Hello, I am Tomoya Watanabe （the University of Tsukuba/ College of international studies）
This time I will write an article about the landscape of Yoshinuma area.
First of all, when you walk through the Yoshinuma district, one of the major features that you will notice is that some of the traditional Japanese streets remain. In particular, today's Japanese urban planning tends to emphasize economics over tradition, and buildings and commercial facilities are built casually in urban areas, so places where you can see such good old Japanese scenery are very valuable .
In addition, some traditional Japanese architectural styles were also seen at Yoshinuma, so I will introduce them here. First is the fence. Yoshinuma has wooden fences everywhere. The fence is quite high and the interior is invisible and privacy is ensured by creating a border with the neighbors. In Europe and many other cities, walls are built outside the city for defense, but in Japan, homes have walls outside, which is very interesting.
Many of the houses themselves were very fine, and some houses had large gates. Here, too, like the fence you saw earlier, the boundaries between public spaces, such as roads, have been created, indicating that each house is independent. This may have an effect on the Japanese “ie system”.
Yoshinuma also has a wide range of rural scenery. I think it is a scene where many Japanese people feel nostalgic. In the Japanese countryside, agriculture is particularly popular and there are fields as a part of living space.
You can also find Hokora and monuments in some places while walking around the city. A Hokorais a small shrine that enshrines a god. I think that it is a charm of walking around the city to be able to touch the history and religion of such a city.
You can see the history and traditions of Japanese architecture just by walking in the town of Yoshinuma. Please walk with a map!