Walk, see, hear, taste. Experience the history and charm of Odawara with all your senses!

A world of art to visit, see and feel
File.27 Odawara City Street Corner Museum
Miyuki Inoue (Magcal Editorial Department)

Odawara developed as a castle town, and since the Edo period has been a key transportation hub where various people, goods, and cultures have come and gone. It is a town filled with amazing things, such as buildings that look like cultural assets suddenly appearing while casually walking around, and even buildings that are "open for business" as usual.
The Machikado Museum is a place where you can see and experience historical assets that cannot all be contained in glass cases. I took a leisurely stroll around the museum with a guidebook published by Odawara City in hand.

First, head to Chinriu's main store , the Odawara Ekimae Umeboshi Museum, which is a 3-minute walk from the east exit of Odawara Station.
It originated as a traditional Japanese restaurant called "Chinryutei" that opened in Odawara City in 1871. It later moved to the front of Odawara Station when it opened and changed its name to "Chinriu Main Store." It is a specialty store for pickled plums.

At the back of the store, there are pickle barrels used in the early Meiji period and a cash register from the 1900s, giving you a sense of the weight of history.

The highlight is the huge collection of umeboshi plums lined up. The oldest one is surprisingly from Tempo 5 (1834). I would love to find a "birthyear umeboshi" from the year I was born.

There was a mini event called an "Umeboshi Quiz," so I gave it a try.
You have to guess how the umeboshi are made and how their taste changes over time by smelling and tasting them, but this is surprisingly difficult. One quiz participant will win a prize each month, so be sure to give it a try!

Chinriu Main Store《Odawara Station Umeboshi Museum》
[Address] 1-2-1 Sakaemachi, Odawara City
［TEL］0120-30-4951
[Opening hours] 9:00-18:00
[Regular holiday] January 1st
* Click here for the official website!

Next up is Ejima's "Wagami Chaho."
The founder began his business in Odawara in 1661. He started out as a salt manufacturer by the sea. In response to the demands of the times, he began selling washi paper, and when he traveled to Suruga and Totomi as a paper peddler, he brought back tea, a local specialty, and tea became his main product.
The current building was rebuilt by the 15th generation Ejima Heihachi after the store was destroyed in the Great Kanto Earthquake. The overhanging eaves of the building are a tradition of Odawara merchants.

The interior of the shop has been remodeled to make it earthquake-resistant, but the museum area is well worth a visit. On display are a deerskin happi coat made to commemorate the building's completion and recovery from the earthquake, as well as a tea kettle used by the famous tea master Masuda Donno.

The main product is tea, but the Wako corner also has a wide selection of washi paper from all over the country, which is fun to just look at.

Ejima "Japanese Paper Tea Shop"
[Address] 2-13-7 Sakaemachi, Odawara City
[TEL] 0465-22-1611
[Opening hours] 9:30-18:30
[Closed] Wednesday

At lunchtime, we went to the Daruma restaurant "Noren and Aji no Museum."
The restaurant was founded in 1893. The original store was destroyed in the Great Kanto Earthquake, but was later rebuilt using the ample funds gained from a large catch of yellowtail. The building, with its gabled hip roof, is a registered tangible cultural property of the country.

The restaurant on the first floor is open to the public without a reservation, so you can enjoy a meal while you're there. The building was built by hand by top craftsmen using high-quality Japanese cypress, pine, and zelkova wood purchased from a local lumber store, and everything from the walls to the ceiling is like a work of art.

Many people would say that Daruma Restaurant is famous for its "horse mackerel sushi," but we also recommend the "tendon" that has been on offer since the restaurant first opened. The secret tempura sauce is topped off to preserve the flavor, making it a special dish worthy of a long-established restaurant.

One of the rooms is open to the public as a "Street Corner Museum," so ask the staff to show you around. It has a sophisticated atmosphere that is a little different from the feel of a restaurant, and is apparently still used as a reception room for meetings, etc.

Exhibits include photographs of the legendary yellowtail landing scene, as well as the brazier used by author Kawasaki Chotaro.

Daruma Restaurant "Noren and Taste Museum"
[Address] 2-1-30 Honmachi, Odawara City
[TEL] 0465-22-4128
[Opening hours] 11:00-20:00
[Regular holidays] January 1st to 3rd
* Click here for the official website!

