Welcome to Shiraichi

The district of Shiraichi (Takaya-cho, Higashi-Hiroshima City) lies approximately 40 kilometers east of Hiroshima and is close to Saijo, an area known for the production of sake.Shiraichi is home to a number of beautiful traditional Japanese town houses known as ‘machiya’. Featuring the red-tiled roofs typical of the Edo, Meiji, Taisho, and Showa periods, these houses tell the history and culture of the town. The former Kihara family residence is designated as an important cultural property in Japan.The Shiraichi Machiya Preservation Society is now promoting a plan to revitalize the region while preserving, renovating, and utilizing these old houses.The first event organized by the Society will be on Sunday, 29 October, 2023, and will be a visit of these wonderful historical townhouses and a lecture (in Japanese) by Yoshitaka Watanabe, ‘What happens when we preserve old buildings? ‘ – Regional revitalization plans.-The significance of modern preservation of traditional Japanese architecture and resident participation”