi look like a model railway town. Today's tour ends at the bridgehead up to the left
Find you way using our landmarks
We have made a clickable map to help you orientate yourself during this walk. We use shops and other landmarks (purple markers) that are easy to find along your way. To see the legend, click the icon in the top left. You may also want to check out the historical walk in the previous article.
We have made a clickable map to help you orientate yourself during this walk. We use shops and other landmarks (purple markers) that are easy to find along your way. To see the legend, click the icon in the top left. You may also want to check out the historical walk in the previous article.
Walking towards nagase street from the station
If you follow our map you will first pass the Santos café, just after the Frante super market on your left hand side. Santos is one of my favourite places to enjoy a Tajimi style "morning" breakfast. Just after Santos you find a shop where you can buy traditional ice cream unique this area.
Continue down the street and turn to the left at the first crossing. The JA bank on your right is a good landmark.
Continue down the street and turn to the left at the first crossing. The JA bank on your right is a good landmark.
The modern day arch over the Nagase street
You are now facing a large arch with the inscription "Nagase" in hiragana. There was a popular cinema theatre around here - the Bunka Gekijou (Culture Theatre). People would sit on tatami mats on the second floor, like in a kabuki theatre.
This photo was shot at the same spot in Showa 40 (1965). Courtesy of the Tajimi City Library Archive (多治見市図書館郷土資料室所蔵)
We found an old photograph of the Bunka Gekijo (see above). The sign on top of the arch says "Nikkatsu Gekijou", however. Nikkatsu was a nationwide movie theatre company, but local people knew this theatre as the Bunka Gekijo.
Overview of of Tajimi in the early days of last century. Houses have slanted roofs, in contrast to today's flat building tops. Courtesy of the Tajimi City Library Archive (多治見市図書館郷土資料室所蔵)
Let us step further in time for a moment. Imagine how the city would look back in the Meiji era. We have travelled back to the first years of the 1900s. Many of the adults milling in the street are still wearing kimono. Horses are pulling wagons loaded with wares from the many kilns and ceramic factories. The industry is doing well and the city is thriving.
The image shows a part of the industrial area in the city. The coal fired ceramic factories dominate the view, their chimneys shooting up towards the sky everywhere. Courtesy of the Tajimi City Library Archive (多治見市図書館郷土資料室所蔵)
There are tall chimneys pointing to the sky all around town. The new railroad from Nagoya has just been completed and Nagase Street becomes busy as the main road to the station. Technology is rapidly changing Japan after the feudal era. Motorized vehicles are beginning to join the horse pulled carts on the streets. Ceramics from Tajimi is selling well around the country, and traders frequent the many cafés and eel restaurants with their clients (eel is a local delicacy in Tajimi).
nagase street
We walk under the arch and continue until we see the Hikaru building on the right. Here you'll find a café quite different from the ones back in the Meiji and early Shōwa (1926–1989) days. It's a combined bookstore and café, where you can sample books and read for free, perhaps even while enjoying a glass of wine?
We keep on walking and soon arrive at a five-way junction. If you turn around you will see the colorful tiled wall of the triangular Rose barbershop. To its right is the old Imawatari road, where goods were transported back and forth up to the famous Nakasendo Highway in the north.
The tiled wall of the Rose barberhop. To the right, Imawatari road - it's history goes back to the Edo era.
Turn to the right and you will see an old stone road sign, with the inscription "Kokei Road". The Kokei hill was important to the farmers, who channelled water down to the farmlands in the valley.
On your left hand side you will find this road sign that says "Kokei Road". The road leads up to the Kokei mountain overlooking the valley.
We keep on walking and in a while we arrive at the Kappa park - it's on your right hand side. People come here to buy vegetables and various goods on the open air market. In the back of the park you will find a couple of very impressive Kappa made from ceramics.
One of the kappa creatures waiting for you at the back of the Kappa park.
The Kappa is a creature in Japanese folklore that lives in the river, and it can be very mischievous, even robbing young girls of their virginity. Here you will also find a large sign describing the popular animated TV-series "Let's Make a Mug Cup, too" about a group of pottery loving girls in Tajimi.
The roof shrine
But let's continue down the Nagase Street. In a while you will see the arch at the other end, but before that, let's make a stop by Tamaki-san's old liquor store. There is a shrine on the second floor of the building, a so-called Yanegami or "roof shrine".
The Yanegami - or roof shrine - is visible in the top right of the image.
These kinds of Shinto shrines can only be found in this region of Japan. You may know that Shinto is the native religion of Japan, and that its spirits - human forefathers and others - dwell in nature everywhere. But here is one on a rooftop. Let's stop here for a moment and imagine Tajimi in olden days again.
This shot of Nagase streets is not dated but seems to be from before the war, as the Tobacco shop sign (タバコ) is written from the right to the left, which was customary at that time. On the second floor there is a coffee shop. Further down the street, on the right hand side, we see a hardware store. Courtesy of the Tajimi City Library Archive (多治見市図書館郷土資料室所蔵)
The image below shows roughly the same view. One wonders what shops have come and gone here? Probably many, during the generations that past between the two images.
Tamaki's shop is well worth a visit. The small, Showa style store is rustic and inviting. Tamaki holds jazz events here regularly. Don't miss the nice old beer advertisements high up under the ceiling inside. When I visited here once an old man stepped in with a poisonous Japanese viper in his hand, and asked Tamaki to put it in a bottle of alcohol! The resulting cocktail is supposed to be very potent.
The Tajimi bridge crossing the Toki river. It was because of the frequent flooding here that the main road was moved to the Nagase hamlet.
We continue down to the end of the street and turn to the right. You are now facing the Tajimi Bridge. Let's return a last time back to days past. The bridge you now see is earthen, and of a much more temporary nature. The Toki river was temperamental and when it flooded it would wash away the crossing - not even the Kappa could stop it.
Again, we found an old image shot in this area.
According to the description of this photograph it was shot near the Tajimi bridge, possibly on the other side of the water. The woman must have passed long ago, but her beauty is timeless. Courtesy of the Tajimi City Library Archive (多治見市図書館郷土資料室所蔵)
Before the Nagase Street was laid, the place we are standing now, is where the old Shita-kaido highway road ran by the top of the river bank. We'll tell you more about it in our next instalment. Until then, happy walking!
notes
We have filmed a walkthrough of this course, which is available on the Tajimi Tourism Association YouTube channel.
