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UCHIKO |
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Some 45km northeast of Uwajima is the small town of UCHIKO , once an
important centre for the Japanese wax industry. This wax, moku-ro , is
made from the crushed berries of the sumac tree and is used for candles,
polishes, in cosmetics, crayons, food, and even computer disks. The
wealth generated by wax production has left Uchiko with many fine houses
preserved in the Yokaichi district of the town, and there are several
shops where craftsmen can still be seen making candles by hand. A
picturesque six-hundred-metre stretch of nineteenth-century merchants'
houses is promoted as an "Antique Road", and if you plan to enter all
the buildings and museums - an interesting enough way to pass half a day
- a small saving can be made by purchasing the ¥850 combination ticket.
The best place to start your tour of Uchiko - which is easily explored
on foot - is at the Historic Folkways Materials, Business and Livelihood
Museum (daily 9am-4.30pm; ¥200). This museum, a few hundred metres west
along the main shopping street at the bottom of the hill leading up to
Yokaichi, is a rather charmingly converted merchant's house on two
levels, with mechanical dummies that help show the daily life of a
shopkeeper during the Taisho era (1912-26). The mannequins, which are
electronically activated to start speaking when you enter a room, are
quite fun (especially the moaning pharmacist in the upstairs storeroom)
and the museum gives a good idea of what it was like to live in such a
house.
At the crossroads marked by a branch of the Iyo Bank and a pungent sake
brewery, turn left and head up the hill for the main stretch of houses
in Yokaichi . You'll pass a couple of places that have been turned into
touristy souvenir and teashops before reaching the Machiya Shiryo-kan ,
dating from 1793, and restored as a typical merchant's town house. On
the left as you continue up Yokaichi are the Omura Residence , the home
of a dyehouse merchant from the end of the Edo era, and the Hon-Haga
Residence , both designated national Important Cultural Properties. The
latter was the home of the main family behind Uchiko's wax industry, and
is rather more elaborate than other houses, with ornate gables, a facade
decorated with intricate plaster sculptures, and a small, attractive
garden. Next on the right is Uchiko's singularly most interesting
building - the Kami Haga Residence (daily 9am-4.30pm; ¥400), which
includes the Muko-ro Shiryo-kan wax museum. This home also belonged to a
member of the Hon-Haga family and its size and elegant interior
decoration give a good indication of how wealthy they must have been.
Unlike most of the other buildings along the street, the walls are a
golden sand colour, and there's a spacious courtyard around which the
various exhibition halls and a decent but expensive café are situated.
Yokaichi peters out just north of here at the fork in the road; take the
right-hand side and you'll soon find a shop making traditional waxed
paper umbrellas.
If you have more time, it's worth visiting Uchiko-za (Tues-Sun
9am-4.30pm; ¥300), a beautifully restored Kabuki theatre, although it
lies around 1km southwest of Yokaichi, on the way to the train station.
The theatre was originally built in 1916 and you can wander around the
auditorium and stage. Performances are only held here occasionally.
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