This historic musuem gave us a peek into how the locals live during the Edo period. The Honjin and Waki-honjin were luxurious buildings constructed along the post towns of the Nakasendo highway for government officials travelling the route. Most of the travellers making the journey between Edo and Kyoto were normal people such as traders, so the Honjin and Waki-honjin were used to put up the daimyo, or feudal lords, with Emperor Meiji himself once taking a visit in 1880. Reflecting its surrounding nature, the Waki-honjin was constructed from cypress trees with the interior filled with high quality tatami mats. While the Waki-honjin musuem was less important than the Honjin and used as a secondary inn, today it is the most impressive of the two not only for housing the largest collection of historical displays but also thanks to the positioning of the beams in the ceiling where the sun shines through in the afternoon creating a mystical atmosphere. We paid 700 yen to visit the two museums inside the Waki-honjin which comprise several different rooms housing everything from 200-year-old historical documents and typical Edo period clothing to a high class lavatory designed specifically for the emperor.

Just visited here with wife and friend. We were lucky to have this nice guide who speaks English, patiently and enthusiastically showing and explaining to us so many aspects of the place - the streaming sunlight, the seats around the fireplace (who sits where and why), the purpose of the garden pond, significance of the fish gargoyle above the entrance, the table which was bestowed by the emperor Meiji during his brief visit, as well as the toilet designed for him, the bathroom, the cedarwood frames, the glass window looking out into the garden, etc! Worth a visit if only for that very nice guide!