Have you already been to Tokyo, Kyoto or any places tourists usually mass to, and want to see something new? Or maybe you simply want to experience a different aspect of the Japanese culture and have a feel of how life is in the quiet and beautiful Japanese countryside? Exploring Shiomachi Karakoto Street, the main street of the port town of Ushimado, will give you just that, with a bucket load of history with it.
Even though it is no longer a street bustling with merchants and sailors coming from all around Japan, the street has kept its original aspect making it easy to imagine how life must have been like in an important port town of the Seto Inland Sea back in the days when ships were the main transport system.
As you stroll down the street, you will encounter old merchant houses transformed into cafes, small art galleries or simply communal resting places. There also a handful of small local restaurants held by local Oba-sans (grandmother) and Oji-sans (grandfathers) where you can enjoy some deliciously fresh homemade cooking !
For the history lovers out there, have a look at the old bank now turned into a exhibition hall full of pictures of the area dating back to the early 20th century, or the museum dedicated to the Korean delegation that used to stop by Ushimado in the 17th-18th century on their way to Edo (present day Tokyo).
