Saiko Iyashi-no-Sato Nenba
ExploreJapanDaily Editorial Team · Last updated: October 9, 2026 · Facts verified: October 9, 2026
Saiko Iyashi-no-Sato Nenba (西湖いやしの里根場) is a rebuilt village of about 20 thatched houses above Lake Saiko, facing Mount Fuji, on the site of a farming hamlet destroyed by a debris flow in 1966. Entry costs 500 yen for adults and 250 yen for children. It is open daily from 9:00 to 17:00 from March to November and 9:30 to 16:30 from December to February (last entry 30 minutes before closing), and the craft workshops inside cost extra. The Saiko loop bus from Kawaguchiko Station takes about 40 minutes.
Photo: Davide Mauro, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0; resized
- Area
- Saiko, Fujikawaguchiko
- Best For
- Traditional houses, Crafts, Mount Fuji views, Western lakes
What Iyashi-no-Sato Nenba is
Nenba was a farming hamlet of thatched houses built in the kabuto-zukuri style, with steep helmet-shaped roofs, on a fan of land facing Mount Fuji across Lake Saiko. On 25 September 1966, after days of typhoon rain, the slope above it collapsed and a debris flow destroyed or damaged 37 of its 41 houses. In 2006 the town of Fujikawaguchiko rebuilt about 20 thatched houses on the site, using old timbers, as a place to show the old village and local crafts.
Photo: Davide Mauro, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0; resized
Today each house is a shop, workshop, small museum or restaurant: incense, pottery, glass and metal work, silk, chirimen fabric crafts, soba and a tea house, plus an erosion-control (sabo) museum, a reminder of why the original hamlet was lost. One older house, the former Watanabe residence, is a registered tangible cultural property. The paths between the houses frame Mount Fuji, which is why most people come.
It is a paid, managed site rather than a living village, and it is a different visit from Oshino Hakkai, the free spring ponds on the other side of the mountain. On the western lakes, it is the most practical stop to reach without a car.
What to do at Iyashi-no-Sato Nenba
How to Get to Saiko Iyashi-no-Sato Nenba
The village is on the northwest shore of Lake Saiko in Fujikawaguchiko town, west of Lake Kawaguchiko.
- •Check the return bus time before you go in, so you do not miss the last Saiko loop bus.
- •Parking is free.
- •On 31 October 2026 roads around Lake Saiko are restricted for a high school relay race; the operator posts the details.
Map
Best Time to Visit Saiko Iyashi-no-Sato Nenba
Best time to visit Saiko Iyashi-no-Sato Nenba: Clear mornings for Mount Fuji; mid-April to early May for weeping cherries; late October to mid-November for autumn leaves. Weekday mornings are generally quieter than weekends and public holidays.
- •Go early on a clear day: the view of Mount Fuji over the roofs is the main reason to come.
- •Weeping cherries flower from mid-April to early May and autumn leaves peak from late October to mid-November.
- •Winter hours are shorter (9:30 to 16:30, last entry 16:00).
The prefectural tourism body gives this as the peak; timing varies with the year.
The busiest season for photographs of the roofs with Mount Fuji.
Shorter hours (9:30 to 16:30, last entry 16:00) and the clearest views of the mountain.
Entry Fee & Hours
| Category | Price (JPY) | Approx. (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| Adult (high school and older) | ¥500 | ~$3.30 |
| Child (elementary and junior high) | ¥250 | ~$1.70 |
| Adult with a disability certificate | ¥150 | ~$1 |
| Child with a disability certificate | ¥50 | ~$0.30 |
Groups of 20 or more pay 450 yen (adults) and 200 yen (children). Parking is free. Craft workshops, food and kimono rental cost extra. JPY amounts are official; USD amounts are approximate and change with the exchange rate.
- •Entry covers walking the village and the museum houses. Workshops, food, shopping and kimono rental are paid separately.
- •Workshops are booked by phone with each workshop. Same-day or no-show cancellations are charged in full and day-before cancellations at 50%, except for bad weather or disasters. The operator plans to revise workshop prices from fiscal 2027.
- •Open every day of the year, with occasional temporary closures announced on the operator site.
- •Dogs can walk the paths with you but cannot enter the buildings. Smoking is not allowed.
Nearby Attractions
Back toward Kawaguchiko Station
Lake Kawaguchiko
Oishi Park
Mt. Fuji Panoramic Ropeway
- •Lake Kawaguchiko (About 40 minutes by Saiko loop bus): The Fuji Five Lakes base most visitors use, with free shoreline views of Mount Fuji, a sightseeing cruise and easy train and bus links to Tokyo.
- •Oishi Park (Bus via Kawaguchiko Station): A free flower walk on Lake Kawaguchiko's north shore, facing Mount Fuji across the water, best known for early-summer lavender and red autumn kochia.
- •Mt. Fuji Panoramic Ropeway (Bus to Kawaguchiko Station, then about 15 minutes on foot): A three-minute ropeway from Lake Kawaguchiko up Mount Tenjo to a deck facing Mount Fuji, with a fare rise from 1 November 2026 and a December inspection closure.
Nenba on a western-lakes day
Use the morning bus out so you are back at Kawaguchiko by mid-afternoon.
Kawaguchiko and Nenba by bus
Morning
Saiko loop bus from Kawaguchiko Station, about 40 minutes
Late morning
Walk the village, then a workshop or lunch
Afternoon
Bus back to Kawaguchiko Station for the Mt. Fuji Panoramic Ropeway or the lakeshore
Frequently Asked Questions
References
View references
Saiko Iyashi-no-Sato Nenba
Fujikawaguchiko Town Tourism
Yamanashi Tourism Organization
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