Strolling in Living History in Matsusaka, Mie

Strolling in Living History in Matsusaka, Mie

Matsusaka has a long history of being a merchant and castle town. One amazing way to become a part of living history in this lovely city is to wear a traditional kimono and explore at your own pace, seeing beautiful architecture, views from the castle ruins and even having a traditional tea ceremony in an unforgettable setting.

Written by Lauren Shannon

Exploring the castle area in Seasonal Kimono

From this location you can see views of the city. But since Past and present co-exist so wonderfully in Matsusaka there are many festivals, music events, food tastings and other local celebrations held on the grounds, so this place is very much alive! I loved strolling under the trees and exploring the area as well as taking in the view of downtown.

Castle Guard residences


Finally, down below the main castle area, another very interesting site remains to be explored. I visited the Castle Guard Residences. These homes belonged to the samurai warriors who guarded Matsusaka Castle until the end of the Edo period (1603-1867).



Descendants of those samurai families still live here today, which makes this quite an unusual example of living history. This area was given the ranking of an Important Cultural Property. You can stroll the short street and take photos in your kimono and one of the houses is even open to the public.

Yawata Kimono shop offers rental and kimono dressing for exploring the city



ANOTHER GREAT OPTION FOR KIMONO RENTAL


In addition to using the kimono teacher that helped me for the day there is a lovely Kimono shop that also does rentals and Kimono dressing, only 15 minutes walk from the castle and 10 mins from the Tourism Center. Yawataya Kimono was founded more than 100 years ago. They are passionate about kimono culture and have a gorgeous selection to choose from. Skilled staff will assist you in wearing your kimono properly and they have a variety of kimono accessories, bags and other items to make your outfit for the day complete. The owner of this shop wants to make visiting his store and experiencing the beauty of kimono a welcoming experience for everyone. He mentioned on a blog post on their website that sometimes kimono shops can be intimidating but he wants his shop and kimono rental to be fun, warm and friendly.

Walking in living history is a unique experience in Matsusaka and I will forever treasure my time there, my chance to wear kimono and all the photo memories that I collected during my visit.



About the Author:
Lauren has degrees in education and art and a background in multicultural businesses. She is a lover of food, wine, travel, design and LIFE! Lauren has worked in Tourism in Japan for the last 7 years. She is a long-time resident in Japan. Her favorite thing is discovering new local stories and connecting with people across Japan.

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