Michinoku Folklore Village, Open-air folk museum in Kitakami, Japan
Michinoku Folklore Village is an open-air museum with about 28 traditional buildings scattered across landscaped grounds, including ten houses with thatched roofs. Many of these structures were moved here from their original locations and display living arrangements and construction methods from earlier times.
The museum opened in 1992 and brought together old buildings from the Edo period that originally came from Iwate Prefecture. This effort helped preserve the regional building traditions and rural heritage of the area.
The buildings show how farm families once lived together and shared daily tasks in their homes. You can see the layout of rooms and understand the tools and methods they used every day.
Wear comfortable shoes since you will spend time walking around the grounds and some paths are uneven. The best time to visit is during mild weather when you can explore the buildings closely and enjoy the outdoor setting.
One of the houses was the former home of a wealthy family and holds the status of an Important Cultural Property. You can see inside how differently rich and ordinary families lived, even though they inhabited the same rural region.
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