[Matsusaka / Atago-cho] Night Walk Through a Former Pleasure Quarter — Showa Bars and Tori Yakiniku
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From Wakayama, the route follows the Kinokawa River upstream and then pushes through range after range of mountains before crossing into Mie Prefecture. Mie is dominated by the image of the Ise Grand Shrine, and visitors who venture beyond Ise are relatively few.
Matsusaka City has a population of just over 150,000 — the fourth largest in Mie Prefecture, after Yokkaichi, Tsu, and Suzuka. During the Edo period it prospered as a territory of the Kishu Tokugawa clan, developing in part by capturing demand from the steady flow of pilgrims heading to Ise.
The walk this night was a loop: leave JR Matsusaka Station, follow the covered shopping arcade, circle through Atago-cho's (愛宕町) bar streets, then return to the station the same way. Matsusaka beef is famous nationwide, but along the arcade tori yakiniku (grilled chicken) signs stand out — locally, chicken is just as well loved.
From the Station Into the Arcade
Matsusaka Station. The instinctive reading is "Matsuzaka," but the correct pronunciation is "Matsusaka" — I'd had it wrong until I arrived. From here I head toward Atago-cho.
The station forecourt leads into a shopping arcade where the footpath is covered by a canopy. Even at night there was a fair amount of foot traffic heading into town.
Along the arcade, one izakaya was clearly packed — voices carrying through the noren curtain at the entrance. Plenty of places were still open at this hour.
Flags for the "Ujisato Festival" lined the street. It commemorates Gamo Ujisato, the warlord who moved here from Omi Province and laid the foundations of modern Matsusaka. Past the arcade, the route continues into Atago-cho.
Around Atago-cho
Atago-cho opens into a bar district. This area apparently flourished as a pleasure quarter in an earlier era. Most traces of that history are gone, but small snack bars are packed tightly together. I loop through the block.
It's not a large area, but there was a free guide service booth.
Hand-painted lettering on a building directory. Many of the listed venues bore women's names — a Showa-era feel to it.
Foot traffic was sparse. A quiet night street. After circling Atago-cho, I turn back toward the arcade and the station.
Back to the Station
On the way back toward the station, I passed two women walking with a small torch, talking as they went.
On the return stretch of the arcade, shuttered shops become more common — quieter than the station-front end on the way out.
A confectionery shop had uiro — the traditional steamed wagashi — in the window. Nagoya is the name most associated with uiro, but Mie appears to have its own tradition. Perhaps a trace of the old Ise highway culture. Through the arcade again, and back at Matsusaka Station.
Walking Around Matsusaka Station — Video
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