You can easily spend a half-day or longer at this very large architectural museum, which features about 25 traditional houses and other historic buildings from Japan's rural past, all originally from other parts of Japan and reconstructed here along wooded hillsides. The majority of them are heavy-beamed farmhouses with thatched roofs, the oldest of which are 300 years old, but there's also a Kabuki theater from a small fishing village, a samurai's residential gate, and more, all well described on an English-language pamphlet and signboards. What's more, the buildings are open to the public, letting you wander and see what life may have been like for rural Japanese long ago. In case you're wondering, the buildings here pre-date those of the Edo-Tokyo Tatemono-en, which showcases Tokyo homes and buildings from the late 1800s to 1940s. And since you've come this far, you might wish to make a day of it by also visiting the nearby Taro Okamoto Museum of Art, celebrating one of Japan's most well-known abstract artists (once you've seen his works, you'll recognize them at many places in Tokyo).
Tokyo› Attraction
Japan Open-Air Folk House Museum (Nihon Minkaen)
7-1-1 Masugata, Tama-ku, Kawasaki
Our Rating
Hours
Tues–Fri 9:30am–5pm (to 4pm Nov–Feb)
Transportation
From Shinjuku Station, take the express (kyuko) Odakyu Line 30 min. to Mukogaoka Yuen Station, from which it's a 12-min. walk from the station's south exit (there's a map in front of the station; signs thereafter point the way)
Phone
044/922-2181
Prices
Admission ¥500 adults, ¥300 high-school and college students and seniors, free for children
Web site
Japan Open-Air Folk House Museum (Nihon Minkaen)
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Map
7-1-1 Masugata, Tama-ku, Kawasaki TokyoNote: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.