Fodor's Expert Review Gassho-zukuri Minkaen Outdoor Museum

Opposite Ogi-machi, on the banks of the Sho-gawa, this open-air museum has 26 traditional gassho-zukuri farmhouses. The houses were transplanted from four villages that fell prey to the Miboro Dam, built upriver in 1972. Over the years a colony of artisans has established itself in the village. From mid-April to mid-October, you can watch them creating folk crafts like weaving, pottery, woodwork, and hand-dyeing in a few of the preserved houses, and try some crafts for yourself. Many of the products are for sale. In winter, stop by the "rest station" gassho-zukuri to warm up with tea by an irori hearth. Keep in mind that individual houses do close irregularly.