Retro Japan in Photos: Meiji-era missionary house in Tokyo keeps its light, airy vibes

The Zoshigaya Missionary House Museum, built in 1907 as the home of an American missionary, features large windows, as seen on Dec. 15, 2021, in Tokyo's Toshima Ward. (Mainichi/Akihiro Ogomori)

Large windows on the first floor of the Zoshigaya Missionary House Museum let sunlight stream inside on Dec. 15, 2021, in Tokyo's Toshima Ward. (Mainichi/Akihiro Ogomori)

The dining room, left, and the living room on the first floor of the McCaleb Old Missionary House have fireplaces installed back-to-back so they can share a single chimney, in Tokyo's Toshima Ward on Dec. 15, 2021. (Mainichi/Akihiro Ogomori)

The stairway on the east side of the McCaleb Old Missionary House faces a large window, in Tokyo's Toshima Ward on Dec. 15, 2021. (Mainichi/Akihiro Ogomori)

Wide windows on the second floor of the Zoshigaya Missionary House Museum, built in 1907 as the home of an American missionary, take in plenty of sunlight on Dec. 15, 2021, in Tokyo's Toshima Ward. (Mainichi/Akihiro Ogomori)

The dining room on the first floor of the Zoshigaya Missionary House Museum has windows letting in light from the garden, as seen on Dec. 15, 2021, in Tokyo's Toshima Ward. (Mainichi/Akihiro Ogomori)

The dining room on the first floor of the Zoshigaya Missionary House Museum has windows letting in light from the garden, as seen on Dec. 15, 2021, in Tokyo's Toshima Ward. (Mainichi/Akihiro Ogomori)

The elaborately designed post and handrail of the main stairway in the front hall of the Zoshigaya Missionary House Museum, built in 1907 as the home of an American missionary, are seen on Dec. 15, 2021, in Tokyo's Toshima Ward. (Mainichi/Akihiro Ogomori)

Split bamboo is used to create a grid for the second-floor ceilings of the Zoshigaya Missionary House Museum, built in 1907 as the home of an American missionary, as seen on Dec. 15, 2021, in Tokyo's Toshima Ward. (Mainichi/Akihiro Ogomori)

The wooden grid ceiling on the first floor at the Zoshigaya Missionary House Museum is seen on Dec. 15, 2021, in Tokyo's Toshima Ward. (Mainichi/Akihiro Ogomori)

A diagonal brace, part of the porch at the Zoshigaya Missionary House Museum, is seen on Dec. 15, 2021, in Tokyo's Toshima Ward. The brace is there to reinforce a column-and-beam joint, but also functions as an exterior feature. (Mainichi/Akihiro Ogomori)

Diamond shapes and vertical lines are seen in a window on the north side of the Zoshigaya Missionary House Museum, on Dec. 15, 2021, in Tokyo's Toshima Ward. This design is seen on many places in the building. (Mainichi/Akihiro Ogomori)

The clapboard siding of the Zoshigaya Missionary House Museum is seen on Dec. 15, 2021, in Tokyo's Toshima Ward. (Mainichi/Akihiro Ogomori)