Tono

Tono is the spiritual home of Japanese folklore, immortalized in Kunio Yanagita's 1910 classic 'Tono Monogatari' (The Legends of Tono), which collected the region's rich oral traditions of kappa water spirits, zashiki-warashi house spirits, and other supernatural beings. The town embraces its folklore heritage with sites like Kappabuchi pool where kappa are said to dwell, and the Tono Furusato Village, a collection of relocated magariya L-shaped farmhouses that preserves traditional rural architecture. The Tono Municipal Museum offers excellent exhibits on folklore and local history. The surrounding countryside of rice paddies, hop fields, and forested mountains is best explored by bicycle, with rental shops near the station. Visit during the autumn harvest season for the most evocative landscapes, or in September for the Tono Matsuri festival celebrating the region's folk traditions.