Living Kumamoto Aso | Discover the Women's Sewing School in the Shopfront Street

Text & Photos / Joel Fukuzawa

After visiting Aso Shrine, don’t miss a stroll through the shopfront street right next to it. In spring, cherry blossoms line the street in full bloom, and the area is home to several well-known Aso shops—some specialize in horse meat croquettes, others sell traditional Japanese handkerchiefs, towels, and toys. You can also take a break and enjoy a bottle of sparkling drink "Hotaru" made from Aso spring water, or try the ever-popular cream puffs.

This approximately 500-meter-long shopfront street is like a time tunnel, offering a rich taste of Showa-era charm.

The experience doesn’t end when you leave the shopfront street. Turn left after exiting, and you’ll see a wooden school building that once housed the “Kamiyama Academy,” a school dedicated to training female sewing professionals. Its first principal, Kamiyama Etsu, was born in Aso City in the third year of the Meiji era. She studied sewing, then furthered her studies in both sewing and science in Tokyo. Upon returning to Aso in 1902, she established the “Private Miyaji Sewing Girls’ Academy.” Later, in 1937, she founded the Kamiyama Academy here. Over the forty years from its opening until its closure in 1977, the school trained over 5,000 female sewing students.

After the school ceased operations, the building was repurposed as a sewing factory until it closed in 2000. It then became an abandoned old structure, forgotten by all. It wasn’t until 2005 that Kinoshita Hideo, a retired Aso city government official, and his wife Kikuko purchased the entire property and began restoration work.

Kinoshita transformed the former principal’s building into a vintage shop selling antique goods, while his wife operated a restaurant serving cold somen noodles made with Aso spring water and handmade udon. They also offered a late-night menu of small dishes such as stir-fried vegetables for just 1,000 yen. The other two school buildings were converted into a Western antique art shop specializing in stained glass and a French restaurant.

Stepping into this wooden building, you can hear the creak of the schoolhouse floorboards—an authentic echo of early 20th-century school architecture. This atmosphere preserves the spirit of Principal Kamiyama, who devoted her life to empowering women in the Aso region.

Just a few weeks before our visit, Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (affectionately known as “Flower Mom”) came here following the launch of direct flights between Kumamoto and Kaohsiung. While Taiwan often struggles with how to preserve and maintain aging cultural buildings, perhaps it’s time to encourage community efforts to help repurpose them—a topic well worth discussing.

Former Girls' School Site: 3204 Miyaji, Ichinomiya-cho, Aso City