Open Air Museum of Old Japanese Farm Houses — Attraction in Toyonaka

Serene place set on the edge of a large park that has some beautiful flower borders and is a popular picnic and barbeque spot for locals. We paid 800 yen each to enter the outdoor museum to see the collection of farmhouses that had been reconstructed in the woodland surroundings from different areas of Japan. We were able to stroll around without the tourist crowds and enjoy the tranquility of the nature and see the ingenious methods used to build these magnificent structures. Fires in some of the houses were being tended by staff or volunteers and they are very pleasant to chat to. One lady gave me an origami kaleidoscope she had made which I will treasure. If you want Universal Studios and Dotonbori type crowds and entertainment in the day then this is not for you. But if you want to escape the hustle and bustle for a couple of hours, then bring a picnic with you and sit in the park afterwards for lunch and your batteries will recharge for more of what the frenetic side of Osaka has to offer.There are vending machines for drinks in the park and toilets (of course...we are in Japan...

If you're into Japanese culture and or history, this is a must see. Otherwise, you'll need to head out into the boondocks to shirakawa go to see similar authentic farm houses. This open air museum collected about a dozen representative farmhouses from around the country, each with their unique styles and innovations suited to the climate of the region. There is plenty of signage in both japanese and English to explain all the exhibits. There were also many local curators who had small activities and conversations with the guests. It would've been amazing if we could speak more japanese.

We spent a good two hours here before we had to leave due to hunger. The park itself was very beautiful with many photo spots if you're into that. The admission was 800 for adults, less for kids and a special discount for seniors on the 15th of every month.

During our stay we saw very few other tourists, either because it was off the beaten path or it isn't as famous as other sites in Osaka. That said, it was a highlight for our trip and me personally as a...

This is my favorite place to visit in the whole Osaka area, definitely right up there with Osaka Castle. It is easy to get to by subway/train. I love the beautiful traditional farmhouses from all over Japan, and the two times I've been here it was quite peaceful. It is a little like Greenfield Village back home in Michigan, but focused only on rural farmhouses and a lot less crowded and less commercialized. Pretty cheap to enter. I suppose sometimes there will be groups of Japanese schoolkids, but they'd be cute to watch too.

Now that I have a 6 year old daughter of my own, I brought her to Japan with me and she loved stamping the sheet of paper at each farmhouse... as well as the HUGE park full of playground equipment located nearby. Also even on a hot day in August we found some older ladies tending an indoor cooking fire at one of the farmhouses, and they were willing to pose for photos with my daughter. Along with other pleasant experiences elsewhere on our trip, my daughter now loves Japan and says she'd like...