There was a copper mine in Fukiya from the early Edo period in the 16th century, which started to produce a pigment called Bengara by oxidizing sulphuric iron ore as a bi-product. Fukiya flourished as the dominant producer of Bengara which was used as a red pigment for ceramics and pottery such as Arita and Kutani, as well as pillars of shrines and temples. This lasted till the 1960s when the production was discontinued due to the pollution caused by the emission of hydrogen sulphide in particular. Before strolling the streets of Fukiya, we had lunch at one of the few restaurants. The food served is quite limited, mostly soba and udon noodles. We had both and was pleasantly surprised with the quality of the hand kneaded noodles and the containing soup. I particularly would recommend sansai udon (hot udon with wild vegetables). It is quite a remarkable sight to view the streets with the row of red colored buildings so well preserved. The buildings are one of the oldest to be designated as Important Preservation District for Groups of Historic Buildings. It was designated in 1977 two years after the system started. We came across a sake brewery with a shop on the opposite side of the road. I spotted some sake and asked if they came from the brewery. The pleasant shop lady responded that they had discontinued brewing sake and were now only making miso and soy sauce. We bought a bengara handkerchief and Kinzanji miso, which can be used as relish for cucumber and goes well with sake.

Fukiya Furusato Village is a small village which flourished by producing red iron oxide about 150 years ago and the buildings are preseved since then.There are some souvenir shops and restaurants .Sometimes you can taste some local food for free.Not so much to see for locals but it will be quite nice for foreigners to see the Japanese traditional village.