History  & Background

Former Kato residence is a house built in 1925 by Yasumichi Kato, a descendant of the former Ozu feudal lords, as a venue to manage the Kato family estate in Ozu. Despite nearing its centenary, it still retains its original appearance, and was registered as a national tangible cultural property in 2007 as a house that embodies Japanese pre-war lifestyle. In 2021, after renovation work, part of the first floor was opened to the public, and part of the first floor and second floor were reborn as a NIPPONIA HOTEL Ozu castle-town room. 

Modern Japanese-style architecture with the solemnity of a former feudal lord's 

A two-storied wooden building, portraying a very bright second floor. Featuring transparent sliding windows on three sides and an open structure it represents a peculiar blend of daimyo residence formality with imported Western clarity. Highly regarded by locals as the epitome of Taisho period refinement is one of the modern Japanese-style buildings that represents well Ozu.