The fabulous and picturesque park is located just several kilometers from the city of Kawasaki, on the territory of a huge natural park called Ikuta Ryokuchi. Although Nihon Minka-en is considered a thematic park, it is more like an open-air museum. More than 20 old traditional Japanese houses of the Edo period were collected from all over Japan and transported to this fairy-tale place of nature.

There are perfectly preserved majestic architectural monuments from the time of the Tokugawa clan reign, which was a period of prosperity called the golden age of Japan. They provide insight into the traditional and common way of life and the rich culture of the Japanese people during the 17th-19th centuries. Homes and boathouses, trade and household buildings, samurai residences, ancient temples and even stage steps of the world-known theater of Kabuki were transported there from different places. Visitors are given a unique opportunity to get acquainted with various architectural styles of different regions of the country – all in one place. This is a great chance (especially for those who cannot take a trip across the whole country) to estimate the variety and majesty of the country’s historical and cultural architectural monuments. Roofs of some houses are made of straw which has never been seen on the territory of Tokyo. Others, which are from the more northern regions, have roofs with a steep ramp. Seven of these houses are national cultural monuments.

Special attention should be paid to the interior of the old houses, most of which are open to the public. The majority of them have plain wooden floors and open stoves with old instruments and household items. Inside the buildings, you will find installed screens. They demonstrate what the household of that time was like and for what these or those instruments were used. Moreover, on the territory of the Nihon Minka-en Park, there is a small museum with an amazing collection of national instruments from the period of Edo. In one of the buildings, you will find a cozy traditional restaurant where you can try famous chicken wings yakitori, original udon noodles or fresh sashimi.