Experience History in a traditional Japanese house
Preserving the house for future
Kominka Misawaya(古民家 箕澤屋)is a traditional Japanese house built in 1861, at the end of Edo period. “Kominka” is a Japanese term for an old house and “Misawaya” is the name of this particular house.
Like most Kominkas, this one was built from wood, making it particularly vulnerable to fires and earthquakes. Kominka Misawaya survived many disasters over time and managed to retain its original “Doma” (mud room) and “Iroi” (sunken fireplace) which are customary in such structures. Once you step inside, you feel a sense of life and history.
Our goal is to preserve the house and to give visitors from afar a taste of traditional Japanese culture.
Timeline of Misawaya
The present house was built
The prosperous Obara Family
Vacancy
The first volunteer preservation group
New members take over
New projects
Increasing community participation
We have been trying to find sustainable ways to preserve the house to ensure Misawaya will continue to be a valuable place where people can gather to learn about, protect and re-vitalize an essential part of Japanese history.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are going to cancel all public events in 2022 however our core members are still working on the preservation work.
Location
Location
Kominka Misawaya
(Former Obara Family)
542-1 Nakaminowa, Kamiina-gun, Nagano, 399-4601
4-minute walk from JR Iida line Sawa Station(From Shinjuku, appx 3 hours by train)
5-minute drive from Ihoku IC of Chuo-Jidosha-do
BLOG
We have been posting blog posts about renovation, etc since we took over the house. (Available in Japanese only)