Maezawa Magarika Village: A traditional Japanese landscape where many curved houses remain (Minamiaizu Town, Fukushima Prefecture)

In Minamiaizu Town, Fukushima Prefecture"magariya", which have thatched roofs anda main house that is curved in an L-shape. Among them, 13 magariya houses are clustered together in the Maezawa settlement.

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Living in the same house as horses: the Aizu lifestyle

The Maezawa Magariya settlementis located in the former Tateiwa Village (now Minamiaizu Town) in the Aizu region of Fukushima Prefecture. This area is a plateau, and while ski resorts are now the main tourist attraction, it is an area with harsh winters and heavy snowfall.

term "magariya"The"magariya," "magariya," "magariya," "magariya," or "magariya,"but it is a representative style of farmhouse in Japan, and from the Edo period to the Meiji period, they were common throughout Japan, especially in eastern Japan.

In the days before powered agricultural machinery such as combine harvesters, cows and horses were very useful for farm work, and in warm regions, livestock sheds were built separately from the main house

However, in cold regions, livestock sheds located outside are cold, and there are many inconveniences, such as having to leave the house to take care of the horses. This led to thedevelopment of a farmhouse design that connected the main house and the livestock shed.

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A curved house where the whole house is warmed by the hearth and kept comfortable even in the cold winter

In eastern Japan, including Aizu, horses were kept for farming and transportation. The easiest way to build a stable (uma-ya) next to the main house is to use a flat surface (sugoya), but in the Aizu region, most stables are curved

It is not clear why they chose to build curved houses, but in houses with thatched roofs, a fire was kept lit in the hearth all day to dry the roof, which kept the living space and the stables in the same building warm and comfortable

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Over 100 remaining kagaya houses in the Aizu region

This traditional farmhouse style, known as a "magariya," has almost completely disappeared as agriculture has become increasingly mechanized, eliminating the need to raise horses for farming, and as roofing materials have been replaced from thatch to semi-permanent tiles or sheet metal. However,more than 100 of these magariya still remain in the Aizu region.Of course, horses are no longer kept there, but they are valuable cultural heritage sites that offer insights into the lifestyle of the past.

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Maezawa Village, where 13 curved houses still remain

Maesawa village is a small settlement of around 20 houses, of which 13 are curved houses. Of these 13, 10 have thatched roofs (3 have had their roofs re-thatched), and the buildings remain as they were when they were used together with the stables, with the stables being remodeled in various ways and still used as residences today

The Maesawa settlement dates back to the 1590s during the Azuchi-Momoyama period, and the settlement is home to the Batou Kannon and Marikishin deities, which show how much people valued horses

In 1907 (Meiji 40), a major fire destroyed all buildings except for the four storehouses. The residents, who had lost their homes, spent three years rebuilding all the houses to their original appearance with the help of people from the surrounding area, and the Magariya Village that exists today was born

Eventually, the era of horses came to an end, and in the 1960s, when the rebuilding of the curved houses was being considered, the idea of ​​the local people and the former Tateiwa village to preserve the original Japanese landscape came to fruition, and the houses were preserved almost exactly as they were, and the entire village was opened to the public as "Maezawa Curved House Village."

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Maezawa Magariya Village, designated as a national preservation district for groups of traditional buildings

Maezawa Magariya Villageis not a tourist facility, but a village where people actually live. While you cannot tour the private houses, there are well-maintained walking paths, and you can find the Maezawa Magariya Museum, which displays traditional folk tools and documents in old-fashioned curved houses, as well as soba noodle restaurants and cafes.

The village is dotted with stone statues of Bato Kannon and Umajiki, as well as storehouses that survived the great fire of 1907, thatched-roof watermills, shrines, and Yakushido temples, creating a tranquil landscape that evokes the original rural landscape. The entire village can be seen from a hill a short distance away

The Maezawa Magariya Villagea national preservation district for traditional buildingsis designated as

Maezawa Magariya Village <Information>

• Name: Maezawa Kakeru Village
• Address: Maesawa, Minamiaizu-machi, Minamiaizu-gun, Fukushima Prefecture
• Phone number: 0241-72-8977 (Maezawa Landscape Preservation Society)
• Tour period: April to November
• Tour times: 8:30-16:30
• Admission fee: Adults 300 yen, high school students and younger 150 yen (free for preschoolers and townspeople)
• Official URL:Maezawa Magariya Village Homepage

Google Map

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The Curved House Museum where you can see the structure of the curved house and the tools used in daily life

The Curved House Museum was relocated from the neighboring former village of Inamura (now Minamiaizu Town) to preserve and display the curved houses of the Aizu region. The architectural style is the same as that of Maesawa Village, and it was built in the late Meiji period

The museum displays everyday items and allows visitors to tour the building. The Buddhist statues enshrined in the back room are the "Standing Statue of Acala and Two Children," designated tangible cultural properties by Minamiaizu Town. The curved house, which is centered around a living room with a hearth, allows visitors to keep an eye on their horses from the comfort of their own home, demonstrating the wisdom of living in a snowy country where people live with horses. The Curved House Museum is the only place in Maezawa Curved House Village where you can tour the inside of a curved house

Musician Museum<Information>

• Facility name: Kyoka Museum
• Opening period: April to November
• Admission fee: Free

Google Map

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Sobadokoro Magariya: Enjoy the local specialty, handmade soba noodles

Soba Restaurant Magariya is a soba restaurant operating out of a curved house in Maesawa village. The L-shaped stable area has been converted into the entrance. You can enjoy handmade soba noodles made with buckwheat flour, a specialty of the Tateiwa area, including Maesawa village

Soba Restaurant Kyoka ＜Information＞

• Facility name: Soba restaurant Magaya
• Opening period: April to November
• Business hours: 10:30-16:00
• Official URL:https://tateiwa-nousan.jp/magariya.html

Google Map

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Take a break during your stroll at "Kominka Cafe Irori"

"Kominka Cafe Irori" is a cafe that occupies an abandoned thatched-roof house in the village, and is a great place to stop by during a stroll. There is also a direct sales store selling local specialties and traditional crafts

Traditional Japanese House Cafe Irori ＜Information＞

• Facility name: Old-style house cafe Irori
• Opening period: April to November
• Business days: Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and public holidays
• Business hours: 10:00-15:00

Google Map

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Mizuhiki Village: Beautiful, tranquil mountain village scenery

Mizuhiki Village is a village with seven curved houses remaining. During the Meiji period, it was hit by a great fire and all the houses were burned down, but were later rebuilt

A leisurely stroll through the traditional mountain village scenery

While the settlement lacks tourist facilities such as restaurants and souvenir shops, there are guide signs, allowing you to leisurely stroll through the traditional mountain village scenery.Unlike tourist-oriented settlements like the Maezawa Magariya settlement, everything is a place of daily life, so please be considerate of the residents and explore within the bounds of common sense.

Mizuhiki Village <Information>

• Name: Mizuhiki village
• Address: Mizuhiki, Minamiaizu-machi, Fukushima Prefecture
• For inquiries, please contact: Minamiaizu Town Tourism and Products Association, Tateiwa Tourist Center
• Phone number: 0241-64-5611
• Free to stroll around ※This is not a tourist facility
• URL:Aizu Tourism Homepage

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