If you are a folk house nerd like me, you’ll love a nostalgic trip to visit arguably the most photogenic folk houses in Tokyo and Kanagawa. You’ll find a great collection of farms, samurai solder residences, old western style mansions and much more. Be sure to allow some time to ponder or perch yourself up while taking a photo. Here is your complete guide to help you plan your visit.
Japan Open-Air Folk House Museum
Getting to the Japan Open-Air Folk House Museum couldn’t be any easier and takes only 20 minutes or so. The most efficient way to reach the museum is by taking the Odakyu Express train from Shinjuku Station and getting off at Mukogaokayuen Station, where you should use the south exit The museum itself is large to explore and it is packed with so many kinds of Japanese folk houses by way of a curated collection.
Buaiso Museum
When I visited the Buaiso Museum in Kanagawa I had a deep sense of nostalgia. If you’re looking for solitude and silence, this is where to escape the city. The Buaiso Museum is located in Machida city, which used to be a farming community. Shirasu Jiro, Japanese bureaucrat and business person around the time of the war, and his wife, bought a folk house as a means of staying safe during World War Ⅱ. The most beautiful part is a study for his wife to write books on Japanese Noh plays.
The Japan Folk Crafts Museum
The Japan Folk Crafts Museum, located two stations away from Shibuya Station in Tokyo, gives you a chance to get a feel for the Japanese folk art movement that’s been around since the 1920’s and the way of life back then. This museum was built in 1936 and is without a doubt the Komaba area’s most recognisable architecture.
Lord Maeda’s residence
Another popular folk house is Lord Maeda’s residence, located nearby the Japan Folk Crafts Museum. The walk to Lord Maeda’s residence is just 10 minutes.
These folk houses are beautiful! I especially love the three pics you featured of the Japan Open-Air Folk House Museum. In all honesty, I feel like traditional Japanese architecture is some of the most beautiful architecture in the world.
Thanks! I think Japanese used to be very good at assembling house with lumber.
Yes! I took a Japanese Art History class, and I remember learning that the Japanese could build large, wooden structures without using any nails.
So interesting! Maybe one day I will make it to Japan to see these interesting sites
Thanks. We really enjoyed Japan Open-Air Folk House Museum in Kanagawa. Hope you’d come to Japan!