[Matsusaka Station / Night Walk] (Matsusaka City, Mie) — A Former Pleasure Quarter and Handwritten Bar Signs

The shopping street in front of Matsusaka Station. Matsusaka beef is world-famous, but locally it seems grilled chicken — torishokuniku — is just as beloved. I found myself turning this over in my head as I wandered the quiet streets.

Around the Station

Matsusaka Station. I've always instinctively read it as "Matsuzaka," but the correct reading is "Matsusaka" — I didn't realize I'd been wrong until I was actually here.

A decent number of people were heading into town from the station. The forecourt gives way to a shopping arcade where the footpath is covered by an overhead canopy.

It was good to see plenty of places still open at this hour. This izakaya, noren hanging at the entrance, was clearly doing good business — voices and laughter spilling out from inside.

A row of flags for something called the "Ujisato Festival" caught my attention. Looking it up later, it turned out to be a festival honoring the warlord Gamou Ujisato, who played a major role in shaping Matsusaka. Didn't know that.

A short walk from the station brings you to a cluster of small bars and snack bars. This area apparently flourished as a pleasure quarter in an earlier era. Most traces of that history have disappeared, but there's still something about the density of small establishments here that feels different from a regular bar street.

It's not a large area, but there was a free guide service booth. Whether there are adult entertainment venues around here I honestly couldn't say.

The hand-painted lettering on this building directory had a real character to it. Several of the listings bore women's names — the whole thing had that Showa-era atmosphere I can never quite resist.

The street was fairly quiet, but I got the sense a weekend night might tell a different story.

On the way back to the station, I passed a pair of women walking with a small torch, deep in conversation. Out for an evening stroll, it seemed — the kind of easy, unhurried pace that's hard not to envy.

A little further from the station, the arcade felt emptier, with more shuttered shops. Just my footsteps and the occasional drip from the roof.

A confectionery shop with uiro — the traditional steamed wagashi — in the window. Nagoya is the famous name associated with uiro, but apparently Mie has its own tradition too. Makes sense, given the old road connections to Ise.

Walking Around Matsusaka Station — Video

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