How Do You Visit Uchiko-za and the Wax Merchant Houses, and What Should You Check First?
This guide is for visitors who want to go inside the main sights of Uchiko: the Uchiko-za theater and two houses of the wax merchants. It uses English pages from Visit Ehime Japan and from the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO). All pages were read on 2026-10-04. The two sources disagree on one important point, the theater's closure, so read that section first.
Check the theater's status first
JNTO's page on the theater carries a line saying it is temporarily closed for seismic retrofitting until Spring 2029 (scheduled). Visit Ehime's page, by contrast, describes a theater that remains in active use and hosts around 60 performances a year, with opening hours of 9am to 4:30pm. We cannot tell which page is newer. Before you plan a day around the theater, check with the Uchiko tourism information office, and treat the rest of this section as background only.
What the theater is
Visit Ehime says the two-story theater was built in 1916 as a venue for kabuki and bunraku, Japanese puppetry. It was saved from demolition and restored in 1985 thanks to the efforts of the local community. It seats a maximum of 650 people. JNTO adds that it is one of 20 traditional theaters in Japan, and one of only a handful that still hold performances.
Inside the theater
Visit Ehime says volunteer guides show visitors around and point out features such as trapdoors and a rotating stage. You can explore the backstage and underground areas, stand on the center stage, or sit in the audience seats. JNTO describes the facade as white plaster and dark wood with a clay-tiled roof, and highlights a revolving stage, trap door and pulley systems. JNTO also says that on a performance day theater tours are impossible, although you can then see kabuki or bunraku.
Tickets
Visit Ehime gives theater admission as adults 400 yen, children under 15 200 yen, and children under 5 free. Groups of over 20 pay 300 yen for adults and 160 yen for children under 15. It adds that combined tickets are also available for the wax museum and Kamihaga residence, the Uchiko-za and the museum of commercial and domestic life. Prices may have changed, so confirm them at the ticket office.
The wax museum and Kamihaga residence
Visit Ehime says you can experience the life of the great wax merchant family here. The main building and boiler room remain intact, and an archive center explains wax production. Admission is given as adults 500 yen and elementary and middle school pupils 250 yen, with opening hours from 9:00 to 16:30. Group pricing is available for 20 or more.
The Honhaga residence
This is the main branch house of the wax industry, built in 1889. Visit Ehime says it is a designated important cultural property, and that you can see extravagant ornamental roof tiles and plaster decorations. Because the building is still being used, you cannot see every part. The page gives hours of 9:00 to 16:30 but no admission fee, so ask on arrival.
A sensible order
Begin at the Preservation Center, mentioned in our other guide, then visit the wax museum and Kamihaga residence, the Honhaga residence from outside or inside, and finally the theater if it is open. Keep the end of the day free, since the last entry time is not given on any page we read.
If the theater is closed
If the theater turns out to be closed, the day still works. The wax museum and Kamihaga residence, the Honhaga residence and the Preservation Center are all in the old district. Visit Ehime also lists a roadside station, Michi-no-eki Fresh Park Karari. It sells local vegetables and baked goods, and is open 8:00 to 18:00 from March to October and 8:00 to 17:00 from November to February.
English tours and washi
JNTO says Uchiko's Tourism Center offers guided tours of the theater in English if booked in advance. It adds that the guides take you around the theater, and that you can also try making Japanese washi paper or see the Kamihaga residence. If the theater is closed, ask whether the tour still runs in some form. The page does not say.
What we could not verify, and therefore left out
- Whether the theater is open now, and when it will reopen.
- Admission to the Honhaga residence, and last entry times at all sites.
- Whether English tours of the theater run while any retrofitting is under way.
Related guides
- What is Uchiko? The wax town of Yokaichi and Gokoku
- How do you get to Uchiko from Matsuyama and walk the old town?
Sources
All URLs retrieved 2026-10-04.
- Uchiko-Za (Visit Ehime Japan) — (history, tickets, hours)
- Uchikoza Kabuki Theater (JNTO) — (closure note, tours)
- Japanese Wax Museum and Kamihaga residence (Visit Ehime Japan) — (admission)
- Honhaga Family Residence (Visit Ehime Japan) — (house)
- Michi-no-eki Fresh Park Karari (Visit Ehime Japan) — (roadside station)