Saga City Cultural Museum

Saga City Cultural Museum

Saga City Cultural Museum Yanagi town in Saga city is an area with many historical buildings which represent the castle town of Saga, which is on the Nagasaki Kaido. Here you will find the Saga Historic Folk Museum, which will make you feel as though you've gone back in time to the good old days. Inside this retro-looking building you will find historical items and folk material on Saga from the Meiji and Taisho Periods, and it is said to be a great place to learn about Saga's history and culture.

[Former Koga Bank]
The former Koga bank is a highly charismatic, 2-story Western-style building made from wood, with bricks and tiles attached. Considered one of Kyushu's 5 main banks, the former Koga bank was constructed as a bank to play a part as one of the city's new functions of the time, and there was remodeling carried out even during the actual construction itself. Soak up the nostalgic atmosphere in Romanza, the restaurant on the 1st floor while partaking in the highly regarded daily lunch special or having a cup of coffee. There are also bank materials and materials relating to Nagasaki Kaido, etc. on display.

[Former Koga Residence]
This building was built in 1884 as the home of former Koga bank's president, Zenbei Koga. Afterwards, the building was used as a restaurant. Of a layout resembling a samurai's house rather than a townhouse, the building conveys the residential style of bankers in the Meiji Period. Tours of the Former Koga Residence are of course free, and its rooms are available to hire for various learning activities such as ikebana or tea ceremony.

[Former Ushijima Residence]
The Former Ushijima Residence is believe to have been built at the beginning of the 18th century. As the oldest townhouse remaining of the former Saga Castle town, it continues to convey the characteristics of mid-Edo Period architecture to the people of the present. The building has been relocated and restored and is a valuable relic which tells us more about those times.

[Former Sansho Bank]
Sansho Bank was established in 1882, and the building is of a traditional, storehouse style featuring a sweeping gable roof. When it was first opened, this bank's main business was rice market trading, not general bank duties.

[Former Fukuda Residence]
This building was built in 1918 as a contemporary Japanese-style house by Keishiro Fukuda, a businessman active from the end of the Meiji Period, through the Taisho Period and into the Showa Period. Taisho Period was when the contemporary Japanese architectural techniques inherited from the Edo Period were refined to the upmost and it is possible to get a glimpse of several examples of such architectural technology of the time. Moreover, as the center for transmitting information regarding handmade Saga Nishiki, Saga's traditional craft, the Former Fukuda Residence is a place where visitors can enjoy the atmosphere of a historical building as well as learning about Saga Nishiki, with demonstrations and hands-on sessions of how Saga Nishiki is made, as well as a display and merchandise sales.

[Former Nakamura Residence]
Built when Koga Bank was opened in 1885, the Former Nakamura Residence was used as an office building. It was not designated as an Important Cultural Property of Saga city, but restoration work was conducted in recognition of the fact that it was a building with cultural value and this restoration was completed in February of 2005. Now it is the location of an organic restaurant called "Genmaeshoku Ohisama", which has a well-established reputation in Saga, and offers a menu with various dishes made with organic ingredients.

 


● Access:
From train station: 10-minute taxi ride from Saga Station on the JR Nagasaki Main Line
Car: 30-minute drive from Nagasaki Expressway Saga-Yamato IC
Bus: Get on Saga City Bus bound for Higashiyoka or Souou/Hisadomi or Nishitetsu Bus bound for Nishi Kurume, Nishitetsu Yanagawa or Shin-ai Jogakuin at Saga Station Bus Center, get off at Gofuku Motomachi stop, and walk for a minute


● Admission Fee: Free (except for special exhibitions)


● Opening Hours: 9:00 - 17:00


● Closed:
Mondays (or Tuesday day if a Monday falls on a public holiday)
The following day of a public holiday (open if a public holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday)
December 29 - January 3 (for organizing materials)


● Parking Lot: Accommodates 40 cars (free of charge)


● Contact: Saga City Cultural Museum, Tel: +81-952-22-6849

Map

  • Hi-res4K SAGA
  • SAGA TRAVEL CALL CENTER
  • Kyushu Expressway Pass
  • KYUSHU-SAGA International AIRPORT
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  • Saga Tourism Brochure