Telling the story of Sekijuku: a stunning, historical post town where a rich lifestyle, blessed by nature has been woven through the ages

What is Sekijuku?

Sekijuku was established in the Edo period as the 47th of 53 post towns along the Tokaido connecting Edo (modern-day Tokyo) and Kyoto. The post town would have seen many travelers coming and going as they made their way along the Tokaido. Lined with historic wooden townhouses, the townscape of Sekijuku was designated an Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings in 1984, the only place in Mie Prefecture to be given such recognition. Local people work together to keep the landscape of the town how it was in the past.

Efforts to Protect the Townscape

Mr. Hattori is the 14th generation owner of Fukagawaya, a long-established store that has been making and selling the famed Seki-no-to confectionery in Sekijuku since the Edo period.

Born and raised in the town, Mr. Hattori spoke to us about what makes Sekijuku so special, along with the efforts that have been made to conserve its scenic beauty up to the present day.

Town development in the Showa period (1926–1989) was centered on the so-called practice of “scrap-and-build,” which involved building structures, tearing them down, then building new ones. It seems that popular architectural styles from the era would often be created, only to simply disappear later on.

“Since young people were leaving the town in droves, it wasn’t necessarily a bad idea to create new things, but the impact it had was to destroy the town’s landscape and culture.”

When the government sought to preserve historic villages and townscapes throughout Japan with the launch of the Important Preservation Districts for Groups of Traditional Buildings system in 1975, Sekijuku immediately put itself forward for recognition. The Tokaido Sekijuku Machinami Preservation Society, of which Mr. Hattori is a member, was formed shortly after.

“As events for the 400th anniversary of the Tokaido’s founding were drawing closer in 2001, Sekijuku started to garner attention even from people outside of Kameyama. I think it helped a lot of people see the appeal of their own town.”

Mr. Hattori says that since that time, movements to preserve the townscape of Sekijuku have only been growing stronger, with the Tokaido Sekijuku Machinami Preservation Society also becoming much more active.

One initiative for preserving the townscape is the creation of Sekijuku themed karuta (Japanese playing cards).

The Sekijuku karuta, which feature the old-fashioned townscape and historic sites of Sekijuku, teach players of all ages, from children to the elderly, about the history and culture of Sekijuku while they play.

Speaking about future initiatives, Mr. Hattori added, “We are currently working on arranging the Sekijuku karuta into a guidebook that will be a kind of ‘bible’ for exploring Sekijuku on foot, full of explanations and information.”

“More difficult than preserving buildings is passing on and preserving the feelings of people who believe that buildings and townscapes are important. The challenge is how to share our hopes with others.”

Mr. Hattori says that in order to preserve the townscape, it is important for people to be fully aware of what the town has to offer and recognize that “Sekijuku is an important place that needs to be protected.”

With immense pride for Sekijuku, a town that evokes the landscapes of old Japan and the travelers of the past, Mr. Hattori works with the hope that in a decade, or half-century from now, locals will be maintaining an even more splendid landscape than that of the old post town today.

Sakura-Sabo, a Café Built in an Old Storehouse

Bringing new life to Sekijuku is the café Sakura-Sabo, whose building incorporates a traditional style of architecture.

The relaxed atmosphere of the storehouse is complemented with contemporary art painted on the walls, bringing a fresh element of charm to the townscape.

A popular spot that brings together locals and visitors, Sakura-Sabo also offers customers the chance to try making their own drip coffee.

According to Mr. Hattori, “Following Sakura-Sabo, around 15 new businesses have opened their doors in Sekijuku over the last three or four years, and all of their storefronts have been designed in consideration of the unique landscape of the town. The townspeople have taken great pride in protecting the townscape. We are still feeling around for what makes a great tourist spot in-keeping with the unique nature of Sekijuku.”

Jikonka

At Jikonka, a gallery and workshop in the town focusing on food, clothing, and living spaces, you can try your hand at shoai-zome, a form of traditional indigo dyeing, along with tasting and brewing tea.

