In Shizuoka prefecture, the tea industry prospered particularly in Kitaban-cho, Shizuoka city, and a distinctive townscape where tea merchants gathered was created. No historic building survive in Kitaban-cho today, but before World Warn There were many Westernstyle offices and large warehouses in that area. The distinctive feature of this townscape was that it differed from the traditional Japanese arrangement characterized by machiya-style houses. Our investigation has revealed that the townscape of Kitaban-cho was created in the late Meiji era and that most of the buildings were offices used by foreign trading companies. Factors behind the formation of this townscape included the development of new machinery, increases in the volume of exports and industrial modernization.
