Imaimachi

Imaimachi has an old townscape as if you have slipped back in time. It was established as Terauchi Town during the Warring States period, and in the Edo period it flourished as the center of commerce, saying, "Yamato's gold is seven minutes in Imai."

Imaimachi, where the townhouses of the Edo period are carefully preserved, has about 500 traditional buildings, including nine important cultural properties, on a site of about 600m east-west and about 310m north-south. The number is the largest in Japan, and it has been selected as a preservation area for important traditional buildings in the country.

The town is dotted with important cultural properties that you can visit, old private house cafes and restaurants full of emotion, and you can also enjoy photogenic gourmet and sweets. In addition, you can learn about the history of tea in the tea ceremony surrounding Sokyu Imai, which is related to Imaimachi, the history of tea in Yamato, and the activities of the merchants of Imai. You can enjoy "Yamato Imai's tea porridge" cooked with firewood using the furnace of a townhouse, an important cultural property.

Photo courtesy of: Kashihara City Tourism Association