At the Ishikawa Lacquerware "Lacquer and Utsuwa Gallery" you can experience Odawara lacquerware, which originated in the Muromachi period.
The Ishikawa family, who have worked as spear painters for the Odawara clan since the Edo period, are a workshop established in 1887. They are committed to using domestic materials and handle everything from woodworking to painting.

Inside the store, spears and tools reminiscent of the time when he was a spear painter for the Okubo domain are also on display.
Although the exterior of the store has been remodeled, the interior still seems to have a long history.

Lacquerware is a natural product, so it can become damaged through use. However, Odawara lacquerware can be repainted as many times as you like, so feel free to ask at the store about the maintenance of your precious ware.

Ishikawa Lacquerware "Lacquerware and Tableware Gallery"
[Address] 1-19-16-102 Sakaemachi, Odawara City
[TEL] 0465-22-5414
[Opening hours] 10:00-18:00
[Closed] Wednesday
* Click here for the official website!

On the subject of tableware, I'd also like to take a look at Matsuzakiya Pottery Store's "Tosai Gallery."
From the outside, it looks like an ordinary pottery store, but as it is a long-established store that was founded in 1887, the "inventory" of products that has been collected by successive owners is incredible.

When you go up to the second floor, you will see a row of ceramics and glassware from all over Japan. Lined up among the samples for business negotiations are the "products" that the previous and previous generations of the founders purchased and kept without selling. There are many famous products among them that are now difficult to obtain, so it is a feast for the eyes.

This is a teacup with a lid, made using the "Kutani brush fine writing technique." The inside is densely inscribed with characters, using advanced techniques that are said to be difficult to reproduce today.
By the way, since they are just "products," most of them can be purchased if you wish. However, the price is... there are a lot of zeros lined up, so it's hard to tell how much it costs at a glance...

Glassware by Kagami Kozo is also housed in the National Museum of Modern Art.
I remember seeing a reproduction replica on a TV appraisal program, but it was still quite expensive. This is the original. It must have been purchased as part of a collection, using a professional information network and purchasing route. Odawara merchants are truly fearsome!

Matsuzakiya Pottery Store "Tosai Gallery"
[Address] 3-1-44 Hamamachi, Odawara City
[TEL] 0465-24-2479
[Opening hours] 10:00-18:30 *Stores open until 19:00
[Closed] Sunday
* Click here for the official website!

The last stop is the Kashiwagi Art Casting Laboratory's Sahari Gallery, a workshop for casting products that continues the traditions from the Muromachi period.
During the Edo period, Odawara was the largest casting center in the Kanto region, with around 100 craftsmen living there. As demand for pots and kettles declined, the number of casting craftsmen steadily decreased, but the town is creating new value by specializing in musical instruments.

The "sunabari" in the museum's name refers to a type of bronze, an alloy of copper and tin that has been used since ancient times as a material for musical instruments. By tinkering with the composition and shape of the bronze, the Kashiwagi Art Casting Laboratory manufactures and sells musical instruments that have a more beautiful and long-lasting resonance.
For example, the "orin" (bell), a type of Buddhist ritual implement. I have never really had much to do with Buddhist altars, but if I can be surrounded by such a beautiful sound, I feel like it would be nice to pray to my ancestors every day.

Speaking of musical instruments, we must not forget the wind chimes. Odawara castings were suddenly thrust into the limelight when these wind chimes were used in the film "Red Beard" directed by Akira Kurosawa.
At the workshop, you can combine your favorite wind chimes with paper strips to purchase, making them a great souvenir. When you actually try ringing them, you'll find that each one has a different tone, so it's hard to decide whether to choose one based on the sound or the design.

Kashiwagi Art Casting Institute "Sand-bari Gallery Narumonokan"
[Address] 3-1-22 Nakamachi, Odawara City
[TEL] 0465-22-4328
[Opening hours] 9:00-17:00
[Regular holidays] 2nd, 4th, 5th Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays
* Click here for the official website!

Here and there on the streets of Odawara, there are stone pillars bearing the old town names and their origins. Take a leisurely stroll through the town's history while thinking about the bustle of the past.

There are many other street corner museums open to the public in Odawara. They are all run by volunteers at each facility, so please remember to be polite when visiting.