Japanese Village

The Japanese Village marks the site of Ban Yipun, the 17th-century Japanese settlement that once stood on the Chao Phraya riverbank south of Ayutthaya’s old city. A modern exhibition hall and memorial garden on the spot tell the story of the roughly 1,000 Japanese traders and samurai who lived here, centred on Yamada Nagamasa, the settlement’s most prominent leader. Entry costs 50 THB for adults; it’s open daily 09:30-18:30.

Yamada Nagamasa and Ban Yipun

Yamada Nagamasa arrived in Ayutthaya around 1612, part of the wave of Japanese traders who came south on Red Seal ships during Japan’s era of licensed overseas trade. From 1617 until his death he led Ban Yipun, rising from the minor Siamese court rank of Khun to the senior title of Okya Senaphimuk. In that position he commanded an armed Japanese contingent that fought in King Songtham’s military campaigns, and in 1630 he was appointed governor of Nakhon Si Thammarat (then known as Ligor) on the southern peninsula. He died that same year, during the political chaos that followed King Songtham’s death and the disputed succession that eventually brought Prasat Thong to the throne.

What’s on site

The exhibition buildings cover the settlement’s history and Yamada Nagamasa’s career, along with the story of Thao Thong Kip Ma — a woman of mixed Portuguese and Japanese descent credited as an originator of several Thai royal desserts still made today. This is a modest memorial and exhibition site rather than a full walk-through reconstructed village; most of the grounds are garden and monument space around one or two display buildings.

Insider Tip: Combine the visit with Wat Phananchoeng and the Baan Hollanda Dutch settlement site, both a short drive away — together they cover three of the foreign trading communities that lived alongside Ayutthaya’s Siamese court in the 17th century.

The site is on Chedi-Wat Dusidaram Road, a short trip from central Ayutthaya by tuk-tuk or bicycle. Call 0 3525 9867 for visitor information.