A whole park full of thatch-roofed farmhouses, just outside of central Tokyo

Nihon Minka-en Japanese Folk House Garden in Kanagawa prefecture

Thatch-roofed farmhouses at the Nihon Minka-en Japanese Folk House Garden — There are twenty-three authentic structures in the park, each chosen to feature the clever ways that traditional architecture dealt with local climates and allowed their inhabitants to practice their local ways of life

One of the most amazing things to see in Japan is buildings constructed without nails, their intricate puzzle-like joinery standing for centuries against the test of time. Everyone thinks you have to travel to some inconveniently remote part of Japan to see these traditional thatch-roofed farmhouses, but there is a whole park filled with them less than an hour from central Tokyo! These beauties were taken apart piece by piece and moved to the park from all over Japan, then reconstructed using only traditional methods and tools. A visit to the Nihon Minka-en Japanese Folk House Garden isn’t just supremely insta-worthy, it’s also delightfully informative and an excellent walk.

You can stroll through the regional “villages” and explore inside each of the twenty-three gorgeously restored buildings, some of which have furnishings particular to the region or kind of industry the people who lived in them practiced.

Thatch-roofed farmhouse at the Nihon Minka-en Japanese Folk House Garden — How many beautiful ways are there to thatch a roof? Twenty-three, and counting!

And it’s not just houses—the park also contains a mill powered by a water wheel, a kabuki theater (with a mechanically-rotating stage, powered from below by stage hands), the gateway to a samurai house and a beautiful little shrine. The path between them meanders through a natural landscape filled with native trees and seasonal wildflowers, and antique Jizo figures wait to greet you around every corner. Exhibits on traditional joinery and thatching answer every question you might have, and signage (in English) gives intriguing facts about what makes each of the buildings unique.

Thatch-roofed soba mill at the Nihon Minka-en Japanese Folk House Garden — The park doesn’t feature only houses—this water-driven mill used to grind *soba* flour

Thatch-roofed shrine at the Nihon Minka-en Japanese Folk House Garden — And this was a local shrine. That rice straw *shimenawa* rope with the white paper charms encloses the space considered sacred

Gate to the garden at the Nihon Minka-en Japanese Folk House Garden — Some of the houses are also surrounded by lovely gardens

Interior of a thatch-roofed farmhouse at the Nihon Minka-en Japanese Folk House Garden — And one of the best things about the Nihon Minka-en is that you can go inside!

Kitchen interior of a thatch-roofed farmhouse at the Nihon Minka-en Japanese Folk House Garden — Check out this kitchen—the “dirt” floor is mixed with lime, so any spilled water wicks away within seconds, leaving the surface dry, not muddy. Those rounded shapes were for cooking fires, and the square wooden boxes atop them are for steaming rice

Volunteer tending the hearth in the interior of a thatch-roofed farmhouse at the Nihon Minka-en Japanese Folk House Garden — Knowledgeable docents are often on duty to explain how people cooked and did other household chores during the era the house was in use

Volunteer demonstrating weaving in a thatch-roofed farmhouse at the Nihon Minka-en Japanese Folk House Garden — There’s a regular rotation of artisans who demonstrate how equipment in the houses was used, including the skills required to clothe the family (dyeing, weaving and silkworm culture) as well as feeding everyone throughout the year

Traditional bamboo Shinto offerings at the Nihon Minka-en Japanese Folk House Garden — Other crafts are explained in nice displays (these bamboo “offerings,” for example, can be put in the sake flasks that sit before the Shinto shrine, if no sake is available)

Painting of makeshift gondola at the Nihon Minka-en Japanese Folk House Garden — Each house also has signage (in English) that highlights a few facts about what makes each of them unique. This residence, for example, could only be reached via a hair-raising gondola traverse across a river, and if the picture doesn’t make that look ALL THE NO enough, the actual gondola (constructed, I swear, of utterly untrustworthy-looking TWIGS) is on display

The soba restaurant at the Nihon Minka-en Japanese Folk House Garden — Halfway through the walk is a humble noodle restaurant, where you can slurp up a bowl to fortify yourself for the rest of the houses. The food isn’t fancy, but as you can see, it’s really quite pleasant to eat while gazing out at the park

a bowl of sansai mountain vegetable soba at the Nihon Minka-en Japanese Folk House Garden — They have a few kinds of buckwheat noodles—these are the “mountain vegetables.” All are inexpensive and good, and if you aren’t familiar with the kinds they offer, they have realistic food models to help you decide

Walking path at the Nihon Minka-en Japanese Folk House Garden — Seeing all twenty-three houses takes the better part of a day, and is a pleasant (if slightly hilly) workout. The paths meander through a natural landscape of native trees and seasonal wildflowers, giving a true taste of the Japanese countryside

Stone Jizo figures at the Nihon Minka-en Japanese Folk House Garden — Benevolent stone Jizo figures await around every corner

Roof thatching at the Nihon Minka-en Japanese Folk House Garden — There is a small but fine museum at the entrance that has excellent exhibits explaining how the houses were built and thatched

Hours:

Mar-Oct: 9:30 – 17:00 (last admission 16:30)
Nov-Feb: 9:30 – 16:30 (last admission 16:00)

Open:

Every day but Monday (Unless Monday is a holiday. In that case, they are open on the holiday and closed the next day)
They are also closed from Dec 29 – January 3

Admission:

Adults: ¥500
Students (Senior High School, College)* : ¥300
65 years and over*: ¥300
Children (Junior High School and under): Free
Handicapped Persons: Free

For more information, take a look at the excellent (English) Nihon Minka-en website.

Here’s a map of the Nihon Minka-en park:

Map of the Nihon Minka-en Japanese Folk House Garden

Here’s where the Nihon Minka-en is:

Here’s how to get to the Nihon Minka-en from Tokyo:

Train route to the Nihon Minka-en Japanese Folk House Garden

Once you get there, go out the East Exit and it’s a 15-20 minute minute walk straight down the main street to the park entrance (no hills on this part).

Local map to the Nihon Minka-en Japanese Folk House Garden

I used the Japan Navigation phone app to figure out this route, and you can easily use it too, with your actual date and preferred arrival time. It’s also good for finding the easiest way to get to Yoyogi-Uehara Station from where you’re staying. Here’s where to get the app and how to use it. Note: The Odakyu Line trains that run between Yoyogi-Uehara Station and Mukogaoka-yuen Station can take as little as 15 minutes and as long as an hour to make the trip. You can catch the Express (fastest), the Semi-express, or the Local (very slow), which all stop at Mukogaoka-yuen. Do not get on the Rapid Express because it doesn’t stop at Mukogaoka-yuen.

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