Osamu Dazai Memorial Hall, Shayokan

A parents’ house of Osamu Dazai who is known to write “Run, Meros!”, “The Setting Sun”, and “No Longer Human”. His father was a local dignitaries and offered membership into the House of Representatives and House of Peers, Dazai was born in 1909 as the 10th child in 11 children of the family. He had lived in this house until he entered the Aomori- prefectural Aomori junior highschool in1923, this house is now that the memorial hall displaying the documents regarding Dazai.

This magnificent house was constructed in semi-Western style with the hip-and-gable roof, which was built two years before Dazai was born (in 1907). It is a historically valuable wooden house built in the Meiji period and was designated as a national important cultural building but Dazai criticized this house was just a terribly large house. The inside of the house as well as the appearance is a good spot which makes you imagine the life of Dazai in his childhood. The exhibition room which was originally a warehouse displays some manuscripts written in his early work and his favorite cloak.

The nearest station is Kanagi station on Tsugaru Railway Company but keep in mind that a train arrives once an hour. Not many buses are on the route either from Goshogawara station. Kyu-Tsushima-Ke-Shin-Zashiki (Osamu Dazai's wartime evacuation home) is a 4-minute walk from the memorial hall, where Dazai evacuated during the war time, this spot should be recommended to visit.