The Museum Meiji-Mura is an outdoor theme park in the city of Inuyama, Aichi Prefecture, that re-creates Japan's Meiji period, which lasted from 1868 to 1912.

Meiji was the first period when Japan made steps to change rapidly from an era of samurai and topknots into a modern nation. Here you can tour more than 60 retro structures, ride conveyances, and enjoy tasty fare as you travel back in time to the Meiji era of over a hundred years ago!

Recommended Popular Spots and Hands-on Experiences

- Guidance Center
If you're a first-time visitor to Meiji-Mura, you should start by heading to the Guidance Center. Here you'll find lots of easy-to-follow materials and videos on how you can explore and enjoy the museum.

(Guidance is available in Japanese, English, and Simplified Chinese.)

Where: Inside the Imperial Guard Headquarters' Annex

- World-famous Buildings
The Main Entrance Hall and Lobby of the Imperial Hotel designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, legendary American architect in the 20th century, is something you won't want to miss seeing. Features such as the space whose adornments include carved marble and terracotta fittings, the atrium that extends to the third floor, and the "pillars of light" make for a magnificent and impressive sight.

- A Cathedral Bathed in Mystical Light
The light that enters St. Francis Xavier's Cathedral through a stained-glass rose window measuring 3.6 meters in diameter bathes the interior in a rainbow of colors, giving it a fantastic beauty. Why not make use of this space to exchange vows of everlasting love with your special someone?

- Experience a Meiji-era Prison
The Central Guard Station and Ward of Kanazawa Prison includes a room that re-creates what prisons looked like during the Meiji period. You can go inside an actual cell and mail room, and experience for yourself what it must have been like to be a prisoner in the Meiji period.

- Experience Riding Meiji-era Conveyances
Do try riding a steam-locomotive train and streetcars that have been in service for over a century. There are two locomotives in all, with each running on alternate days. Get aboard, and you might find out what it was like to be a passenger back then.

- Experience Meiji-era Attire
Don some apparel from the Meiji period, and you'll be able to experience the ambience of the era.

Be sure to take lots of photos for terrific memories of the day.

Two options are available: a Commemorative Photo Course that includes photos only, and a Strolling Course, in which you can walk around the museum while wearing the garments (limited to 20 persons a day).

- Meiji-era Dining
One thing that's not to be missed is the unique dining at Meiji-Mura that uses recipes re-created and reworked from over a hundred years in the past. Try strolling around the museum as you eat piping-hot croquettes and curry-filled buns. Gyu-nabe -- beef hotpot -- is a popular dish that symbolizes Japan's westernization during the Meiji period.

Check out Meiji-Mura, and experience a Japan that offers a distinctly different feel from the present.
We're looking forward to seeing you!