JAPANKURU: nagano

Whether you've seen them in Ghibli films or in paintings by Katsushika Hokusai, the gorgeous old-fashioned Japanese folk houses found around Japan are called kominka, and they're symbols of Japanese architecture. Rooms with tatami mat floors and thatched or tiled roofs and long, sturdy ceiling beams that run the length of the house, kominka are iconic, and they're wonderful examples of Japanese cultural history. In a country constantly hurtling between the traditional and the modern, these days most Japanese citizens tend to build new houses with modern architecture, and as kominka have fallen out of fashion, their numbers have dwindled. Here at JAPANKURU we think it's a shame that the beautiful old buildings aren't used and maintained, which is why we were especially excited to travel to Nagano's Matsumoto City in the fall. Matsumoto City is home to some interesting agritourism, friendly locals, and a project looking to bring old kominka back to life, based in the city's Shiga area. These houses are being restored and returned to everyday use, and we couldn't wait to see.