This is s the residence of the family of Youzo Yamao, one of the five heroes from Yamaguchi Prefecture who went to the UK to learn technology. Mr. Yamao learnt shipbuilding and also brought back auld lange syne, known here in Japan as Light of the fireflies, and sign language. He may have picked up the latter because he assassinated the son of a deaf scholar and may have wished to do filial piety towards both his own family and that of the young Shogunal official that he had assassinated. There is only an empty site at the place were Youzou was born but one road to the West are these houses owned by his relatives and lived in to this day.
My review and map reference
https://goo.gl/maps/dHGZExQYA87Qbp2u8

This is in Yamaguchi City! Thank you New York Times!