Yuasa Historic District
湯浅町
Japan's birthplace of soy sauce, with well-preserved soy workshops and townhouses. It is a Nationally Designated Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings and a Japan Heritage site.
Yuasa is said to have first produced soy sauce in the Kamakura period, from the liquid of Kinzanji miso, and is known as the birthplace of Japanese soy sauce. It was added to the Japan Heritage list in 2017. The North Town area keeps its tiled-roof townhouses, soy sauce storehouses, and narrow lanes, and was designated a Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings in 2006. Highlights include the Soy Sauce Museum at Kadocho, a soy sauce shop founded in 1841, and Jinburo, a former public bathhouse converted into a museum. Pick up soy sauce and Kinzanji miso as souvenirs. From JR Wakayama Station, take the Kisei Line to Yuasa Station (about 40 minutes), then walk about 10 minutes.
Opening hours
Neighborhood open all day; archive approx. 09:00–17:00
Nearby sights
- Kuroshio Market (Wakayama Marina City)
- Shirasaki Ocean Park
- Kimii-dera
- Wakanoura & Tamatsushima Shrine
- Kishu Toshogu
- Saikazaki & Bandokoro Garden
- Yosuien Garden
- Wakayama Castle