Nanto

Nanto offers different ways to discover culture: a village where people still live, objects from Gokayama’s traditional everyday life, festival floats and works of art. You can also try your hand at being creative. This lets you plan your stay around the themes that interest you most—from the history of a settlement to making your own souvenir.

Ainokura: a living Gassho-style village

In the UNESCO World Heritage-listed village of Ainokura, around 20 Gassho-style houses and four thatched-roof houses still stand. People continue to live in the settlement. This shapes how you experience the place: Ainokura is interesting not only for its houses, but also as a village where people still live. If you are interested in architecture and village life, you will find a different perspective here than in an exhibition displaying everyday objects. The approximate figures give you an idea of the size of the collection of houses without reducing Ainokura to a mere group of historic buildings.

The areas surrounding the villages are also defined by their protected status. The buffer zones around Ainokura and Suganuma are protected as historic sites and as Gokayama Prefectural Natural Park. This recognizes both the historic designation and the natural park status of each area. For your trip planning, this offers an additional perspective on the places, alongside their houses and cultural attractions.

Festival culture and traditional everyday life

The Johana Hikiyama Museum permanently displays festival floats, Kasaboko and Iori-Yatai. A video about the Hikiyama Festival is also shown in the lobby. The exhibition and video offer two different ways to learn about the festival: you can view the floats and other objects, and find out more about the festival as well. This makes the museum a fitting stop for anyone interested in local festival culture who wants to learn about more than a single object.

The Gokayama Folk Museum in Suganuma displays around 200 household items that illustrate traditional life in Gokayama. Rather than describing everyday life in general terms, the objects provide concrete examples. If you are traveling with children, you can look together at the household items on display and what they reveal about ways of life in the past. The approximate number gives you an idea of the collection’s size; its connection to traditional everyday life in Gokayama is what matters most.

Try traditional crafts and discover art

In Ainokura, you can take part in an activity painting papier-mâché figures made from Gokayama washi and create your own Gokayama souvenir. This is more than just looking: painting becomes part of the experience, and you end up with a personal keepsake. This offers a different focus from visiting a village or museum and appeals to travelers who want to include a hands-on craft activity in their explorations.

The Fukumitsu Museum offers another perspective on art. It permanently displays works by woodblock print artist Shiko Munakata and sculptor and ceramic artist Hidetaro Matsumura. The artists represent different art forms: woodblock printing on the one hand, and sculpture and ceramics on the other. If you are especially interested in art, you can make a visit to this museum a focus of its own, separate from the themes of village life, household objects and festival culture.

Choose the focus of your trip

More destinations: Kurobe, Toyama, Tonami, Takaoka, Nakaniikawa District, Himi, Uozu, Tateyama.

For the full travel overview: Toyama Prefecture.