Hida Folk Village, also known as Hida no Sato, is an open-air museum that recreates the traditional mountain-village landscape of the Hida region. The grounds feature relocated historic houses, including gassho-style farmhouses with steeply pitched thatched roofs, characteristic of heavy-snowfall areas such as Shirakawa-go and Gokayama.
Surrounded by nature, the village offers visitors a glimpse into rural life in earlier times. Exhibits and recreated seasonal events introduce traditional farming and mountain lifestyles, while displays explain regional industries such as sericulture and forestry. Visitors can also take part in hands-on activities, including painting maneki-neko lucky cats, making straw crafts, and creating eraser prints. Allow plenty of time to explore the village and enjoy its many experiences.
The museum displays a wide range of traditional household tools and implements, some of which visitors can handle themselves. In the craft village, artisans demonstrate traditional techniques and offer workshops in crafts such as Ichii Itto-bori woodcarving, Hida Shunkei lacquerware, natural plant dyeing, and weaving.
Visitors can also try making traditional handicrafts, including straw work, sashiko embroidery, naturally dyed items, and sarubobo dolls. These activities provide an opportunity to experience the skills and creativity that have been passed down through generations in the Hida region.
Approximately 30 traditional houses from across the Hida region have been relocated to the site and preserved. Among them are four buildings designated as Important Cultural Properties of Japan and seven designated as Important Cultural Properties by Gifu Prefecture.
These historic structures offer an insight into traditional architecture and the ingenuity of rural communities that adapted their homes and lifestyles to the region’s mountainous terrain and heavy snowfall.
In addition to the traditional houses, visitors can explore several other facilities that illustrate life and work in the Hida mountains. These include the Mountain Museum, housed in the former Takayama Weather Observatory; traditional storehouses; a Japanese paper-making hut; a hut containing a battari, a traditional water-powered wooden pounding device; and a kurumada, a distinctive circular rice paddy.
The museum’s collections of traditional mountain-village tools from Hida and sleds used in the region have been designated Important Tangible Folk Cultural Properties. They provide valuable insight into the everyday lives, occupations, and transportation methods of local communities in the past.
At the Hida Takayama Memory Experience Hall, visitors can choose from more than 10 craft activities, including making their own sarubobo doll. Reservations are not required for these experiences, making it easy to enjoy traditional handicrafts during a visit.
These workshops offer a fun and memorable way to discover the region’s traditional handcrafts while creating a unique souvenir to take home.
With its historic farmhouses, traditional tools, seasonal scenery, and hands-on craft workshops, Hida Folk Village offers an engaging introduction to the rural culture of the Japanese Alps. Whether exploring the thatched-roof houses or trying traditional handicrafts, visitors can experience the atmosphere of an earlier era and gain a deeper appreciation of the Hida region’s cultural heritage.