Tōno Folktale & Storytelling Center

Iwate Prefecture


Housed in the restored ryokan where Yanagita Kunio penned his famous work Legends of Tōno, this evocative museum has audiovisuals of some of the tales and memorabilia pertaining to Yanagita. There is minimal English signage, but wandering the restored buildings is still worthwhile.

Several times a day, local storytellers regale visitors with mukashi-banashi (old-time stories), however, given the heavy country dialect, even Japanese visitors may have trouble understanding them.


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