Tōno, immortalised by Kunio Yanagita's 1910 folklore collection 'Tōno Monogatari', is Japan's mythological countryside, dotted with kappa (water-sprite) pools and ancient magariya L-shaped farmhouses that shelter family and horses under one roof. The Furusato-mura open-air complex preserves these traditional structures and offers hands-on craft workshops in soba-making, straw weaving, and indigo dyeing. Guided cycling routes connect stone kappa statues, Fukusen-ji Temple's enormous wooden Kannon, and mist-draped rice paddies that feel unchanged since the Meiji era.
- Type
- Experience
- Category
- Culture
- Season
- Spring
- Month
- April–November
- Region
- Tohoku
- Prefecture
- Iwate
- City
- Tōno
Highlights
- ◆Magariya living farmhouses — family and livestock under one roof
- ◆Kappa folklore trail along the Satomegawa River
- ◆Hands-on soba-making and traditional craft workshops
- ◆Cycling routes through untouched Tohoku countryside
- ◆Inspiration for Japan's most famous folklore collection