Meiji Mura

Meiji Mura (–¾Ž¡‘º, meaning "Meiji Village") is one of Japan's best open air museums, displaying over 60 buildings from the Meiji Period (1868-1912). This era followed the end of Japan's feudal age, and its architecture is characterized by a strong influx of Western architecture.

The theme park-like museum is located in Inuyama, one hour outside of Nagoya, in a vast wooded area next to Iruka Pond. It takes at least half a day to explore the spacious museum grounds and cover all of its exhibits.

Few of the buildings constructed in the Meiji Period survive in Japan today, as most of them were destroyed during the war or lost to city redevelopment. A collection of representative buildings from across the country have been relocated to Meiji Mura in order to preserve the period's architectural and cultural heritage. Among them are the entrance hall of Tokyo's old Imperial Hotel and Kyoto's St. Francis Xavier's Cathedral.

Other attractions include the former Kanazawa Prison, Sapporo's telephone exchange, Mie's prefectural office, Nagasaki's foreign settlement, as well as hospitals, sake breweries and schools. Some buildings have been converted into cafes, candy stores or traditional game stalls for visitors to enjoy. There is also a village bus which runs the length of the village, as well as a tram and a steam locomotive.