Cultural Sites

Area AreaHabuminatoHabuminato

The old former Minatoya Inn was built in the Meiji Period and the new one in the Taisho Period. It was a three-story wooden building, which is very rare even today.

For emergencies and to ease the congestion of banquets, stairs to each floor were installed in two places, front and back, and the layout of the building shows how busy it was at that time. The roof is a staggered wave-style gabled roof, influenced by the Izu region, which is very rare in Oshima where the wind is strong. On the glass door of the telephone room by the entrance, the gold letters "Telephone No. 2" are written, second only to the "No. 1" of the post office, indicating the prosperity of the inn along with the port.

It is said that the dancer "Kaoru" in Yasunari Kawabata's novel "Izu-no-Odoriko" was modeled after the dancer "Tami" who actually lived in Habuminato. Whenever they were called upon, the dancers would perform dances in the tatami rooms of the former Minatoya Inn and the former Jinnomaru Residence to entertain the guests.


Late Taisho Period


A scene from the banquet


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