Takehara Townscape Preservation District

Takehara is a historic town that prospered through salt production and sake brewing, with a beautiful townscape known as the 'Little Kyoto of Aki' that has been preserved. Along Honmachi Street, merchant houses and sake breweries from the Edo period to early Showa stand side by side, with buildings featuring latticed windows, white plaster walls, and namako walls evoking the area's past prosperity. The town is also known as the setting for the anime 'Tamayura,' making it a holy pilgrimage destination for fans. Taketsuru Sake Brewery is famous as the birthplace of Taketsuru Masataka, the father of Japanese whisky, and visitors can enjoy tours of this historic sake brewery.