What a cool spot. This place is packed with history, culture, and some beautiful scenery to top it off. You can take the bus up, but we just walked — it’s a pretty easy stroll from the town center.
Tickets were under 1,000 yen for both of us (from memory), and well worth it.
You get to explore a bunch of old traditional houses with thatched roofs, all laid out like an old mountain village. The architecture is unreal, and the displays showing how people lived and worked back then were really interesting.
There were shrines around the grounds, and we even saw some live demonstrations — stuff like woodcarving and pottery, which gave the whole place a hands-on feel.
It’s peaceful, open, and a great way to step back in time for a few hours. Would definitely recommend if you’re in Takayama and want to see something a bit different.
A very peaceful, nature-infused and beautiful place to walk around, take photos and relax. I learned so much more about the Japanese after i came here. There was barely any wait, and the scenery, which was set beside a beautiful lake, was so worth it. Yes, there is a bell here you could ring (usually). Recommended to go in cooler weather, not winter since the shrine is closed in snowy weather due to risk of slipping on snow.
Hida no Sato (Hida Folk Village) is an open-air museum. It preserves over 30 traditional houses from the Hida region, relocated to this site to safeguard architectural and cultural heritage. Highlights:
Gasshō-zukuri Houses: These iconic farmhouses, with steep thatched roofs resembling hands in prayer, were originally built in the Edo period (1603–1868). Some are over 250 years old.
Historical Interiors: The houses are furnished with authentic tools, farming equipment, and household items, offering a glimpse into rural mountain life.
Exhibits:
– One house features a fascinating display about silkworm cultivation, including tools and life cycle explanations.
– Another showcases marriage-related customs, with ceremonial garments and symbolic items.
– A third introduces mountain vegetables traditionally grown in the region and the methods used to prepare them.
Traditional Craft Demonstrations: Visitors can watch or take part in workshops such as weaving, lacquering, and sashiko embroidery.
Hida Takayama Crafts Experience Center: Located nearby, it offers hands-on activities like making sarubobo dolls and wind chimes.
Opening Hours: Daily: 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM
Admission: Adults: ¥700, Children (ages 6–15): ¥200. Parking: ¥300
Beautiful day (2h) spent at the Open Air village. We decided to go here instead of Shirakawago, hoping to be satisfied with what we saw and the quality and beauty of the homes.
For a 700¥ entrance fee, instead of a 2500¥ bus ride and additional costs for Shirakawago once there, we were totally satisfied and spent a beautiful 2h visit.
We brought our lunch, walked there and ate with the beautiful pond and house view. Highly recommend if you're debating between one of the 2, the house restoration and preservation is beautiful and you can enter many of them and read through many English or Japanese explanations
What an unexpectedly amazing experience! From the moment I arrived, I felt immersed in a whole different world. The visit started with a handful of traditional Japanese games set up near the entrance juggling balls, a wooden handheld game where you try to catch a ball on a stick and even bamboo stilts. It was such a fun and playful way to ease into the experience, and it immediately set the tone for the rest of the visit.
Wandering through the 21 different sites, I honestly felt like I was in a video game or a historical movie completely transported back in time. Each structure has been carefully preserved to reflect how people lived centuries ago and walking through the village gave me a deeper appreciation for the craftsmanship, culture and resilience of that era. It’s one thing to read about history but it’s another to physically walk through it. That feeling of awe stayed with me the whole way.
The museum does a great job of making the experience interactive and immersive without being overwhelming. Whether you’re into history, architecture, photography or just unique travel experiences, Haida no Sato delivers something special. Highly recommend taking your time to soak it all in it’s not just a museum, it’s a living memory of Japan’s cultural heritage.
