Tono City Museum

The Tono City Museum in Iwate Prefecture serves as the cultural heart of Japan's most famous folklore region, preserving the legendary tales collected by Kunio Yanagita in his groundbreaking 1910 work "Tono Monogatari" (The Legends of Tono). This comprehensive museum documents the rich oral traditions of the Tono Basin, including stories of kappa (water spirits), zashiki-warashi (house spirits), and yamabito (mountain people) that have shaped Japanese folklore studies.

The museum houses an extensive collection of over 30,000 artifacts related to traditional rural life in northern Japan, including farming tools, textiles, ceremonial objects, and detailed dioramas depicting scenes from famous Tono legends. Interactive exhibits allow visitors to experience traditional crafts such as indigo dyeing and straw rope making, while audio guides provide narrated folklore tales in both Japanese and English. The museum's highlight is the Folklore Hall, featuring life-sized recreations of traditional Tono farmhouses and seasonal festivals.

Seasonal programming enhances the visitor experience throughout the year. Spring and summer months feature outdoor folklore performances and traditional farming demonstrations in the museum's heritage gardens. Autumn brings special exhibitions on harvest festivals and spirit ceremonies, while winter focuses on indoor storytelling sessions and workshops on traditional crafts used during the harsh northern winters.

The museum is located 15 minutes by car from JR Tono Station on the Kamaishi Line, accessible from Shin-Hanamaki Station via the JR Tohoku Shinkansen. Local buses run three times daily from Tono Station to the museum. Admission costs ¥310 for adults and ¥150 for students, with combination tickets available for other Tono cultural sites. The museum operates 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM daily except Mondays and during New Year holidays, with extended hours until 6:00 PM during summer months.