Wisdom on Living and Shoai-Zome

One of the experiences offered by Ms. Yoneda, who runs Jikonka with her husband, is shoai-zome, a traditional technique used for dyeing cloth with indigo dye. The translucent and calm blue is gentle, yet oddly has a powerful presence.

Unlike indigo dyeing using chemical dyes, shoai-zome involves fermenting only two ingredients: Sukumo, dye made of fermented leaves from the true indigo plant, and lye made from the ashes of broad-leaved trees. Maintaining the dye solution also involves using naturally-derived materials, such as ashes from burning shellfish.

Indigo was introduced to Japan from China as a type of traditional medicine. During the Edo period, around 70 to 80% of the population are said to have worn kimono dyed with indigo.

The reason that many wore indigo-dyed garments and customarily carried indigo light cotton towels when traveling was likely that they experienced the antibacterial, deodorizing, and other natural effects of indigo dyeing.

Moreover, since cloth produced by spinning cotton into yarn, dyeing the yarn with indigo, and weaving it by hand was extremely expensive, once it had finished serving its purpose as a kimono, it would be used for cloth diapers or as futon-kawa, the fabric that wraps around the cotton or other filling material of a futon.

“For indigo dyeing, you first need a good lye. A good lye is one that is clear and has a high pH value.
We make the lye using the ashes of broad-leaved trees and boiled well water. Lye can also be used as an alternative to detergent. The ashes left over from making lye have been used to glaze pottery since ancient times. I give them to my friend, who is a ceramic artist.”

During the experience, you can get a sense of the wisdom and sustainable nature of lifestyles from the past.

F4 Tea, a Local Specialty, and Tea Experience

At the foot of the Suzuka mountain range, about a 20-minute drive from Sekijuku, is a tea plantation managed by Ms. Yoneda. At Jikonka, you can savor teas made using the tea leaves grown there.

Ms. Yoneda developed an interest in Japanese tea and became a tea producer herself as a result of going to China and Taiwan to market Japanese crafts, where she collaborated with local tea brands. Then, fate brought her to F4, a mountain tea tree originally from Taiwan.

F4 made its way to Japan via Tsutomu Kawato, a tea manufacturer in Taiwan during Japanese colonial rule who brought the tree back and planted it in Japan upon his return home after WWII came to an end. The tea can only be found in Kameyama.

Mr. Kawato expanded production of black tea throughout Mie Prefecture, even exporting it overseas. His innovative approach to black tea production is what has made Mie Prefecture Japan’s leading producer of black tea in terms of both production volume and quality.

One of the tea varieties available to try at Jikonka is white tea made from F4 tea leaves, a gently fermented tea. It is finished by withering, a process of leaving the leaves in a ventilated area to wilt, promoting the development of aroma, and drying.

There is a Chinese saying, “White tea after one year is tea, after three years is medicine, and after seven years is treasure.” Believed beneficial for health and beauty, white tea develops a fruity flavor over time.

The tea experience involves first trying two infusions brewed by Ms. Yoneda, then trying to brew your own tea under her instruction.

“Tea and tea making tools connect us globally through a sense of friendly competition.”Gaiwan, the tea bowl with lid shown to us by Ms. Yoneda, was made in collaboration with an artisan of banko-yaki, a type of traditional ceramic ware from Mie. The lidded bowl is designed to bring about the exquisite flavors of fermented teas.

In a variety of different ways, Ms. Yoneda shares the things connected with daily living she has experienced so far that she thinks are beneficial.

We asked her about what makes an enriching lifestyle.

“In our pursuit of efficiency and convenience, we have lost the opportunity to experience things, in person and through others, that cultivate our senses. To cultivate the senses, you have to place yourself at the heart of nature and understand that you are also part of the natural cycle. There is nothing more beautiful than the colors and shapes designed by mother nature. How to bring together the creations of heaven and earth— I’m sure that’s what humans have been put here for.”

Circling all the way back to the very starting point of our modern lives will remind us that humans have been greatly benefited and enriched by natural things.