Open air attractions in Inuyama

What?
Inuyama (犬山) is famous for its castle (犬山城), which is only 1 of 5 designated as national treasures (along with Himeji, Matsumoto, Hikone and Matsue). The town however also has 2 very big open air museums, being Meiji-mura (明治村) which gathers Meiji-period buildings of all over Japan and The Little World Museum of Man (better known as simply Little World リトルワールド) which gathers houses and artifacts from all over the world.
Where?
Being located in Aichi Prefecture (愛知県), Inuyama is very easily reached from Nagoya with the Meitetsu Railways (名鉄 private railway, so he JR pass is not valid). The castle is a 20 minute walk from Inuyama Station, while buses depart from the station regularly for Meiji-mura and Little World. Signage is very clear so there is no risk of getting lost. Both the bus for Meiji-mura as for Little World take about 20-25 minutes to reach their destination.
URL
Japan Guide Outline The Museum Meiji-Mura Little World Museum of Man

10 years ago I visited Inuyama a first time. Being impressed by Matsumoto castle, I made it my goal to visit all (back then) 4 castles that were national heritage.
Now, 10 years later, I unexpectedly had a free time slot while in Nagoya so I decided to revisit Inuyama.

My main goal though was Meiji-Mura, an open air museum of buildings from the Meiji period. I thoroughly enjoyed the Historic Village of Hokkaido and despite its lack of concept also the Taiyo Park in Himeji. Add to that my (admittedly superficial) interest in the Meiji period and I did expect to enjoy my trip although I did not have a lot of time. In Meiji-mura several Meiji period buildings or parts of buildings from all over Japan are gathered together. Already looking out from the bus window I was impressed by some of them rising in front of me. The park is big but not so huge as the 2 forementioned parks. That’s not really a bad thing as it allows you to visit all there is to see. The quality of the buildings is very good, and although pricey, the park in general is worth a visit if you’re even remotely interested Japan’s history or architecture. I was a bit disappointed in the lack of artifacts inside the buildings though. They could learn a lot from the Hokkaido Village in that respect. Highlights were the Red Cross hospital wing, the Sapporo telephone center, the prison wing and the small photo studio at the very rear of the park.
I did not see a lot of foreign tourists and it was a while back that I’ve been asked so many times where I come from and how I learned Japanese. I suppose it’s because central Japan is still not on the map of many tourists. Nagoya is not far away though…

Anyway, after spending 2 hours in Meiji-mura (you could easily spend more time though) I decided to give Inuyama Castle another look. Upon closing in on the castle my initial impressions came back to me and hadn’t changed.
The castle is rather small and does not have the same impressive feel like Himeji Castle and Matsumoto Castle – by far. However the gentle lines in the architecture, the approach through shrines and most of all its tangible authenticity make from Inuyama Castle a really charming place. Of course, the lack of tourists could also have played a roll. Reparations on the roof of the castle were on their way but did not bother too much.
Between the castle and the station is a long street with old buildings reminiscent of an old castle town. As I was in a hurry I didn’t hop in anywhere, but there were various buildings housing exhibitions that seemed interesting, and of course if you’re hungry it will be very difficult to withstand the beckoning call of all the snack stands.

Postal office.

St. Francis Xavier's Cathedral

View on the prison gate, the library and lookout tower.

Steam locomotive

My day was finished, but 10 years ago I also visited Little World in Inuyama. Just like Meiji-mura it’s an open air museum, but if I recall correctly way bigger. Just like Taiyo Park though the concept of Little World was a bit lost on me. It was a gathering of houses/religious places/castles/customs related artifacts of places all over the world. I distinctly remember the Thai house and the German Village – the latter for nothing else than its beer and sausages though. And of course I also remember the giant main exhibition hall.

The place had its interesting spots, but behind every brick and around corner I would be asking myself what the purpose was of this park. Back then there were very few visitors, making the parallel with Taiyo Park complete. Honesty makes me say though that the weather was quite poor. It could be that the park was upgraded recently. Work related I hear a lot about the park and various events and exhibitions. So even though I cannot give a recent update on the state of affairs I think it’s safe to say that the park is still alive and kicking, but probably also still a huge curiosity.