Sawara City

Japan, the land of rising sun , is very rich in tradition and culture. In spite of the high development, it has maintained its pristine beauty, culture and tradition in tact. I had learned some thing about japan in school and during my Bachelor in Architecture, I had an opportunity to learn about the Japanese Architecture. After coming I had some opportunity to see, feel and perceive the architectural beauties of temples.

I had a dream to have a visit to traditional place in Kanto region of Japan with some background information. In this respect I had an opportunity to visit the SAWARA city through Chiba Tourism office. Commonly called as the Little EDO (Edo is the old name for Tokyo) , Sawara city has many things to offer that from the past Edo period. As an urban planner it is important to know about the preservation of the old setttings in the modern time when the commerce driven development is griping its pawns to the heritage sites throughout the world. It is however good to know that the historical town scape has been regarded as Important Preservation Districts by government.

First we went to the museum where the cultural things were very beautifully displayed. Sawara city is very famous for the 2 festivals in summer and fall seasons. It has been practiced for more than 300 years. Because of its cultural significance it has been designated as an Important intangible cultural property in 2004. Though we could not enjoy the real festival, we could feel the grandeur by looking at the museum.

Afterwards we went to the city center of Sawara. The old houses are beautifully lined up on the banks of Onogawa river. In the past, these houses were the active seat of merchandise. Even today some merchant houses and their shops are in operation. The city is also famous for surveyor Inoh Tadakata who first made the precise map of Japan. City has dedicated beautiful museum in his memory. Many new buildings have been designed in the traditional design though some are not with the similar construction material.

From the visit to Sawara, it can be learnt that we can best serve the local heritage even in the time of the modern development. We should also be grateful to our forefathers for their great accomplishment for us. If people cooperate each other we can save our tradition and culture which are important as they give us identity.

Enjoy the video too;

Sawara is worth to visit again. Single visit is not enough !!!