The literary master Osamu Dazai left behind many masterpieces including Shayo (The Setting Sun). He is known for his self-destructive literary style. However, he was born into a leading distinguished family of the region. The house where he was born is a large building enclosed with a thick red brick wall. It was built by Genemon Tsushima, the father of Dazai, in 1907. Nowadays, fans visit it from all over Japan as the Osamu Dazai Memorial Hall Shayokan.

The exhibition rooms using kura (storehouses) are home to exhibits that will excite fans. These include first editions and books translated into foreign languages in addition to a cloak worn by Dazai while he was alive and his writing tools, hand-written manuscripts and letters. You can also enjoy modern gadgets by taking a photograph together with Osamu Dazai using an AR app. 

This palatial residence built using Aomori hinoki cypress right down to the rice granary on a vast site of approximately 2,200 square meters is well worth seeing as the house of a wealthy merchant in Tohoku. It is a precious wooden building built in the Meiji period (1868 to 1912). It was designated an important cultural property of Japan in 2004 as a leading example of modern Japanese-style housing.