This was an OLD town that we visited and the streets and houses and buildings were all a hundred years old or so. But because of the March 11 earthquake two years ago, many of the houses or at least the roofs, crumbled.
Piles of tiles from the many roofs.
Two years later there is still rubble on the corners and repairs being made in as close to traditional style as possible. (A repaired sandal shop front. Notice the sandals on the family crest.)
Because of town's age, the families all have had these ancient Girls' Doll displays and hopefully, to bring some life back into the town (once a year for a month), almost all the shops and homes open their doors allowing tourists to wander through and enjoy.
There are minor differences in the displays depending on the era that they were made, but I'm afraid I didn't understand all that. Antique collectors would marvel at the different time period's fabric or the different ways the doll faces were painted.
This pair, depicting the Emperor and Empress, were actually quite large. Most of the dolls are less than a foot tall.
The dolls depict the imperial court of long ago with musicians, guards, and ladies in waiting.
This display had a sword bearer sitting on a motorcycle. I don't know why.
There were handmade rabbit dolls.
Dolls made of real flowers (at the florist's).
Stained glass dolls (at the glass art gallery).
There were dolls overlooking the street,
And dolls being serenaded by traditional koto music.
More fallen tiles laying along the roadside. Aren't they pretty!
The houses that weren't even trying to attract customers had little displays by their front doors too.
Me, photoing through a window.
A little Obaachan soba shop owner with a block print that used her as a model.
Tetsu and I watched some soba noodle makers and then enjoyed a hot bowl of soba with seaweed and tempura drippings.
Yum!
And here is my contribution to Girls' Day. The very small wall hanging that I made last year... hanging in our entryway.
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