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Agano River, Agano City, Niigata Prefecture: Yasuda Tile Road

I visited Niigata Prefecture last November, my mother’s hometown. During my stay, I visited “Yasuda Tile Road” in Agano City, as recommended by a relative.

Yasuda Tile Road is where traditional roofing tiles have been produced in Agano since the Edo period. It is a place where visitors can learn about the use and enjoyment of traditional as well as modern roof tiles. Yasuda Tile is a strong and waterproof tile that is suited to the conditions of the unique climate of the area, which can be harsh with blizzards and extremely heavy snowfall. Due to the high cost of this material, people are now using alternative materials for roofing, however the love and appreciation for the traditional tiles still exist today in many forms.

Yasuda Tile Road is a very enjoyable place to walk around, with many different monuments using tiles, or the same material.

I would like to show you some of the photos I took there. 🙂

When I saw this sculpture, I had an immediate craving for taiyaki.

It also made me think of Zora’s Domain in the Legend of Zelda.

Decorations on the roofs of old houses.
Many such buildings line Yasuda Tile Road.

A strong dog tile.
It looks like a Pokemon and I wanted to use it as a guardian dog for my farm someday.

Cute fish tile.
It looks like my fish, Itachi.

Traditional style Onigawara (devil’s tile).
Each Yasuda tile has its own individuality.

An original character from “Nagaba Onigawara Factory”. His name is GAGU.

Cute dog monument.

Tall, large sculptures.
All made of Yasuda tiles, it was very cool.

A sweet monument displayed in front of a house near the Agano River.

“What’s on top of your head?”

This demon found a good resting place.

‘Take a good look around you.
Like this!”

Adventure with friends in a single file!

A polite little rabbit listening to a friend.

A family of ogres is enjoying a friendly grouping. It was in front of a store.

What’s this?!

A powerful demon tile!　
This 3.5 meter sculpture welcomes visitors in the middle of the park.

If you ever find the chance to visit this enchanting place, please do! You won’t regret it. There are many other sculptures and monuments there. I decided to only share these ones in the hope of enchanting you with the desire to go to Yasuda Road for yourselves.

Please feel free to leave any comments and share this post if you enjoyed it! Thank you for taking the time to look at my photos.