Sotodomari Stone-Wall Village
外泊
A seaside fishing village in Ainan town, where houses are sheltered behind stone walls rising to the eaves against typhoons and monsoon winds. Layered stone walls climb the slope, creating a distinctive landscape.
Sotodomari lies in the Nishiumi area of Ainan town, south of Uwajima. It was settled in the late Edo period by fishermen who moved in from neighboring villages. To withstand the strong sea winds and typhoons, villagers built stone walls from local rock, as high as the eaves. Houses are tucked behind these walls, and the whole settlement steps up the hillside in tiers. Known as the Ishigaki no Sato (Stone Wall Village), it has been selected as one of the 100 Japanese Villages. The lanes are narrow and best explored on foot, taking about half an hour. The viewpoint above the stone walls looks out over the Uwa Sea toward Kashima. This is a living residential area, so please keep quiet and do not enter private homes. It is about an hour's drive from Uwajima.
Opening hours
Open all day (residential area)
Nearby sights
- Shiden-Kai Exhibition Hall
- Nanrakuen Garden
- Yusumizugaura Terraced Fields
- Tenshaen Garden
- Date Museum
- Uwajima Castle
- Michi-no-Eki Uwajima Kisaiya Hiroba
- Uwajima City Historical Museum