Side trip from Narita Airport

Less than one hour from Narita Airport is the quaint and historic merchant town of Sawara. The town flourished during the 17th to 19th centuries thanks to its water transportation links to the capital of Edo, now Tokyo. Today, Sawara - alongside Kawagoe and Tochigi - is known as a Koedo or Little Edo, which are towns that prospered through trade with Edo and retain an atmosphere reminiscent of past centuries. Thanks to its proximity to Narita Airport, Sawara is an attractive side trip for those with about 5-8 hours transit at the airport, but it is also an easy and charming day trip from Tokyo.

Sawara Station is the train station serving central Sawara, and the main attractions are within walking distance from there. Upon arriving in Sawara, I decided to have an early lunch and headed straight for Unagi Kappo Yamada, a local unagi restaurant about five minutes on foot from the station.

Japanese eel or unagi has been a local specialty of the Narita area, including Sawara, since the 17th century. Sawara is located beside the Tone River, the second longest in Japan, and where fresh fish including wild Japanese eel can be caught. A quick search showed that there is a comparatively high number of well-established unagi restaurants in the modestly-sized Sawara, proof of the dish's heritage and popularity in the area.

The best time to eat Japanese eel depends on whether it is farmed or wild, but unagi can be eaten all year round thanks to eel farming techniques. Unagi Kappo Yamada in Sawara is highly rated and has over 300 years of history serving unagi. Their unagi sauce recipe is said to have remained the same since their establishment, so I thought of it as tasting a bit of history.

One charming thing about Sawara is the presence of many preserved traditional buildings in the central part of town. A section of the town center has been designated an Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings, and Sawara was the first in the Kanto Region to receive this designation. There are currently over 120 such districts all across Japan, and others include Higashichaya District in Kanazawa, Narai in the Kiso Valley, Kurashiki's Bikan District and Taketomi Island in Okinawa.

After that beautiful and delicious lunch, I walked towards the Ono River, which runs through the town, to get to the historic town area of Sawara. Strolling along the riverside as well as in the preservation district can be done all year around and regardless of the weather.

My first stop was the Sawara Old Town Visitor Center, which is free to enter. I was pleasantly surprised to see nice dioramas of the old town and some historical displays of the town.

The Mitsubishi Building, a two-story red brick building and one of the landmarks in Sawara. It was built in 1914 and served as the Sawara branch building of the former Kawasaki Bank. The heritage building can be appreciated from the outside, and the entrance to its first floor is through the visitor center. The bank's vault still stands in its original location adjacent to the main building, and has been turned into a small museum displaying items used in the bank. Entry is also through the visitor center.

I picked up a nice sightseeing map at the visitor center, and plotted the rest of my day out. It was a lovely day for walking along some atmospheric roads and looking at the interesting building exteriors.

One of Sawara's most famous sons is Ino Tadataka, Japan's most illustrious cartographer who lived from 1745 to 1818. He is known for making the first complete map of Japan about two centuries ago, and students will learn about him in their Grade 6 Japanese social studies class. Not only did Ino Tadataka create the first completely map of Japan, his maps were also accurate to a thousandth of a degree! An incredible feat considering the less advanced surveying equipment of that period.

As a well-known figure in Japanese history, it is no surprise to find a museum dedicated to Ino Tadataka in his hometown. The Ino Tadataka Museum is located at one end of the historical district, and provides a chronological overview of Ino's life and displays the tools of his trade and maps he made.

I learned that Ino was 55 years old when he began his career as a map maker, which he continued until his death at age 73. This just goes to show that age is just a number, and I have a few more years to kick start my second career.

Across from the museum is Ino Tadataka's former residence, which he resided in from age 17 till 50. The residence is free to enter, and gives an idea of an 18th century merchant's home. I toured the residence in less than 10 minutes while waiting for my boat cruise to depart.

Boat cruises of the Ono River depart the dock in front of the former residence. A round trip takes about 30 minutes and costs 1300 yen. While slightly touristy, I enjoyed the experience of traveling along a former active waterway. Commentary - in Japanese only, unfortunately - by the friendly boatmen made the cruise more interesting as they pointed out interesting information I would not have known otherwise.

To bring my beautiful day in Sawara to a close, I went to Brewery and Cheese Ino Chujiro not far from the Ino Tadataka attractions for a drink before walking back to the station. It was a great few hours in this atmospheric and peaceful town, and a side trip I would highly recommend.

Getting there and around

Sawara is about 20 kilometers from Narita Airport, and Sawara Station on the JR Narita Line is the closest station to the town center. A transfer at Narita Station is required to get to Sawara from either Narita Airport (1 hour, 680 yen) or central Tokyo (about 2 hours, around 1700-2000 yen). The town center, where most of the main attractions are located, is 10-15 minutes on foot from Sawara Station.