Sometimes you think you know a region very well and have seen everything that seems to be worth seeing there, but fortunately you are always taught better. Because there is still something to discover behind that one corner that you haven't looked around yet, or at the end of that road that you haven't driven down yet. Somehow, you have just missed it. It is probably not one of the Seven Wonders of the World, but it might be worthwhile to go there and see what there is to discover.
That's exactly what happened to us the other day, and in the end we were really glad to have followed our instinct. Actually, I was in a pretty bad mood that morning, but it quickly brightened up and I was able to really enjoy our little trip.
We were on our way to Yasuda, a small town in the Agano Plain just before the mountains begin, and our destination was the "Kawara Road" 瓦ロード. The Japanese word "Kawara" translates as "roof tile", and that's exactly what we wanted to see that day.
Well, not that most people would burst into enthusiasm at the word "roof tile", this is probably more a simple everyday object, which one only imagines in standard designs. But I would like to start by saying that Japanese roofs are a bit ahead of the European roofs I know, at least in terms of aesthetics, and they can therefore also score a bit in terms of exoticism. And Yasuda is supposed to be one of the centres of Japanese roof tile production, which we wanted to pay a visit to.
Actually, we had often been very close to this place, as one of the big main roads passes nearby, which had already taken us to other parts of the country many times before. But somehow the Yasuda Kawara Road always slipped away from our attention. Or had we simply ignored it? This question will probably remain unanswered.
Kawara Road is an approximately 1 km long road that is home to a number of roof tile factories. Visitors can take a walk and admire a Kawara workshop and also various interesting Kawara decorations.
The whole Kawara area was not large and even those who had not looked at the map just shown before could not really get lost. At the latest at this signpost, you knew again where the path was leading.
Along Kawara Road, as just mentioned, there were some courtyards where roof tiles were made and exhibited. The roof tiles made of clay are not really a sensation in themselves, but with a little imagination you can not only make simple roof tiles out of this material, but you can playfully let off a little steam and immortalise yourself in an artistic way. And it was precisely this playful and artistic side of the Kawara tiles that we were about to discover.
We quickly learned that roof tiles do not only belong on the roof, but can also decorate exterior walls. It's not such a bad idea, especially for sprucing up old houses. And we knew immediately that we were in the right place and shouldn't just walk past here.
So here we are. Here we have the first small exhibition of Kawara works, which are presented to us piled up as pyramids. On the roofs of many Japanese houses you can often find some ornaments, for example in the form of small animal sculptures.
Demons also play quite a big role in Japan and you can meet them in various forms all over the country. They usually serve to avert disaster and danger, and to protect the place where they are found. Like this little fellow, who is proudly enthroned on his pedestal, behind him a wall of roof tiles on which many people have been left some personal mark.
Even from a little further away, you were able to see this chimney, which was in former times used for brick production.
Today the brick chimney is a silent witness to the history of this place, and has probably seen many visitors come and go.
On our walk, we passed several Kawara manufacturing sites, most of which were clad in brick all around. As mentioned before, this increases the attractiveness of the old buildings immensely and probably also serves as a signboard for the respective company.
The fact that people are making tons of bricks around here was also reflected by the many storage facilities, which were often found outside the buildings.
We found various shapes and forms made out of bricks along Kawara Road. Although very few visitors would want to put such structures in their own gardens, they were just the right attraction to be used as photo motifs.
With a little imagination, you can create something artistic even out of ordinary roof tiles, and I'm sure that busy hands had a lot of fun here playing around.
At the top there are some more demons, who make sure that no one starts playing tricks or gets stupid ideas.
As I said, you can't escape demons in Japan, and I would like to have one of these creatures on my own rooftop. It definitely looks great and will impress every visitor.
The local toilet was also built and designed in Kawara style, how could it be otherwise. When it comes to toilets, you usually don't need to worry at all here in Japan, but that's probably a topic for a separate article.
Since the weather was also showing its best side that day, we were all in the greatest mood after this little walk. It's important to bring a little lightness into life every now and then, and Kawara Road was just the right place for us to do that. We got something for the eye and for the mind and even learned something while being there. And as usual, I had taken far too many photos, so there will be another post about the Roof Tile Road soon.
For today, I hope that our short tour managed to put a little smile on your faces too. As a farewell, here's another demon you'd better not mess with. I at least avoided the confrontation, preferring to greet him politely.
So if you are interested in more pictures and impressions from the Land of the Rising Sun, please come back soon. There is still a lot to report and show...
[//]:# (!worldmappin 37.78533 lat 139.23769 long 瓦ロード Kawara-Road - The Road of Roof Tiles 👹🍣🎎 Wonderful Japan d3scr)