旧伊達郡役所, Government building in Date District, Japan.
The Old Date District Office is a two-story building with traditional Japanese design features including wooden construction, tiled roofing, and sliding doors. The rooms retain original tatami mat flooring and period furnishings that show how Western office equipment was adapted to Japanese spaces.
The building was established during the Meiji period when Japan modernized its administrative systems and blended Western methods with traditional Japanese practices. It served as a local administrative hub that documented this critical shift in Japanese governance.
The building shows how Japanese administrators during the Meiji period combined Western desks and furnishings with traditional tatami mats and sliding doors. This blend of East and West is visible in every room and tells the story of a time of major change.
The building can be explored through guided tours where specialists explain the room layout and materials used throughout the structure. It helps to spend time on the details, as the furnishings and interior spaces reveal much about how work was conducted in that era.
The rooms were designed to change function quickly, with walls and furniture arranged flexibly depending on what tasks were needed. This adaptability was typical of Japanese administrative spaces and allowed for efficient use of the available space.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.