Kurokabe Square
黒壁スクエア35°23′ N 136°16′ EOld townMeiji-era bank building (1900),…
Nagahama's Kurokabe quarter suits a browse through glass shops and old streets close to the station, though it's busiest on weekends and most shops close at 17:00.
Photo 663highland · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 and others, credited in the gallery
Visiting with care · Open to visitors
The quarter is a set of public streets with shops on them.
- The quarter's lanes are working streets, so walk bikes through when they're crowded.
Kurokabe Square is the name for a cluster of glass shops, studios, galleries and cafes in the old streets along the Hokkoku Kaido. Its centre is the Kurokabe Glass House, a Western-style bank built in 1900 that locals called the 'black wall bank'. It reopened around glass in 1989 and now anchors the quarter. The Glass House opens from 10:00 to 17:00.
You can blow glass or try sandblasting in the workshops, and 96 Cafe makes its pancakes from Nagahama produce. The Kaiyodo Figure Museum sits in the quarter too. A short walk away in the same street grid, the Hikiyama Museum keeps real festival floats from the Nagahama Hikiyama festival on display all year.
JR Nagahama Station is a five-minute walk southwest. The tour centre at Eki-machi Terrace rents e-assist bikes for ¥1,000 a day if you want to ride on to the lakeshore or Nagahama Hachimangu.
Worth knowing
- The Hikiyama Museum closes on Mondays and costs ¥600 for adults.
- Tour buses use Kurokabe's own car park; everyone else uses the paid lots on the quarter's map.
Quick answers about Kurokabe Squareよくある質問
How far is Kurokabe Square from Nagahama Station?
About five minutes on foot northeast of JR Nagahama Station.
Can you visit Kurokabe Square?
Open to visitors.
What are the opening hours of Kurokabe Square?
Kurokabe Square keeps these hours: Mon–Sun 10:00–17:00.
How should you behave at Kurokabe Square?
At Kurokabe Square: The quarter's lanes are working streets, so walk bikes through when they're crowded.
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