Japan Open Air Folk House Museum (Nihon Minkaen) in Kawasaki celebrated its 50th anniversary last year.
It has 25 folk houses, water mills & a stage collected from all over Japan.
After approximately thirty-minute train ride and fifteen-minute walk, we could timeslip to the old days of Japan, centuries ago.
We'll also visit the free observation deck of Tokyo Metropolitan Government.
At the lobby of your hotel in Tokyo/Yokohama/ Kawasaki or a station within the 23 wards of Tokyo/Kawasaki Station
Japan Open Air Folk House Museum (Nihon Minkaen)
A walk in a typical residential town in the suburbs
View from the Observation Tower of Mt. Masugata, a hill
Observation Deck of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government (Admission Free)
At your hotel or the places you prefer to during the tour
You can see beautiful Japanese folkhouses from the samurai period to the former century carefully preserved. Some are from the same area with Shirakawago, the World Heritage. They make you feel travelling back to the past as if we used a time machine. These houses are built without using nails.
The farming tools, weaving machines and daily utensils are also displayed, so I would explain about the Japanese culture, and answer your questions about them. Some of the houses were moved from Gokayama many years before it was acknowledged as a World Heritage. If you don't have the opportunity to visit Gokayama or Shirakawago, you can get the feel of it by visiting the houses in this museum.
After going up the hill and exiting the open-air museum, we'll walk ten minutes or so to Mt. Masugatayama, where we could view the Metropolis Tokyo.
Traveling back to Shinjuku, we will go to the observation deck of the Tokyo Metropolitan Office. During the twilight, we might be able to have a better view than daytime.
If you still have enough energy, I can walk with you to the one of the following options: 1）Samurai Museum (1900 yen, children 3-12 800 yen) , ２) the entrance of Robot Restaurant, ３）the entrance of a beautiful Japanese restaurant using a former mansion (yashiki)：Reservation is desirable, so please tell me if you would like me to book it for you. They could serve vegetarian cuisines if booking three days in advance, 4) Gonpachi, the Kill Bill restaurant in Roppongi, using Subway, or 5) Shibuya crossing by eight-minute train ride.
Guiding fee, hotel pick-up in Tokyo/Yokohama/Kawasaki
Transportation fare (You and guide: From Shinjuku Station to our destination is 250 yen , From Shinjuku Station to Tocho by bus is 180 yen, the rest depends on where your hotel is),
meals, snacks, drinks,
Admission fee of Nihon Minkaen (you and the guide)
Adults (16-64) 500 yen, Seniors (65+) 300 yen, Students (13-) 300 yen Children (0-15) Free
MInkaen is closed on Mondays
Japan Open Air Folk House Museum is built on a hill. There are some slopes and stairs, which are not wheelchair-friendly. We're supposed to walk about more than two hours and a half, so please wear walking shoes.
Some houses are allowed to go in and see if you take off your shoes inside them.
Vending machines are available at many places in the Open-Air Museum and Mt. Masugata Park.
Feel free to make inquires by sending messages to me. If you would like to change the twilight view from Shinjuku to some other places, please let me know, because I'm quite flexible about that.
Tour was fun and full of facts. Yoko involved us in the tour and kids participated with a lot of energy. She was very helpful with plans for the rest of the holiday and gave us lots of important tips. Highly recommend.
Thank you so much for writing a review soon after the tour. It was a hot day but it was a lot of fun meeting you and your family. I was especially amazed with Jenny being smart, full of curiosity and asking so many questions and Nick was so cute. I hope you enjoy the rest of your holiday. Have fun!!
It was a true pleasure to spend a day with Yoko-san. Even before we met, she was super helpful with advice on hotels, transportation from the airport, etc. She also adjusted our tour schedule to follow the optimal route between the famous places in Tokyo, and to fit in the places we really wanted to see. We learned a lot about the city, and about Japanese culture and history in general. All in all, it was an unforgettable experience. Thank you so much, Yoko-san!
Oh, thank you so much for such a lovely review, Dmitri san!! We really walked a lot that day. Starting from Asakusa, lotus pond of Shinobazu and Ueno Toshogu, Tsukiji Market, Sakuradamon Gate and Nijubashi Bridge of the Imperial Palace, Meiji Jingu Shrine, Takeshita Street and Omotesando. I was quite surprised that both you and your wife Hui san was walking in sandals but didn't complain about the long walk. I had a great time with you, your lovely wife Hui san and smart and beautiful daughter Maria. It was so interesting talking with you and your family. I hope Maria makes her dream come true and I will be looking forward to your revisit to climb Mount Fuji. Thank you again for the lovely day and your generosity. Yoko
Yoko introduced us to East part of Tokyo starting from Ginza and other sightseeing areas located at this sort of the city. Her knowledge and insights were very helpful for the first comers to Japan! Our group of 6 consisted of 4 adults and 2 kids. Yoko was flexible when we would request to make a change in our itinerary and she was able to suggest alternative on the spot. Yoko is a highly recommended tour guide for the family or couples.
Thank you so much for your review, Katerina san. I remember I had a lovely day with your wonderful family in June. We had an amazing lunch at a sushi restaurant which has the capacity to let our large group in without a long wait. We went to Odaiba instead of the crowded Tokyo Sky Tree. I was glad that your daughter enjoy the ride which was like the Disney ride. There is so much to see in Japan, so please come again!! Thank you again for the lovely day and the review, Yoko
We had a lovely guide in Tokyo, Yoko, who was with us for two days. Her English was impeccable. The first day she took us to the main shrines Meiji - Jingu ( where we saw several wedding parties) and Senso-ji along with teaching us how to navigate the metro and train system! We wanted ramen for lunch and Yoko delivered! We found Yoko easy to be with and full of energy - she gave information easily without having to prompt her. She never wearies of questions either! We were familiar with the shogunate eras but she was able to fill in all the blanks for us without drowning us in facts and numbers as well as our “knowledge” of the yakuza from “Tokyo Vice”! We enjoyed her so much we asked to book her for a second day while she guided us through the Imperial Gardens. She not only knows her history but also the names of plants and trees to help understand the beautiful gardens. We mentioned that we wanted to buy a knife and go to the Tsukiji market. She mentioned a free event at the Anakusa Cultural Tourist Center where we were able to see geishas perform traditional dances and one of the 6 houkan ( male counterpoint to the geisha) left in Japan. In order to attend the event I had to cancel my tickets to the Yayoi Kusama museum and Yoko found a different time that I could repurchase my tickets so that we could do it all. She reworked our schedule so that we could do it all!! She took us to a nice restaurant for lunch that was superb and a favorite of locals. She was so helpful with information regarding other things we had planned and would readily share travel information and other ideas for our remaining days in Tokyo! If only we could have had her travel to Kyoto with us too! My husband and I highly recommend Yoko but I warn you - you better have your walking shoes on or you will not be able to keep up with her!!
Martha san, thank you so much for writing such an incredible review. I deeply appreciate both you and Robert san enjoyed Japanese culture and cuisines so much. I had a great time talking with both of you. I also wanted to show you interesting spots in Yanaka besides Yanaka Ginza so sorry we ran out of time. As you often have a business trip to Japan, I will hope I can show you around the gorgeous, artistic World Heritage Nikko some day soon. Thank you again for such a lovely heartful review and your generosity. I hope you have a nice flight back to the States.