My reaction upon coming here for the first time in years was to be surprised at how many restored and preserved houses there are in the town — many more than might first be apparent, as you can see in this long photo. After suffering during the economic troubles of a decade ago like every other place in Japan, Fukiya seems to be going through a quiet revival — the town even brews its own “genshu” (unfiltered) sake that is quite tasty.
This fisheye-lens view of the main street (these are actually both ends of the straight street) gives a bit of the feel of the place. Some of the buildings are restored residences and shops for the tourists, but many of them are ordinary residences. There’s a lot to do in the town: two former feudal estates that you can tour, a bengara pottery factory where you can try your hand at being a potter, and an old copper mine with moving mechanical figures showing what it was like to mine copper in the old days.
