Japan Guide
Northern Honshū
Kitakata
In contrast to Aizu-Wakamatsu, KITAKATA was always an important commercial centre, producing sake, miso paste, rice and charcoal. At some point, a craze for building kura swept through the town until almost everyone had one of these fireproof storehouses encased in thick mud walls. Later, they started building brick versions, and today even the post office and other public offices hide behind kura facades. There's no need to devote more than a couple of hours to Kitakata, since the storehouses are now swamped by an otherwise uninteresting sprawling town.
Read more ▼
- Practical Information ▼
- Sight(s) ▼