Meiji Village
Meiji-mura (Meiji Village) in Inuyama, Aichi Prefecture, is an open-air museum and theme park. History and architecture lovers will be pleased by the preserved atmosphere of the Meiji (1867-1912), Taisho (1912-1926), and early Showa (1926-1989) periods. Visit a Japan of the past, when Japanese fashion and culture was beginning to mingle with its international counterparts. In Meiji-mura, you can see how this combination of Euro-Japanese architecture and fashion brought a new impression and feeling to the Japan of old. You’ll even be able to see Frank Lloyd Wright’s landmark Imperial Hotel; originally constructed in Tokyo from 1923 to 1967, the hotel was reconstructed in Meiji-mura and makes for the impressive centerpiece of the grounds. Scattered around the one-million-square-meter property are a total of sixty-seven Meiji-era reconstructed original buildings—eleven of them are even recognized national treasures. While you’re at Meiji-mura, you can also rent a kimono and experience the Meiji period as though you lived it. Ride streetcars, send original postcards from the historical post office, and experience Kabuki theater shows.